<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=1110556&amp;fmt=gif">
Skip to content
    March 27, 2025

    Financials: The SPM Boogeyman (and How to Slay It)

    SPM Mythbusters Series

    3 min read

    Key Takeaways
    • See why financials don’t have to be seen as the scary part of strategic portfolio management (SPM).
    • Leverage tools like Clarity to simplify financial processes and translate execution details into understandable financial insights.
    • Embrace financials from the start to understand investment impact and steer your portfolio towards success.

    "We'll get to the financials eventually…"

    Sound familiar? Too often, teams shy away from incorporating financial data into their strategic portfolio management (SPM) processes. They start with tasks, milestones, and resources—anything but the money. But this is like building a house without a foundation!

    Why the fear?

    Financials make people nervous. Suddenly, everything means something. Every task, every resource allocation is tied to a dollar amount, and that brings scrutiny. People are afraid they will be held accountable! But here's the thing: If nobody’s looking at your investments, why bother doing SPM at all?

    The myth of complexity

    The biggest misconception is that financial management within SPM is inherently complicated. It can be, but it doesn't have to be.
    The core value proposition of a robust SPM tool like Clarity is that it takes the work you're already doing—defining tasks, allocating resources, tracking progress—and translates it into financial terms.

    Unlocking financial insights

    Understanding the basics of fiscal processes is key:

    • Fiscal calendars: Recognize that your January isn’t necessarily calendar January!
    • Internal rates: A person’s chargeback rate might not be the same as their actual salary.

    These details are crucial for accurate cost accounting. Ignoring them is like trying to navigate a maze with a blindfold on.

    Stop burying your head in the sand

    Thinking of putting off financial planning for SPM? Think again.

    If you're not looking at the financials, what's the point? It's investment money! Where's your money going? Isn't that the whole point of all this?

    Getting started

    • Embrace the fundamentals: Learn the basics of fiscal calendars, chargeback rates, and cost accounting.
    • Leverage your tools: Use SPM tools, such as Clarity, that integrate financial data seamlessly.
    • Start now: Don't wait until you've "mastered" the other aspects of SPM. Financials are the foundation.

    Financials aren’t the SPM boogeyman. They're the key to understanding the true impact of your investments. Embrace them, and watch your portfolio thrive.

    Jason Kotlinski

    Jason Kotlinski serves as Product Manager for Clarity with clients all across the globe. He is responsible for customer-facing aspects of product management, leading development of key marketable features, and assisting senior management with backlog prioritization and new feature definition.

    Other resources you might be interested in

    icon
    Office Hours October 23, 2025

    Rally Office Hours: October 9, 2025

    Discover Rally's new AI-powered Team Health Widget for flow metrics and drill-downs on feature charts. Plus, get updates on WIP limits and future enhancements.

    icon
    Course October 23, 2025

    AAI - Navigating the Interface and Refining Data Views

    This course introduces you to AAI’s interface and shows you how to navigate efficiently, work with tables, and refine large datasets using search and filter tools.

    icon
    Office Hours October 23, 2025

    Rally Office Hours: October 16, 2025

    Rally's new AI-driven feature automates artifact breakdown - transforming features into stories or stories into tasks - saving time and ensuring consistency.

    icon
    Blog October 22, 2025

    What’s New in Network Observability for Fall 2025

    Discover how the Fall 2025 release of Network Observability by Broadcom introduces powerful new capabilities, elevating your insights and automation.

    icon
    eBook October 22, 2025

    Modernizing Monitoring in a Converged IT-OT Landscape

    The energy sector is shifting, driven by rapid grid modernization and the convergence of IT and OT networks. Traditional monitoring tools fall short.

    icon
    Blog October 22, 2025

    Your network isn't infrastructure anymore. It's a product.

    See why it’s time to stop managing infrastructure and start treating the network as your company's most critical product. Justify investments and prove ROI.

    icon
    Blog October 22, 2025

    The Network Engineers You Can't Hire? They Already Work for You

    See how the proliferation of siloed monitoring tools exacerbates IT skills gaps. Implement an observability platform that empowers the teams you already have.

    icon
    Blog October 8, 2025

    Nobody Cares About Your MTTR

    This post outlines why IT metrics like MTTR are irrelevant to business leaders, and it emphasizes that IT teams need network observability to bridge this gap.

    icon
    Blog October 8, 2025

    Tag(ging)—You’re It: How to Leverage AppNeta Monitoring Data for Maximum Insights

    Find out about tagging capabilities in AppNeta. Get strategies for making the most of tagging and see how it can be a game-changer for your operations teams.