Industry best practice controlling solutions imply far more then simple control of achievements or costs by a special team of accountants. Controlling means to systematically and periodically plan key objectives, analyse achievements against plans, inform relevant staff and support decision makers. APMC helps companies in scoping, planning and implementing controlling solutions by focusing on these four key aspects.

A. Defining the basic idea
The very first steps when integrating a controlling solution (ICS) have to be done by the top-managers or APMC consultants reporting to top-managers: the basic project idea for the company must be worked out and the list of key indicators must be elaborated. The importance of these first steps is often underestimated because top-management may see no difficulties in understanding their intention. However, unclear or wrong scoping can lead to rejections by employees, enormous adjustment costs or even project failure later on. Typical pitfalls when working out ICS basic ideas are:

• Customers should be top-managers and business unit managers. However, many controlling solutions only fit in top-management needs.
• The opinions of which indicators have to be introduced can vary significantly. Top-managers must therefore derive their preferences directly from their previously defined strategic objectives.
• The question what accounting principles to apply (e.g. US GAAP, UK GAAP or others) is not answered. This may lead to a very costly confusion when defining indicators later on.

B. Planning and working on details deducted from the basic idea
To avoid high adjustment costs it is important to include internal experts and opinion leaders in the project team and give them enough decision power. Relevant staff from several departments such as finance, operations, S&M, HR and key business units, e.g. from different countries, must be involved. APMC works with them on the details deducted by the well defined top-management vision. Mainly two objectives have to be delivered:

• IT-systems: make sure the solution is user-friendly!
• Agreement on definitions: make sure everyone understands every indicator the same way!

C. Implementation: planning
The next step is to set up a well function planning and budgeting process e.g. including yearly budgets, 3-years plans and forecasts. APMC supports clients by organising and performing comprehensive workshops for relevant staff and supporting them when going live.
Planning and budgeting typically includes an approximation of high expectations by the top management (top-down approach) with conservative objectives by business unit managers or employees (bottom-up approach). Normally both sides have to go through a learning phase to understand each others perspectives better.D. Implementation: reporting
As for the integration of planning cycles APMC supports clients by organising workshops and making sure reporting is done on time.
In reporting cycles – e.g. once a month or once a week – actual achievements are reported and compared against original budgets. In case of positive or negative deviations responsible business unit managers should explain their reasons. Most probably positive deviations will be explained with better management performances and negative deviations with difficult market conditions. Based on their know-how top-managers must then understand what to believe and decide what actions are required. If a team always reaches its targets probably budgets are too conservative.

E. Implementation: adding value to the company
Top-managers often dream about full transparency over their company. Their controlling solutions are reporting hundreds or even thousands of figures a month. But then they find themselves to busy to understand figures in detail, especially when reports look very complicated. Hundreds of man-hours are invested in collecting, elaborating, inputting information with only little return for the company.
APMC makes sure the controlling solutions really provide added value designing tailor-made reporting formats and procedures to support clients in quickly understanding the key information, think about it and derive their relevant decisions.