In 2026, the role of the finance function is no longer limited to producing figures, as highlighted by the study conducted by EMAsphere among more than 50 European finance departments (full results available here). It must ensure data reliability, accelerate analysis, and support strategic decision-making.
Yet, many CFOs and finance teams are still underusing their reporting tools due to a lack of time, prioritisation, or clearly established best practices. And that’s completely understandable!
That’s why we’ve identified 5 key actions, applicable to any organisation, to transform your reporting software into a true performance lever—each illustrated with a concrete implementation example in the reference reporting platform, EMAsphere.
Best practice: effective reporting should not remain confined to the finance department. The more teams have access to clear, shared, and contextualised information, the faster and more aligned decision-making becomes.
Finance, executive management, operations, HR, and sales do not need the same indicators, but they must all work from a single source of truth.
Expected results:
With EMAsphere: EMAsphere allows access to an unlimited number of users, with finely configurable permissions. Each team and/or user accesses only the dashboards relevant to them, while working on consistent and consolidated data.
Best practice: managing inter-entity flows remains one of the main obstacles to fast and reliable closings.
Without automation, it leads to:
The key is to configure rules once in order to industrialise controls.
With EMAsphere: EMAsphere allows you to define structured intercompany rules and automatically detect discrepancies, whether you manage 3 or 20 entities.
Result:
Best practice: AI is not meant to make decisions instead of finance professionals. However, it is extremely effective for:
When used properly, it frees up time for what truly matters: analysis and strategy.
With EMAsphere: EMAsphere’s AI features include:
Best practice: good reporting is not only about reviewing the past. It must raise alerts before deviations become problematic. Defining critical thresholds for specific indicators (cash position, solvency level, working capital requirements, …) makes it possible to move from consultative reporting to proactive reporting.
With EMAsphere: it is possible to configure health indicators to assess the company’s financial health at any given time:
The CFO is informed at the right time, without having to constantly monitor every dashboard.
Best practice: a reporting tool is never static. It must evolve with:
The organisations that derive the most value from their reporting are those that rely on support, rather than remaining alone with their configurations.
With EMAsphere: EMAsphere teams support users in:
Access to the Help Center allows users to quickly get concrete answers without wasting time.
A reporting software is not just a technical tool. It is a true management lever—provided it is:
By applying these 5 best practices, you transform your reporting into a strategic tool that supports performance and decision-making in 2026 and beyond. Want to test them on the reference reporting software, EMAsphere? Our teams would be delighted to present the platform and explore how it can meet your needs.