Budget 2027: projects now open to start the year with the budget built into monthly reporting.See the scope
Aleix LacalFinancial reporting · Management control

Financial reporting · Management control · Barcelona

Automated management reporting, reconciled with the ledger.

We integrate your ERP into a single data model, implement the reporting layer and take care of its maintenance. As your outsourced controller, we support every close with variance analysis and recommended actions for management.

Or call us on +34 633 04 85 25

Three common symptoms in the finance function

The data is already in the ERP. What is usually missing is a process that delivers it reconciled and on time, and the analytical capacity to interpret it.

A slow management close

Reporting depends on manual extracts and reconciliations. By the time the report arrives, there is little room left to act on the month.

No single version of the numbers

Each department works from its own file and its own definitions. The leadership meeting is spent reconciling figures instead of deciding.

A team absorbed by the close

Recurring work crowds out improvement projects, and reporting automation slips from one year to the next.

Financial control and business controlling

Two functions on one data model: reliable figures and figures that support decisions.

Financial control

Figures reconciled with the ledger, on time and fully traceable.

  • Monthly close and management P&L
  • Annual budget, rolling forecast and variance analysis
  • Automated reporting from the ERP

Business controlling

Performance analysis built for decisions.

  • Profitability by customer, product and business line
  • Price, volume and mix bridge; pricing and discount policy
  • KPIs, business cases and support to the leadership team

Services

Projects with fixed scope and fixed fees, never billed by the hour. Ongoing service through a monthly retainer.

Tool selection and implementation

We choose with you the tool that fits your systems architecture and your team, implement it and transfer the know-how.

  • SAP Analytics Cloud, Power BI or Excel with Power Query, depending on your stack
  • Data model, reports and management dashboard
  • Data governance: KPI definitions, owners and reconciliation controls
  • Documentation and training so your team is self-sufficient

Fixed-fee projectFee based on scope

Maintenance and outsourced controller

Ongoing evolution of your reporting and, if you need it, the financial and business controller role.

  • Corrective and evolutionary maintenance; new reports
  • Monthly close, budget tracking and rolling forecast
  • Management report and monthly meeting with leadership
  • Profitability, margin and pricing analysis on demand

Monthly retainerBased on scope

Prefer to start with a narrower scope? We run a financial diagnostic of your reporting process and margin structure, with an improvement plan prioritised by impact and effort. We also advise on pricing policy and margins by channel.

Projects starting November to January

Budget 2027, tied to actuals from the January close

We build the budget with management and load it into the same data model as actuals. From the first 2027 close, budget tracking is part of monthly reporting, with no manual rework.

  • Sales, margin and cost budget by business line
  • Base, downside and upside scenarios with documented assumptions
  • Monthly actual vs budget tracking, in value and percentage
  • Rolling forecast throughout the year
Week 12026 estimated close and management targets
Week 2Budget by business line, customer or product
Week 3Scenarios and sign-off with management
Week 4Budget load and tracking set-up
FebruaryFirst actual vs budget report, with the January close

How we work

Your data stays in your systems. We build on the infrastructure and licences you already have.

  1. Diagnostic

    A working session on your business model, systems landscape and the decisions reporting must support.

  2. Integration

    Source connections, data cleansing and modelling in your environment, with reconciliation controls against the ledger.

  3. Automation

    Reports and dashboards on a scheduled refresh, with no manual intervention.

  4. Analysis

    A monthly results review with management: variances, root causes and recommended actions.

Sample management dashboard

A fictitious €10M distributor: management P&L, margin bridge, customer profitability, rolling forecast, working capital and a scenario simulator.

  • Management P&L
  • Price/volume/mix bridge
  • Customer matrix
  • Rolling forecast
  • Working capital
  • Simulator
Open the demo

Experience

Projects delivered by the founder in the finance function of a European industrial group.

Monthly report built by hand

ERP-integrated reporting on a scheduled refresh

Sales, margins and budget variances in a single dashboard, with no manual extracts.

A budget nobody tracks during the year

Budget and forecast with monthly tracking

Actual vs budget every month and an updated forecast to anticipate variances.

One-off analyses that are hard to repeat

A recurring customer and product profitability model

Contribution margin by customer and product, refreshed at every close.

The firm

We are a Barcelona-based firm specialising in financial reporting and management control for mid-sized companies. We combine finance leadership experience in a multinational setting with technical depth in SAP and BI tools.

In most organisations the data already exists: the cost lies in preparing it. We automate that preparation so your finance team can focus on analysis and management works from one reconciled set of numbers.

How we operate

  • One source of data, reconciled with the ledger
  • Built in your systems, on your licences
  • Fixed fees by scope, never billed by the hour
  • Founder
    Aleix Lacal
    Financial and business controller
  • Background
    Finance function of a European industrial group: budgeting, reporting, variance analysis, profitability and pricing in an SAP environment
  • Tools
    SAP BWAnalysis for OfficeSAP Analytics CloudAdvanced Excel and Power QueryPython
  • Education
    Master’s in Financial Management and Controlling, UPF Barcelona School of Management
    BBA (taught in English)
  • Languages
    English, Spanish and Catalan
  • Coverage
    Barcelona and across Spain; on-site and remote

Frequently asked questions

What is an outsourced controller?

A management control professional who works per project or on a monthly retainer. You get the function without adding a full-time position.

What does automating financial reporting involve?

Sales, margin, P&L and budget reports are fed from the ERP through scheduled loads, with no manual extracts or rework.

Which ERPs and tools do you work with?

Mainly SAP (BW, Analysis for Office and SAP Analytics Cloud). Other ERPs and accounting packages are integrated through a connector or a structured export. The reporting layer is chosen to fit your stack: SAP Analytics Cloud, Power BI or Excel with Power Query.

How is consistency with the ledger ensured?

Every load includes reconciliation controls against the general ledger balances. Differences are flagged and documented before the report is distributed.

Does our data leave the company?

No. Everything is built in your systems and on your licences, under a confidentiality agreement. AI-assisted commentary is only enabled with your explicit approval. When we finish, the reporting is yours and fully documented.

How are fees set?

Each project has a fixed scope and a fixed fee, never billed by the hour. Maintenance and the controller role are provided on a monthly retainer.

How long does a project take?

Between 4 and 8 weeks for automated reporting, and 3 to 4 weeks for an annual budget with tracking. It depends on source data quality and your team’s availability.

A 30-minute introductory call

We review your current reporting process and assess, with no commitment, whether there is a fit and what the scope would be.