Finance, decoded.
FP&A services: planning and reporting, built and run for you
Decipher's FP&A Lead engagement is fractional FP&A for CFOs and controllers: more planning capacity without a full-time hire, with a driver-based operating model, rolling forecasts, budget vs actual and KPI reporting, built and run underneath your finance leader.
What Decipher's FP&A services include
Financial planning and analysis services, built once and then run every month. Decipher builds on the numbers your controller already produces.
Driver-based operating model
Revenue, headcount and spend tied to the drivers behind them, so a change in one assumption flows through the P&L, balance sheet and cash. Built in spreadsheets or in a planning tool; see how to choose FP&A software.
An annual budget
A budget leadership manages to, built from the model and agreed with department heads, not a spreadsheet filed away after January.
Rolling forecast, including cash
A forecast refreshed every month that always looks the same distance ahead, with cash alongside the P&L.
Budget vs actual, KPIs and SaaS metrics
A monthly variance review with commentary on what moved and why, plus the SaaS metrics investors check, from ARR and net revenue retention to burn multiple.
Scenario and headcount planning
Base and downside cases, and a hiring plan tied to revenue, so each hire is tested against the budget and cash before the offer goes out.
Analysis behind decisions
The numbers behind hiring, pricing and spend decisions, ready before the decision is made rather than after.
Outsourced FP&A, fractional FP&A or an FP&A consultant
Three common ways to get financial planning and analysis help from outside the company, and where Decipher fits.
Outsourced FP&A
FP&A outsourcing puts the planning and analysis function with an outside firm. Decipher builds the model and the reporting, then runs the monthly cycle: forecast, variance review and the reporting package.
Fractional FP&A
A senior FP&A lead for a share of the week, on a retainer, working inside the company's calendar. This is how Decipher's FP&A Lead engagement is structured.
FP&A consultant
Usually a one-time build, such as a model or a budget, handed over at the end. Decipher can scope that as a fixed-fee project, while FP&A Lead keeps the model running after it is built.
New to the term? What is FP&A? explains financial planning and analysis, how it differs from accounting, and when a company needs it.
Who Decipher's FP&A services are for
Finance teams with a leader, and no time to plan
FP&A Lead is for companies that already have a CFO, VP of Finance or controller. The books are handled. What is missing is the time to plan, forecast and analyze.
- Software and SaaS companies where the CFO is stretched across the close, audit, fundraising and the board.
- Companies whose controller runs an accurate close but has no capacity for forecasting.
- Owner-led businesses with recurring revenue that want a real budget and forecast run every month.
- No finance leader yet? Decipher's fractional CFO services cover the whole seat.
The moments that usually trigger the call
Planning keeps getting pushed aside
The CFO or controller is consumed by the close and audit, so the forecast goes stale.
Budget season is coming
The annual budget needs a driver-based model, not another round of copied spreadsheets.
The board wants better metrics
Investors are asking for ARR, net retention and burn multiple, reported the same way every month.
Hiring is about to speed up
A headcount plan needs to be tested against cash before offers go out.
An acquisition just closed
Two sets of numbers need one combined forecast, and synergies need tracking.
How FP&A outsourcing compares with the alternatives
Hiring an in-house FP&A analyst
An analyst can be the right long-term answer, but hiring takes time, and a first analyst needs someone to design the model and the reporting they will run. Decipher can build that foundation, run it, and hand it to an in-house hire later.
Asking the bookkeeper or controller to plan
A bookkeeper records transactions and a controller owns an accurate close and compliance. Planning, forecasting and decision support are a different job. Decipher works alongside them and builds on the numbers they produce, so the close isn't disrupted.
A full-time CFO or a fractional CFO
A CFO, full-time or fractional, takes the whole finance leadership seat, including fundraising and the board. FP&A Lead is for companies that already have that leader and need capacity underneath them. If no one owns finance today, see fractional CFO services.
A CPA firm
A CPA firm handles tax and, where needed, reviews or audits of a past period. FP&A looks forward. Decipher does not do tax and coordinates with the CPA when a plan has tax consequences.
See the work in more detail: budget vs actual analysis, rolling forecasts and headcount planning.
