Integrated Business Planning in OneStream: Breaking Down Silos

In today’s fast-moving business environment, plans that live in isolation no longer work. Finance builds its forecast, operations builds its capacity plan, and sales forecasts demand but none of it connects. By the time the numbers align, market conditions have already changed.

Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is how leading companies bridge those gaps. It unites finance, sales, supply chain, and operations in a single environment so everyone plans from the same data and the same assumptions. With OneStream Software, that vision becomes practical, scalable, and repeatable.

Instead of coordinating disconnected spreadsheets or applications, OneStream delivers a unified planning platform that links financial and operational drivers. The result is faster collaboration, greater visibility, and decisions grounded in real-time performance.

Why Traditional Planning Fails to Connect

Siloed Systems and Data

Most organizations still run planning cycles in multiple tools or offline spreadsheets. Each department uses its own logic and assumptions, creating inconsistent versions of the truth and constant reconciliation work for finance.

Manual Processes That Slow Decisions

When plans change, finance teams spend days consolidating and validating updates from across the business. By the time new numbers are available, the opportunity to act has passed.

Lack of Visibility

Executives struggle to see how operational realities, such as production schedules, inventory, or headcount, affect financial outcomes. Without a connected view, strategy becomes reactive instead of proactive.

Misaligned Goals

When finance, sales, and operations plan independently, their objectives often compete. Revenue targets may not match capacity, or cost reductions may undermine service levels. Alignment becomes guesswork.

What Integrated Business Planning Looks Like

Integrated Business Planning connects every dimension of performance (financial, operational, and strategic) into one continuous process. In OneStream, this includes:

• A single platform that combines financial and operational planning.

• Driver-based models that translate business activity into financial impact.

• Rolling forecasts that update automatically as data changes.

• Scenario analysis that helps leaders evaluate multiple paths forward.

• Collaborative workflows that keep departments aligned on shared goals.

This is the foundation of Corporate Performance Management where insight, planning, and execution work together in real time.

How OneStream Powers Integrated Planning

Unified Financial and Operational Data

OneStream connects ERP, CRM, and operational systems directly into the planning process. Actuals flow seamlessly into forecasts, and every department works from the same trusted data set.

Driver-Based Modeling

Sales volumes, production rates, and labor costs automatically roll up into financial projections. Changes in one area immediately reflect across the entire plan, giving leaders instant visibility into trade-offs and impact.

Rolling Forecasts and Scenario Planning

Instead of waiting for month-end, teams can reforecast continuously. With scenario modeling, finance can quickly answer “what-if” questions and adjust plans before challenges escalate.

Collaboration and Workflow Control

OneStream’s built-in workflow ensures submissions, approvals, and commentary stay structured and auditable. Finance leads the process while departments stay engaged and accountable.

The Business Impact

Organizations that implement Integrated Business Planning in OneStream consistently achieve:

• Faster, more accurate forecasts that update dynamically as new data arrives.

• Aligned financial and operational goals across departments.

• Reduced planning cycle times through automation and connected data.

• Improved decision-making based on real-time visibility.

• Greater agility to respond to market and demand shifts instantly.

These are the hallmarks of a mature Finance Transformation program, where planning becomes proactive, data-driven, and connected to strategic outcomes.

How Nova Advisory Helps Organizations Break Down Silos

Strategy-First Approach

Nova Advisory aligns technology design with business priorities, ensuring that planning processes reflect how your organization truly operates.

Tailored OneStream Configuration

As a Diamond Partner with deep experience in OneStream Implementation Services, Nova builds connected planning models that unify finance, sales, and operations.

Governance and Enablement

We establish standardized workflows and controls so every function can plan autonomously while staying aligned with corporate objectives.

Continuous Optimization

Through SMART Managed Services, Nova helps clients refine models, integrate new data sources, and maintain best practices for ongoing performance.

Empowering FP&A Teams

Our FP&A Transformation framework enables finance to lead cross-functional planning with clarity and confidence. FP&A teams evolve from managing inputs to orchestrating insight across the enterprise.

The Payoff for Finance and Operations

When finance, operations, and sales share one planning environment, the entire organization benefits.

• Speed: Plans and forecasts update in real time.

• Alignment: Every department works from the same assumptions.

• Agility: Leaders can model and respond to market changes immediately.

• Transparency: Finance becomes the trusted source of truth.

• Confidence: Strategy execution is guided by connected, reliable data.

Integrated Business Planning is no longer a theoretical goal. With OneStream and Nova Advisory, it becomes a practical, measurable capability that helps organizations plan smarter, act faster, and lead with confidence.