u/denis_myna

I’ve been chatting with a bunch of FP&A folks lately, and I’m trying to nail down what actually eats up the most time (and sanity). From what I’ve gathered, it usually boils down to two main headaches:

1. Data colletion: Spending way too long just gathering, cleaning, and structuring data from 5 different sources before you can even start the actual modeling. It’s like 80% prep and 20% actual analysis.
2. "Idiot-proofing" the model: I’ve heard this a lot from the consulting side - spending hours stress-testing everything because you know the end-user is going to find some creative way to break the model the moment they touch it.

Does this match your experience? Or is there something even worse that I’m missing?

Look at developers. They build literal rockets using free, open-source Lego bricks. In 2026, no dev in their right mind writes a database from scratch. They stand on the shoulders of giants. It’s efficient, it’s vetted, and it’s fast.

Meanwhile, in Finance… We’re all sitting in our lonely silos, reinventing the wheel in Excel for the millionth time. Right now, there are probably 5,000 CFOs building the exact same Unit Economics model in total isolation.

We struggle with the same buggy macros. We make the same formula mistakes. We hide our "precious" files in private folders like they’re state secrets.

Millions of hours wasted on duplicating work that should already be standardized.

We need a GitHub for Finance. A culture where the logic (not the sensitive data) is open, modular, and peer-reviewed. Imagine plugging your numbers into a "gold-standard" framework that’s been vetted by thousands of pros.

Why hasn't this happened yet?

I’m diving down this rabbit hole to see what’s actually out there and what’s missing. I’ll share the "state of the market" in my next few posts.