Series running from July 2023 until September 2025
Background
Strong financial management is vitally important to government organisations. At its best, financial management allows government organisations to be more efficient, more resilient, and make better decisions. Not only that, it is critical to government organisations delivering on their responsibilities to provide good value-for-money.
Scope
The Financial and Risk Management insights team are producing a series of guides aimed at senior finance decision-makers across all of our audited bodies. The guides will complement existing guidance provided to finance teams across government by the Government Finance Function.
Our guides will showcase strategic-level insights outlining areas where good financial management can unlock greater efficiency and resilience, as well as practical ways organisations can make improvements.
Each publication will focus on different aspects of the financial management lifecycle, and is planned to be released at intervals to provide maximum benefit to finance teams in government. Our guides plan to cover:
• Enablers of success (published)
• Strategic planning and budgeting (published)
• Allocating resources (published)
• Monitoring and forecasting (published)
• Reporting (Autumn 2025)
Our financial management good practice guides reach around 400 organisations across the public sector and put a spotlight on leading practice in areas which have included strategic planning and budgeting and monitoring and forecasting.
Good practice guide in reporting
Our final guide will focus on how finance teams across government can develop their reporting processes.
Does your organisation have a good story to tell? We are interested in talking to finance leaders and teams from any sector who have made positive improvements when it comes to reporting.
- Have you used data analytics to improve the quality of decision-making?
- Have you used technology or artificial intelligence to make your reporting processes more efficient?
- Do you report in a way that makes it easier for people in your organisation to access the information they need?
If you are interested in talking to us please contact farm.insights@nao.org.uk
NAO Team details
Director: Mfon Akpan
Senior Audit Manager: Chris Coyne