Finance teams are expected to deliver clean numbers, fast answers, and forward-looking insights. But under the surface of that output lies a quieter issue: a significant portion of the work is actually rework.

Teams aren’t just working hard—they’re spending too much time doing the same tasks again and again, without fixing the root cause.

What does “rework” really mean?

Rework rarely announces itself. It hides in day-to-day operations:

• Copying last quarter’s forecast and adjusting inputs by hand
• Fixing formulas that broke after a new data export
• Recalculating CAC because the marketing team used a different definition
• Cleaning raw data from five systems just to start the board deck

FP&A professionals work 45–55 hours a week, often more during close or planning cycles. The problem here isn’t effort. Finance teams are made up of some of the most committed, resourceful professionals in the organization. 

But for a function built to reduce inefficiencies, eliminate waste, and drive smarter decisions, a surprising amount of energy still goes into fixing broken spreadsheets, reconciling mismatched data, and recreating reports that should be plug-and-play.

Finance leads the charge on operational efficiency. So why do we tolerate rework in the one function designed to prevent it?

Why does rework persist?

Rework doesn’t happen because finance teams get it wrong. It happens because the systems, tools, and structures surrounding them make it nearly impossible to do things once and move on. Most finance teams operate in an environment that pushes them toward short-term fixes over long-term solutions.

Metric definitions drift.

Because there’s no single owner, each team or analyst builds their own version of “ARR,” “CAC,” or “Churn,” often with subtle but critical differences.

Data lives in silos.

CRM, ERP, billing, and BI tools all tell part of the story, but no one system ties them together, which leads to analysts resorting to stitching the picture manually.

Spreadsheets dominate workflows.

Even when the team automates parts of the process, the handoffs usually end up in Excel or Google Sheets, where logic hides in tabs, version control fails, and formulas silently break.

Work arrives reactively.

When leadership needs a fast answer, the team shifts into “just get it done” mode, building another one-off solution that won’t last past the quarter.

The real cost of rework

Rework limits how effectively finance can operate. When teams spend hours aligning definitions, cleaning data, or rebuilding reports, decision-making stalls. Every hour spent reconciling a report is an hour not spent modeling future scenarios, pressure-testing assumptions, or identifying strategic risks. Rework pulls finance out of its advisory role and traps it in operational maintenance. High-skill, high-potential talent ends up stuck in low-leverage work. At a time when businesses need sharper, faster insights from their finance teams, rework acts like an anchor.

And the cost doesn’t stop there. The more inconsistencies that appear across dashboards, models, and presentations, the harder it becomes to maintain trust in the data. When different teams present different versions of the same metric, stakeholders don’t just question the number; they start to question the entire process. Rework erodes confidence at the moment when clarity matters most.

How can finance teams eliminate rework?

Eliminating rework doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your finance function. It starts by targeting the friction points that force teams to do the same work more than once, and replacing them with systems that scale.

Define metrics once.

Start by creating a central library of core KPIs (ARR, CAC, Gross Margin, Churn) and standardize them across all models, dashboards, and reports. When every team pulls from the same definitions, you eliminate the back-and-forth that happens every reporting cycle. This clarity builds trust, shortens review cycles, and ensures that the conversation shifts from “what do these numbers mean?” to “what should we do next?”

Clean up your data.

Unify your core systems into a clean, structured data environment. Fix the mappings. Normalize the naming conventions. Eliminate duplicates. Most rework starts with unclear or inconsistent inputs. Clean data reduces the need for manual intervention every time you build a new analysis.

Automate the recurring.

Look for tasks that happen every week, month, or quarter. Instead of rebuilding them every time, automate the workflows. Use tools that allow your team to schedule updates, flag anomalies, and deliver insights without constant hands-on effort. You don’t need to automate everything at once—just start with what’s predictable, and build from there.

Make metrics self-serve.

Finance teams shouldn’t have to wait in line for data. Yet in many organizations, even simple questions require help from data engineering or IT. That bottleneck slows down the team and distracts from higher-value work. Instead, equip finance with tools that let them pull answers directly, without needing SQL or custom pipelines. 

The Bottom Line: Rework limits the strategic potential of finance teams

Replacing rework with structure is how finance goes from reactive to proactive. The same teams that track ROI down to the decimal often rely on manual processes, duplicated models, and reactive fixes. This isn’t a question of effort—finance teams work hard. But without the right systems, that effort turns into wasted potential.

Reduce rework with Preql

Preql gives finance teams the ability to define metrics, automate workflows, and work independently of data and engineering. Our no-code solution is designed to help modern finance teams reduce rework, move faster, and stay focused on the high-value, strategic work that matters most.

Learn more at preql.com.