Sarah Moody
5 Mar 2026
I’m reflecting on Episode 6 of the D365 Insights Podcast, where we were joined by Craig Barber from Future of Finance Consulting.
Finance transformation is never simple - especially when you’re dealing with mergers, legacy systems, complex reporting, and thousands of invoices flowing through the business every month. That’s why Episode 6 of the D365 Insights Podcast is such a powerful case study.
I sat down with Craig Barber, Director and Co‑Founder of Future of Finance Consulting, to unpack one of the most ambitious finance and procurement transformations in the housing sector: at Platform Housing Group.
Craig and his team were brought in at a time when Platform was navigating the aftermath of a major merger, struggling with integration challenges, and facing real pressure to modernise finance, procurement, reporting, and data.
This episode is packed with practical lessons for any organisation going through transformation - whether you’re implementing Dynamics 365, redesigning finance processes, or trying to get control of data and reporting.
🧑🏼⚕️How it all began: diagnosing the pain points
Platform Housing was formed through the merger of Fortis Living and Waterloo Housing - both of which had their own legacy systems, processes, and ways of working. The finance and procurement functions were feeling the strain.
Craig’s team were initially brought in to run a deep diagnostic, and what they uncovered shaped everything that followed:
A month‑end process full of bottlenecks
A chart of accounts that needed rationalisation
Reporting that required automation
Service charge complexity that needed structure
A planning solution urgently needed for better forecasting
In‑flight projects that weren’t delivering
This early insight became the foundation for a full transformation roadmap.
🔨Building the transformation programme
Future of Finance Consulting produced a detailed report and were then asked to design and run a full transformation programme.
Their approach was simple but powerful:
Clear scope, timelines, and structured project plans
Strong governance and two‑weekly check‑ins
A programme built around real user requirements
The right specialists brought in at the right time
A dedicated change management workstream
Craig emphasised something many organisations overlook: Ambition is not enough - structure is what delivers change.
📉 Reducing month‑end by four days
One of the standout achievements was reducing month‑end by four full days.
How?
Mapping the entire month‑end process end‑to‑end
Identifying pain points and sequencing issues
Closing the AP ledger earlier
Automating overhead allocation models
Introducing BI‑driven tooling to remove manual effort
Small changes, when applied systematically, created huge impact.
🏗️ Designing the finance architecture of the future
Platform needed a finance architecture that could scale - and that meant going back to basics:
High‑quality requirements gathering
A robust tender process
Selecting the right mix of tools (Dynamics 365 F&O, PowerBI, IM4, and more)
Designing around real business needs, not assumptions
Craig’s message was clear: Good architecture starts with good requirements.
🔄 Managing change: the human side of transformation
One of the biggest challenges was balancing BAU with project delivery - something every organisation struggles with.
Future of Finance tackled this through:
A dedicated change management workstream
Strong business readiness plans
Clear communication of benefits
Early identification of resistance
Using Azure DevOps to track actions, risks, and engagement
Craig made an important point: Training is not change management. Change starts long before training and continues long after go‑live.
📦 Transforming procure‑to‑pay (P2P)
Platform processed over 140,000 invoices a year - mostly manually.
The transformation included:
Introducing scanning and automation
Reducing manual keying
Improving goods receipting discipline
Using PowerBI to track bottlenecks
Creating competitive accountability across teams
Improving supplier relationships and payment performance
This wasn’t just operational improvement - it had real impact on tenants, repairs, and service delivery.
📊 Data, reporting & BI: getting it right
The data challenge was enormous:
Multiple legacy systems
Millions of lines of data
A full chart of accounts redesign
Mid‑year go‑live
Migration of both master and transactional data
Future of Finance used their own accelerators to validate and simulate data loads - saving months of effort and reducing risk.
PowerBI then brought the data to life, with dashboards and KPIs that gave the business visibility they’d never had before.
💡 Real benefits delivered
The programme delivered both financial and non‑financial benefits:
Streamlined processes
Better reporting and decision‑making
Improved compliance and spend visibility
Reduced manual effort
Stronger supplier relationships
Cloud‑based architecture replacing legacy systems
A benefits register to track and sustain improvements
This wasn’t just a system implementation - it was a full transformation of how finance and procurement operated.
🎧 Listen to Episode 6
If you’re involved in finance transformation, D365 implementations, or large‑scale change programmes, this episode is full of practical insights you can apply immediately.
👉 Transforming Finance at Scale: The Platform Housing Story with Craig Barber Listen on: