Management Reporting Services

Beyond the Numbers

Most businesses have access to financial data. The challenge is transforming that data into insights that drive better decisions and improved performance.

The common problem: Management accounts arrive late, focus on historical compliance rather than forward-looking insights, and sit unread because they don’t connect to what the business actually needs to know.

At Oppenheim Advisory, we believe management reporting should answer the questions that matter: Are we on track? Where are we winning and losing? What should we do differently? Our approach transforms financial reporting from a backward-looking obligation into a forward-looking strategic tool.

What Good Management Reporting Looks Like

Monthly Management Accounts

The foundation of good financial management. Our monthly packs include:

Profit & Loss Account:

• Clear presentation with comparative periods (budget, prior year)
• Revenue breakdown by meaningful categories
• Gross margin analysis
• Operating cost analysis with normalised/exceptional split
• Commentary explaining key movements

Balance Sheet:

• Working capital position and trends
• Debt and facility utilisation
• Key ratio analysis
• Commentary on significant movements

Cash Flow:

• Sources and uses of cash
• Working capital movements
• Connection to P&L and balance sheet
• Forward-looking cash position

KPI Dashboards

Beyond the financial statements, tracking the metrics that drive your business:

Revenue Metrics:

• Sales pipeline and conversion rates
• Customer acquisition cost and lifetime value
• Revenue per client/product/service
• New vs recurring revenue split

Operational Metrics:

• Utilisation rates (for service businesses)
• Production efficiency (for product businesses)
• Quality metrics and customer satisfaction
• Employee productivity measures

Leading Indicators:

• Metrics that predict future performance
• Early warning signs of problems
• Opportunity indicators

Board Reporting Packs

For businesses with boards or external investors:

• Executive summary with key highlights
• Financial performance against plan
• KPI dashboard with traffic light indicators
• Strategic initiative progress
• Risk register and mitigation
• Forward-looking outlook

The Reporting Transformation Process

Phase 1: Assessment

We start by understanding your current state:

• What reports do you currently produce?
• What decisions do you need to make?
• What questions remain unanswered?
• What data is available in your systems?
• Who are the audiences for your reports?

Phase 2: Design

Based on the assessment, we design a reporting framework:

• Report structure and content
• KPIs and metrics to track
• Frequency and timing
• Responsibilities and workflows
• System requirements

Phase 3: Implementation

We build and implement the new reporting:

• Create report templates and dashboards
• Establish data extraction processes
• Document procedures
• Train your team
• Run parallel with existing reports

Phase 4: Continuous Improvement

Reporting needs evolve with your business:

• Regular review of relevance and usefulness
• Addition of new metrics as needed
• Refinement based on feedback
• Automation of manual processes

Who Benefits from Better Management Reporting?

Our management reporting services are particularly valuable for:

• Growing businesses needing more sophisticated financial insight
• Businesses preparing for investment or exit requiring investor-grade reporting
• Companies with boards needing professional board packs
• Multi-entity or multi-location businesses requiring consolidated reporting
• Businesses with complex revenue models needing detailed analysis
• Organisations dissatisfied with current reporting quality or timeliness

Common Reporting Gaps We Address

Timeliness: Reports arriving weeks after month-end, when the information is stale Relevance: Reports focused on compliance rather than decision-making Insight: Numbers without context, commentary, or actionable conclusions Consistency: Different versions of the truth from different sources Accessibility: Information locked in systems or spreadsheets, not easily shared Forward-Looking: All historical, nothing about what’s coming

Case Study: Reporting Transformation

A professional services firm with £5m turnover was struggling with:

• Management accounts arriving 3 weeks after month-end
• No visibility of profitability by client or service line
• Board meetings dominated by reviewing historical numbers
• No connection between financial performance and operational KPIs

We implemented:

1. Streamlined month-end process reducing close time from 15 to 5 working days
2. Client profitability analysis revealing significant margin variations
3. KPI dashboard tracking utilisation, pipeline, and win rates
4. Board pack redesign focusing on strategic issues and forward outlook

Results:

• Reports now delivered by working day 8
• Identified two service lines for investment and one for exit
• Board meetings now 80% forward-looking discussion
• Better alignment between sales, operations, and finance teams

Our Approach

We believe management reporting should be:

Timely: Information when you need it, not weeks later Relevant: Answering the questions that matter for your business Actionable: Leading to decisions and actions, not just filing Sustainable: Processes your team can maintain going forward Evolving: Adapting as your business and needs change

Getting Started

Transform your management reporting with a structured approach:

1. Assessment: Review your current reporting and identify gaps
2. Design: Create a reporting framework aligned with your needs
3. Implementation: Build reports, establish processes, train team
4. Support: Ongoing refinement and improvement

Ready to transform your financial reporting? Book a free consultation or call us on 07990 835891 to discuss your requirements.