Aligning on Spreadsheet Assumptions Should Not Be Like Pulling Teeth

Aligning on Spreadsheet Assumptions Should Not Be Like Pulling Teeth

Sebastian Perez-Lawrence

May 9, 2025

In corporate finance, getting the numbers right was just the start. The real challenge? Driving alignment, accountability, and commitment across teams. That’s where it gets tricky.

I remember telling my CFO: "They won’t sign off." Not because the assumptions were wrong — but because no one wanted to own them if the targets weren’t met. If revenue or EBITDA slipped, no one wanted it traced back to their name.

Getting buy-in felt like pulling teeth.
Another spreadsheet. Another email. Another round of silence.
No process. No tracking. Just frustration.

And it wasn’t a one-off.
It happened in forecasts, budgets, headcount approvals — everywhere assumptions mattered.
Delay. Dodge. Defer. Until finance stepped in or escalated it up the chain.

The root problem?
Spreadsheets were doing the job of a system — without the structure of one.

In SOX-compliant and public companies, that’s not just inefficient. It’s risky:

🔁 No version control – Which file did we actually approve?
🕵️‍♂️ No audit trail – Who changed what, and why?
🤷‍♀️ No accountability – Who signed off on this plan?
🚨 No alignment – When inputs shift, the story changes — often without a trace.

These workflows are still buried in email threads and shared drives while critical decisions hang in the balance.

If you're still running strategic processes in fragile spreadsheets, you're not just wasting time — you're inviting risk.

Rockhopper fixes that — from inside your spreadsheets.
✅ Formal approvals
✅ Version control
✅ Transparent changes
✅ Built-in accountability

👉 Check out a quick demo to see how Rockhopper helps finance teams stay aligned, move faster, and never second-guess the numbers again.

https://youtu.be/fVPsk95ejng

Follow us on Linked In: www.linkedin.com/company/rockhopper-co

In corporate finance, getting the numbers right was just the start. The real challenge? Driving alignment, accountability, and commitment across teams. That’s where it gets tricky.

I remember telling my CFO: "They won’t sign off." Not because the assumptions were wrong — but because no one wanted to own them if the targets weren’t met. If revenue or EBITDA slipped, no one wanted it traced back to their name.

Getting buy-in felt like pulling teeth.
Another spreadsheet. Another email. Another round of silence.
No process. No tracking. Just frustration.

And it wasn’t a one-off.
It happened in forecasts, budgets, headcount approvals — everywhere assumptions mattered.
Delay. Dodge. Defer. Until finance stepped in or escalated it up the chain.

The root problem?
Spreadsheets were doing the job of a system — without the structure of one.

In SOX-compliant and public companies, that’s not just inefficient. It’s risky:

🔁 No version control – Which file did we actually approve?
🕵️‍♂️ No audit trail – Who changed what, and why?
🤷‍♀️ No accountability – Who signed off on this plan?
🚨 No alignment – When inputs shift, the story changes — often without a trace.

These workflows are still buried in email threads and shared drives while critical decisions hang in the balance.

If you're still running strategic processes in fragile spreadsheets, you're not just wasting time — you're inviting risk.

Rockhopper fixes that — from inside your spreadsheets.
✅ Formal approvals
✅ Version control
✅ Transparent changes
✅ Built-in accountability

👉 Check out a quick demo to see how Rockhopper helps finance teams stay aligned, move faster, and never second-guess the numbers again.

https://youtu.be/fVPsk95ejng

Follow us on Linked In: www.linkedin.com/company/rockhopper-co

Making finance teams work smarter with spreadsheets

Get a glimpse of a what a hassle-free future could look like today.

Making finance teams work smarter with spreadsheets

Get a glimpse of a what a hassle-free future could look like today.

Our mission is to empower finance teams with workflow automation to perform better review and analysis.

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Rockhopper Inc. All right reserved. © 2025

Our mission is to empower finance teams with workflow automation to perform better review and analysis.

Sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date.

Rockhopper Inc. All right reserved. © 2025

Our mission is to empower finance teams with workflow automation to perform better review and analysis.

Sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date.

Rockhopper Inc. All right reserved. © 2025

Our mission is to empower finance teams with workflow automation to perform better review and analysis.

Sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date.

Rockhopper Inc. All right reserved. © 2025