ERPSim Advisory Presentation: Board of Directors Briefing
You have to prepare three things
- Executive PPT: High-impact slides (minimal text, maximum data).
- Transcript: For accessibility and board review.
- Supporting Excel: Your "Work Papers"—the raw analysis that proves your charts are accurate.
Overview
You are a senior business analyst reporting to the CFO of ERPSim International. Currently, ERPSim International owns three subsidiaries (Company B, Company D & Company E). Your task is to evaluate a struggling subsidiary (Company D) and present a data-backed recommendation to the Board: Can this company be saved, and if so, how? Data
Presentation Requirements
Your presentation must transcend a standard academic review. We are looking for a cohesive professional narrative that treats the Board’s time as a premium asset. Avoid "answering questions" in a list; instead, tell the story of Company D’s performance through data-driven insights.
- Strategic Post-Mortem: You must provide a definitive diagnosis of Company D’s performance. Simply labeling the failure is insufficient; you must substantiate your verdict by mapping specific data points to your conclusion.Use the following framework to build your argument:The Verdict: Categorize the failure as Strategic (doing the wrong things), Operational (doing things the wrong way), or Systemic (both).The Evidence Trail: Provide at least two specific "smoking guns" from the data.Example: If you claim an Operational Failure, you must point to a specific KPI (e.g., insufficient yield despite a high-demand product).Example: If you claim a Strategic Failure, you must show where the market reality (e.g., low Price Variance) contradicts the board’s assumptions.The "Counter-Factual": Briefly explain why the alternative diagnosis is incorrect. (e.g., "We ruled out a bad strategy because the Contribution Margin per unit remains industry-leading, proving the product itself is viable.")
- The "Business Process" Deep Dive: You will take ownership as a Functional Lead (Sales, Production, or Finance). You must identify one critical question per function that directly impacts the Board's goal of profitability.The Question: Define a high-impact "Business Process" inquiry for your function.The Visualization: Present a clean, professional visualization (charts, heatmaps, or trend lines) that answers that question.The Insight: Use the data to pinpoint exactly where value is being created or leaked.
- Financial Quantifications: Abstract concepts must be translated into currency. Use the following frameworks to put a specific price tag on past mistakes and future opportunities:Relevant Costing: What are the actual costs of continuing vs. pivoting?Variance Analysis: Deconstruct the delta between budget and actuals into Price vs. Volume variances.Contribution Margin: Identify the true profitability of specific product lines or regions.ROI Potential: Calculate the expected return on the improvements you propose.
- The Verdict: Your presentation must culminate in a high-conviction recommendation. This is your "Final Verdict" on whether to Pivot, Persevere, or Pull Back. This section must be divided into two parts: the Action and the Outcome.Part A: The Action Plan (The "How")
Detail the specific tactical steps the subsidiary will take over the next 30 days. Avoid vague goals like "improve morale" or "sell more." Instead, use Directives:Operational: (e.g., "Implement a 10% productivity improvement through batch-processing realignment.")Commercial: (e.g., "Retrain the Sales Lead on high-margin product features to offset the current Price Variance.")Financial: (e.g., "Liquidate underperforming inventory to recover $50k in working capital.")Part B: Expected Outcomes (The "So What?")
For every action proposed, you must attach a Quantified Forecast. This demonstrates that you understand the relationship between activity and profitability.The "Bottom Line" Delta: By what dollar amount or percentage will the Net Income increase if these steps are taken?The KPI Shift: Which specific metric from your "Deep Dive" will move? (e.g., "We expect the raw materials inventory to shrink by 15%, saving the subsidiary $25,000 warehouse expense this month.")The ROI of Change: What is the cost of implementing your plan versus the projected gain?
Advisory Presentation Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Distinguished (90-100%) | Proficient (80-89%) | Needs Improvement (<80%) |
| Data-Driven Persuasion | Arguments are consistently backed by specific ERPSim data and financial quantification (e.g., "$X loss due to setup time"). | Arguments use data, but the financial impact is not always clearly quantified. | Arguments are anecdotal or based on "feelings" rather than simulation data. |
| Integration of FP&A Concepts | Seamlessly weaves in concepts like Variance Analysis, Product Mix optimization, and KPI tracking. | Mentions FP&A concepts but they feel "tacked on" rather than integrated into the story. | Fails to use cost management or accounting concepts to explain results. |
| Visual Analytics | Visualizations are professional, easy to read, and clearly highlight the "critical message." | Visuals are accurate but require significant effort for the Board to interpret. | Visuals are cluttered, inappropriate for the data type, or missing. |
| Functional Expertise | Each analyst provides a unique, deep-dive perspective into their specific business process (Sales, Production, etc.). | Functional roles are present but overlapping; analysis lacks specialized depth. | The presentation feels like one person’s view; no clear functional breakdown. |
| Executive Presence | Professional tone, high-quality slides, and clear, concise delivery within the video. | Professional but lacks the "persuasive spark" of an advisory team. | Unprofessional delivery, poor audio/video quality, or disorganized slides. |
Consultant’s Framework: The "Four-Box" Analysis
To help you prepare, consider organizing your analysis using this framework:
| What Happened? | Why did it happen? |
| Descriptive Analytics: Market share trends, Net Income results, and stock-out frequencies. | Diagnostic Analytics: Variance analysis, correlation between marketing and sales, and production bottlenecks. |
| What will happen? | What should we do? |
| Predictive Analytics: Forecasting Year-End valuation based on current trajectory. | Prescriptive Analytics: Actionable steps (e.g., "Liquidate 500g inventory and pivot to 1kg Nut exclusively"). |