How an engagement works
From first call to a running planning cycle in about 90 days. The exact deliverables are set out in the proposal.
- 01
Intro call
30 minutesWhere planning stands, what decisions are coming, and a straight answer on whether Decipher is the right fit.
- 02
Written proposal
Within 48 hoursScope, deliverables, timeline, cadence and price, built around the finance leader's priorities.
- 03
Diagnosis
Month 1A review of existing models, data and reporting, and a monthly calendar agreed with the finance leader.
- 04
Build
Month 2The operating model, KPI reporting, a cash flow forecast and the first monthly reporting package.
- 05
Running
Month 3 onwardA monthly rolling forecast and budget vs actual, reviewed with the finance leader and ready for leadership.
- Pricing
- Retainers are sized to the business and its stage, and the price is in the proposal before work starts.
- Commitment
- A three-month minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice.
- One-time needs
- A budget, an operating model or a planning tool can be scoped as a fixed-fee project instead.
Why Decipher
Decipher was founded by Joe Ferretti, who spent nearly a decade running FP&A inside private equity backed enterprise software companies, building the planning and reporting that leadership relied on. He has been on both sides of acquisitions, from diligence through integration.
That shapes how Decipher builds a model: the way an investor or acquirer will read it. Consistent metric definitions, a forecast that ties to the books, and reporting a finance leader can put in front of the board.
Clients work with Joe directly, from the first call through every deliverable.
What Decipher does not do
Bookkeeping, tax, audit and controllership are not included. The close stays with your controller or bookkeeper, and tax stays with your CPA.
Decipher works alongside them and builds the plan on the numbers they produce.
FP&A services: common questions
What do FP&A services include?
At Decipher: a driver-based operating model, an annual budget, a rolling forecast that includes cash, a monthly budget vs actual with commentary, KPI and SaaS metrics reporting, scenario and headcount planning, and the analysis behind hiring, pricing and spend decisions.
What is the difference between outsourced FP&A and hiring an in-house FP&A analyst?
An in-house analyst is a full-time employee who runs the planning cycle, usually with a finance leader designing the model and reporting they work in. Outsourced FP&A brings that design and the monthly running of it from outside, sized to the work. Many companies start outsourced and hire in-house later, and Decipher can hand the model and reporting over when they do.
Is FP&A outsourcing the same as fractional FP&A?
The terms overlap. FP&A outsourcing means planning and analysis work is done by people outside the company. Fractional FP&A describes how that is staffed: a senior FP&A lead for a share of the week, on a retainer. Decipher's FP&A Lead engagement is both: an outside FP&A lead runs planning and reporting part time, under the company's CFO or controller.
We have a controller. Do we still need FP&A?
Often, yes. A controller owns the accuracy of the books, the monthly close and compliance. Planning, forecasting and decision support are a different job, and without an owner they fall to the founder or get pushed aside. Decipher works alongside the controller and builds on the numbers they already produce.
What is the difference between FP&A services and a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO takes the whole finance leadership seat, including fundraising, the board and capital strategy. FP&A services are for companies that already have a CFO or controller and need more planning and reporting capacity underneath them. Decipher offers both: FP&A Lead and Fractional CFO.
How much do outsourced FP&A services cost?
It depends on scope and stage. Retainers are sized to the business, and one-time projects are fixed fee. After a 30-minute intro call, Decipher sends a written proposal with scope, deliverables and price within 48 hours.
What happens in the first 90 days with an FP&A consultant?
The first month is diagnosis: a review of the existing models, data and reporting, and a monthly calendar agreed with the finance leader. The second month is the build: the operating model, KPI reporting, a cash flow forecast and the first monthly reporting package. By the third month the cycle is running, with a monthly forecast and actuals reviewed against plan.
Further reading
Decipher's fractional CFO services
No finance leader in place yet? A fractional CFO takes the whole seat: cash, board reporting and fundraising, plus everything here.
Add planning capacity without a full-time hire
A 30-minute call covers how planning runs today, where it falls short, and whether Decipher is the right fit. A written proposal follows within 48 hours.
Or email contact@decipherhq.com