103: Using BARC Reports to Choose the Right Finance Platform

Welcome to the CPM Customer Success Podcast, where we help office of finance leaders enable an exact solution to enhance their corporate performance. Without spending countless nights and weekends in the office. Hi, I'm your host, Andy Smetana from Nova Advisory. Nova Advisory is a 100% OneStream professional services diamond implementation partner.

We help OneStream customers and prospective OneStream customers get the most out of their OneStream investments. For CPM customer Success listeners, we now have a weekly email newsletter to keep you informed on the latest CPM customer success news by subscribing today. We'll keep you informed on episode releases, including customer success stories. OneStream interviews and capabilities to keep you up to date about one Stream's unified platform for finance.

You can check that out now at Nova Advisory's website, Nova advisory.com/podcast and subscribe to the CPM Customer Success podcast newsletter today. So most finance leaders have probably seen BARC reports before they download them. They skim a few pages, maybe they look at the vendor rankings and then they move on.

But those reports are doing a lot more than just ranking vendors. Today, we're breaking that down. We'll be looking at two key pieces of research, the BARC Score for Financial Performance Management in 2026, and the Financial Consolidations in group accounting survey of 2026. We're gonna walk through what the bark actually is, how these reports are structured.

What they reveal about the market and how you can use them to make better decisions along the way, we'll call out different vendors that show up in the data, including OneStream and others in the space. So what is BARC and why does it matter? Let's start with the basics. BARC is an independent analyst firm focused on data analytics and corporate performance management.

In fact, I should probably say it's BARC capital BARC. The reputation comes from two things. First, they combine analyst evaluation with real customer feedback. Second, they look at the market holistically, not just from a product feature perspective.

And that's really important because aside from functionality, selecting a finance platform is about usability. It's about implementation success, long-term value, and how well the platform aligns with where the market is going. The BARC Score report evaluates vendors across two core dimensions, portfolio capabilities, and market execution portfolio capabilities. Look at what the product can do.

And market execution looks at how well the company delivers and supports that product. Then the survey adds in another layer. It captures direct feedback from hundreds of users across areas like satisfaction, workflow, and performance. So when you combine these reports, you get both the strategy view and the reality check.

So let's talk about how to read the BARC score. So vendors are positioned in a quadrant based on their strength and capabilities and execution. Vendors are grouped into categories like market leaders, dominators, challengers, and specialists. This is where a lot of people will stop.

They'll look at who's in the top right and assume that's the answer, but there's more to it than that. For example, large vendors like SAP, Oracle, IBM. They'll often show strong market execution. Ecosystems and broad portfolios, and that makes some safe choices in many scenarios.

But at the same time, some of these platforms are built from multiple products. They can introduce complexity when it comes to integration and user experience. Then you have vendors like Anaplan and Board. They're known for strong planning capabilities and flexibility.

They often appeal to organizations that want to connect financial and operational planning. However, these platforms may require more customization or additional components to cover the full finance lifecycle, and then there's one stream. One stream is positioned around a unified architecture that brings multiple processes together in a single system. That difference in approach is really important.

It shapes how the platform is implemented and how it performs over time. On. So what is the market actually prioritizing? Now?

The BARC Report also highlights broader trends in financial performance management. Organizations are dealing with increasing complexity and uncertainty. They need faster access to information and more frequent forecasting. They're also placing greater emphasis on analytics and data-driven decision making.

And to support that there's a clear shift towards integrating multiple finance processes. That includes planning and forecasting, consolidation and close and reporting and analytics. BARC specifically calls out that integrating these disciplines into a common platform helps streamline processes and reduce user dissatisfaction. And this is one of the most important insights in the report.

Because it explains why certain platforms are gaining traction, how well the features work together is just as important as the features themselves. So now let's look at the survey results. This is where we hear directly from users. The financial consolidation survey includes feedback from 600 respondents across 15 products.

It evaluates vendors across 25 key performance indicators. These include project success, recommendation, workflow, performance, and overall customer satisfaction. Few vendors consistently show up platforms like Oracle Cloud EPM, SAP group reporting Tagetik and OneStream. Each of these platforms has strengths.

What stands out in the data is how OneStream performs across multiple KPIs. According to the KPI dashboard, OneStream achieved 95% product satisfaction, 95% recommendation rate, and top rankings in workflow project success and performance. Workflow is highlighted as a top ranked category with users describing it as a structured process that supports the close project. Success scores are also among the highest in the peer group, and these are not small details.

Workflow and implementation success directly impact how finance teams operate day to day. So let's compare approaches across the vendors. When you step back, you start to see different approaches emerge across the vendors in the space. Some platforms are highly flexible and customizable.

That can be a strength, especially for complex planning scenarios. Other platforms focus on integrating specific capabilities like consolidation and reporting. These can be strong in targeted use cases, but may require additional tools to cover the full finance lifecycle. Then there are unified platforms.

These are designed to bring multiple processes together from the start. OneStream is a perfect example of this approach. OneStream integrates consolidation, planning, reporting, and analytics into a single platform with a unified data. That architecture supports a single source of truth and reduces the need for multiple tools.

It also allows organizations to extend into additional use cases over time. For example, the solution exchange. Provides prebuilt solutions for areas like account reconciliations, ESG, and planning. Now, given the momentum of AI automation and innovation, it's essential we take a closer look at how vendors are approaching ai.

Many platforms now include capabilities like forecasting, anomaly detection, and automated insights. But what matters is how these capabilities are delivered. Are they embedded into workflows? Are they connected to the core data model or are they separate tools that require additional integration?

In the case of OneStream, the sensible AI portfolio is built directly on top of the platform. This includes forecasting, anomaly detection, and AI agents that support analysis. That integrated approach aligns with the broader trend we're seeing in the market. So how should you actually use these BARC reports?

So here are a few practical steps. First, use the BARC Score to understand the market landscape. Look at how vendors are positioned and why. Second, use the data to validate real world performance.

Pay attention to metrics like satisfaction, recommendation, workflow, and project success. And third, consider how each platform aligns with your priorities. Look closely at Unified platforms, if flexibility is your top priority. Consider platforms with strong customization capabilities and finally look beyond rankings.

Focus on how the platform will support your processes over time. BARC reports are a guide to how the finance technology landscape is evolving. They show what matters, what works, and where organizations are seeing value. When you look at the data closely, a pattern starts to emerge.

Platforms that bring processes together, reduce complexity and deliver strong user experiences are gaining traction. OneStream's Positioning across both reports is a good example of that trend. It reflects a broader shift in how finance teams are thinking about their systems. And if you're evaluating your options, these reports are a strong place to start.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of CPM Customer Success Reminder to check out the CPM Customer Success Weekly email newsletter to stay informed of the latest CPM customer success episodes and OneStream News. You can check that out now at the Nova Advisory website, Nova advisory.com/podcast and subscribe to the CPM Customer Success podcast email newsletter today. Thanks again for listening, and I'll catch you next week for another episode of CPM, customer Success.