Spend the client meeting on the decision.
Your client needs to understand the next few months. Before you can advise, someone joins pipeline, project plans, staffing and overhead in a spreadsheet. Work from the connected company view and put your judgement to the decision.
The books are necessary. The next decision needs more.
An accurate close tells a services client what happened. A pricing, hiring or staffing decision also needs to account for work not yet delivered and costs the company continues to carry.
For clients around 25–150 people, Profitdrive connects that operational plan to a forward company P&L. Accounting, forward information and professional judgement keep their different jobs; software does not replace your advice.
Bring an explanation, not another collection request.
Read Contracted, + Extensions and + Pipeline, then identify what the company result depends on. Inspect delivery cost, Non-Billable Production Cost (bench, internal-project and leave-related cost) and SG&A down to Operating Income.
Compare Actual with Budget, Last year or a forecast through PL Detail, Clients and Business Units. Use the company view to discuss capacity, price and overhead with the client; keep client/project contribution distinct from company operating profit.
Join the client’s view with the right access.
The client can invite an external accountant or fractional CFO on a free Partner seat. Partner access is read-only. You can examine the shared view; that invitation does not give editing or administration rights by default.
If your engagement includes maintaining plans or changing inputs, agree the appropriate paid seat and role with the client. Salaries and Finance access are governed separately from operational Team access; review permissions before onboarding.
Use one client question to test the value.
| Client conversation | Question to prepare | Shared evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Next quarter’s company result | What is signed, what may extend and what still needs to be won? | Read the cumulative outlook views and trace the costs the company carries. |
| A hiring or staffing decision | What work supports the commitment, and what happens between assignments? | Connect people cost and capacity with the forward financial view. |
| BU and board reporting | Can the client explain the difference from plan? | Inspect comparisons and the BU/firm detail, then export the board pack. |
| Actuals and responsibility | Who maintains the inputs and accepts the accounting period? | Keep the monthly import or optional Xero mapping with the client’s authorised finance lead. |
Next quarter’s company result
- Question to prepare
- What is signed, what may extend and what still needs to be won?
- Shared evidence
- Read the cumulative outlook views and trace the costs the company carries.
A hiring or staffing decision
- Question to prepare
- What work supports the commitment, and what happens between assignments?
- Shared evidence
- Connect people cost and capacity with the forward financial view.
BU and board reporting
- Question to prepare
- Can the client explain the difference from plan?
- Shared evidence
- Inspect comparisons and the BU/firm detail, then export the board pack.
Actuals and responsibility
- Question to prepare
- Who maintains the inputs and accepts the accounting period?
- Shared evidence
- Keep the monthly import or optional Xero mapping with the client’s authorised finance lead.
Start with one suitable client.
Choose a client whose advice is being held up by disconnected operating and financial inputs. Review one reporting period and one upcoming decision together. Identify setup work, the person maintaining each input and the access your service requires.
AI-guided migration prepares supported files for the client to approve. The test is whether a shared view improves a specific client conversation—not how many dashboards you can offer.
Follow the question that matters next.
For CFOs, controllers and CEOs who need to explain the company result and the months ahead. Company forecasting and management reporting
For management teams keeping operating decisions connected with the financial case during integration. Acquisition and integration planning
See all starting pointsWhich client decision needs better financial context before your next meeting?
Request early access and describe the client workflow you want to examine, so the evaluation starts with your advisory task.