Insight.

Accurate forecasting is a competitive advantage. CEOs who lead disciplined planning processes create organisations that anticipate change instead of reacting to it.

Key Strategies:
1. Adopt Rolling Forecasts—Keep financial projections current and dynamic.

2. Strengthen Data Quality—Ensure inputs reflect real operational performance.

3. Promote Cross-Functional Collaboration—Finance, operations, and sales must align.

4. Stress-Test Assumptions—Identify vulnerabilities and build contingency plans.

5. Link Forecasts to Strategy—Keep projections anchored in long-term goals.

CEO Leadership Actions.

• Review key assumptions personally.
• Require scenario planning for major decisions.
• Challenge optimism with grounded realities.

Actionable Tip.

Update your top financial assumptions today—market conditions may have shifted.

Why This Matters?

Reliable forecasting improves capital allocation, reduces surprises, and enhances investor confidence.

About the Author.

Ernest De-Graft Egyir, CEO advisor and founding CEO of Chief Executives Network Ghana, convenes the Ghana CEO Summit and served on Ghana’s Economic Dialogue Planning Committee.