Using a homegrown Excel approach is a clear signal that modernization is needed
Versioning and data integrity risks
With 25 Excel files sent and modified in parallel, version tracking becomes almost impossible. Human errors or faulty copy-pastes can corrupt the data, slow consolidation, and lead to inconsistent results. Each iteration increases the risk of inaccuracies in the forecasts.
Security and confidentiality challenges
Excel does not easily allow restricting access to certain data sections without creating a separate file for each stakeholder. This increases management complexity and multiplies the number of files circulating within the organization. The risk of someone accessing sensitive information (salaries, confidential budgets, etc.) is very real.
Collaboration Difficulties and Lack of Traceability
Coordinating exchanges between 25 stakeholders via email or file sharing multiplies delays, makes tracking difficult, and prevents any real-time overview. It becomes nearly impossible to know who changed what and when, harming transparency and accountability.
Laborious Manual Consolidation
At the end of the process, the finance team often has to manually compile the 25 files to produce a consolidated version. This consumes valuable time, introduces errors, and delays strategic analysis. This manual work diverts financial analysts from higher-value tasks.
SEE HOW SWIFTFINANCE CAN HELP PEOPLE LIKE YOU
Finance Director,
Professional Services
We had reached the limit of what we could do with Excel. The ERP system was not flexible enough to support our planning needs, and customizing the system was too expensive.
SwiftFinance allowed us to build specialized applications like salary planning and CAPEX directly within Excel, but in a secure, governed way, fully integrated with our centralized financial model.”
CFO,
Manufacturing
With over 20 managers involved in the budgeting process, managing everything through Excel was a nightmare. Versions got lost, numbers didn’t match, and we had no control over who was modifying what
Thanks to SwiftFinance, each user accesses only their section, validations are automated, and consolidation is instant. We’ve gained rigor and efficiency..
How Swiftfinance can help optimize
your budgeting process operations
Protect finance operations ⚫︎ Much more flexible reporting than any ERP ⚫︎ Capacity to support growth through acquisitions ⚫︎ Customized financial applications ⚫︎ Governance and compliance
Centralized budget data
SwiftFinance offers a centralized financial model that structures and saves all budget data entered by stakeholders in a secure environment, eliminating the risk of human errors from manual operations.
Template sharing without email
SwiftFinance allows you to share customized, secure input templates with budgeting stakeholders without needing to go through an Excel file on SharePoint or send them by email.
Full control over budget scenarios
SwiftFinance lets you define additional budget versions, manage write permissions, set allocation methods, and specify which measures are open for entry — ensuring complete control over how the writeback module is used within the centralized analytical financial model.
Applications for key budgeting steps
SwiftFinance provides applications to centrally and securely manage complex budgeting steps like salary planning, adaptable to your organization’s context and operational constraints.
Centralized governance ensures compliance
SwiftFinance enables each contributor to work on their portion of the budget directly within Excel, using a familiar interface, while respecting confidentiality through integrated access rights. It also maintains a historical trace of all changes made to the data entered in the templates..
