A weekly finance review should give leadership a clear view of what has changed, what requires intervention and which decisions can move forward. Its value comes from connecting reliable accounting with the commercial realities of the business. Cash is central, but a complete review also covers performance, commitments, operational exposure and the actions agreed the previous week.
At BriQs Group, we structure the weekly CFO conversation around five areas. The depth varies with the business; the discipline remains consistent.
1. Establish the position before discussing the numbers
Begin with a concise statement of information quality. Confirm the reporting date, bank reconciliation status, outstanding accounting items and any estimates affecting the figures. Identify which numbers are from the completed monthly close and which are provisional weekly indicators.
This prevents a familiar problem: leadership treating an incomplete result as a settled position. The CFO should explain whether a movement reflects trading, timing, a classification change or an item still under investigation. Material uncertainty belongs beside the number it affects.
2. Explain performance in commercial terms
Review revenue, gross margin and operating expenditure against the relevant plan and previous periods. Concentrate on movements that could change a decision. Where the data supports it, separate the effects of volume, pricing, customer mix, delivery costs and recurring overhead.
A useful explanation connects the movement to its cause and likely duration. A margin decline caused by a temporary project overrun calls for a different response from a continuing deterioration in pricing. Assign follow-up analysis where the cause is unresolved, with a clear owner and deadline.
Worked example / Fictional finance demonstration
Connect delivery performance to the cash decision.
In this fictional digital-services Excel example, August revenue is €261,500 against €295,375 budget. EBITDA is €8,600 against €67,575. Gross margin is 35.6% against 50.1%.
The CFO review traces the revenue gap to delivery volumes and pricing, then examines loaded payroll and subcontractor costs. Receivables include €200,000 overdue. Collection dates, supplier approvals and capital expenditure therefore belong in the same review as the income statement.
The full example includes the monthly statements, delivery assumptions, aged ledgers, cash scenarios and an action register. All figures and records are fictional.
3. Review liquidity and working capital together
Walk through the cash forecast alongside receivables, payables, payroll and other upcoming commitments. Discuss the timing and confidence of significant collections, disputed balances and payment approvals. Review the lowest forecast cash position and the assumptions that could change it.
Agree specific actions: a customer escalation, an invoice correction, a supplier discussion or a change to discretionary expenditure. The forecast then becomes a record of operating decisions and their expected cash effect.
4. Surface commitments and control exceptions
Finance needs visibility of decisions before they enter the ledger. Include planned recruitment, purchase commitments, contract renewals, capital expenditure and changes to customer terms. Review upcoming reporting and compliance deadlines with the responsible adviser or team member.
Keep a short exception register for unreconciled items, overdue approvals, failed automations and missing documentation. Escalate issues according to their financial impact and urgency. A recurring exception deserves a process correction, with ownership extending beyond the individual transaction.
5. Close with decisions, owners and dates
End the meeting with a decision log. Record the action, accountable person, due date and expected outcome. Document assumptions behind significant commitments so they can be revisited when circumstances change. Open the following review by checking those actions.
Before the next meeting, put four items into one concise pack: a performance summary, a cash and working capital view, an exceptions list and the decision log. AI and automation can help prepare and organise this information; the CFO remains responsible for its interpretation and recommendations.
Weekly reviews are part of our fractional CFO service with a complete finance department. See how we establish the routines, controls and reporting behind the conversation.
Founder & CEO, BriQs Group. More than ten years at Big Four accounting firms, followed by building BriQs’ finance methodology for startups and SMEs.
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