Representative sample — fictional data. This document illustrates Christine Lara’s general advisory approach. It was created from a blank file using fictional company information and does not contain client or former-employer data, templates, confidential information, or proprietary materials. Actual engagement deliverables are adapted to the company’s situation, systems, team, and scope.
Sample deliverable · Finance Readiness Review
Finance Readiness Map
Executive summary
Readiness question: can leadership produce a timely, defensible view of performance and cash before the next board and financing decision?
- Primary gap
- Reporting can be produced, but definitions, evidence, ownership, and timing are not yet repeatable.
- Recommended sequence
- Stabilize critical balances and evidence.
- Lock metric definitions and owners.
- Establish close and reporting checkpoints.
- Create a current cash-and-assumptions review.
- Evaluate tooling only after process gaps are separated from system gaps.
Readiness assessment
| Area | Current condition | Decision risk | Priority | 30-day action | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | Key reconciliations complete after reporting begins | Numbers may change after executive review | High | Move critical reconciliations before management reporting | Controller |
| Board metrics | Definitions live across several files | Follow-up answers may conflict | High | Create one metric-definition and source record | VP Finance |
| Cash | Forecast versions use different assumptions | Hiring decisions may rely on stale runway | High | Establish assumption owner and weekly variance review | CFO |
| Controls | Review evidence is inconsistent | Audit support may require reconstruction | Medium | Define review threshold and evidence standard | Controller |
| Systems | Manual exports and duplicate entry exist | Migration may begin before requirements are clear | Medium | Separate process, integration, and reporting requirements | VP Finance |
Decision log
| Decision | Why now | Owner | Evidence required | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lock board KPI definitions | Avoid inconsistent executive answers | VP Finance | Approved metric record | Open |
| Establish weekly cash review | Support hiring and financing timing | CFO | Cash model and assumption register | Open |
| Defer ERP selection | Requirements are not yet defined | CFO | Process and systems map | Decided |
What the team keeps
- Prioritized readiness map
- Decision and dependency log
- Ownership matrix
- Metric-definition record
- Close and reporting calendar
- Cash-assumption register
- Systems requirements sequence
- 30/60/90-day action plan
Deliverables reflect the signed scope; the internal team retains ownership of every artifact.
Want a map like this for your finance operation?
A Finance Readiness Review is fixed-scope and starts with a 20-minute conversation about what’s coming up.
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