The planning, budgeting, and forecasting process is one of the last great frontiers of re-engineering. While many companies have already made great strides in other areas of finance, the process that ultimately can drive the greatest value too often remains untouched. Perhaps this is due to the political challenges of changing a deeply ingrained process or widespread belief about how things are done. But these are precisely the reasons why companies must consider a more modern approach to financial planning. Competitors that do a better job of linking financial plans to strategy will quickly put themselves in a more advantageous strategic position.