What if the problem in performance reporting is not the report at all?
All organisations produce KPI reports, dashboards, and performance packs to track how they are performing.
They look comprehensive – tables, charts, and commentary.
Yet the same questions persist:
What does this actually mean?
Why did this happen?
What should we do next?
Are we really sure this will improve performance?
When these feel unclear, the natural response is to ask for more explanation.
More commentary.
Better storytelling.
Clearer summaries.
More ad hoc analysis.
More meetings.
Yet even with all this effort, the same challenges remain.
Over time, reporting becomes better at explaining results – but not better at helping people decide what to do next.
What if the gap is not in the explanation?
For business analysts, this points to a deeper question.
Performance reporting is one of the most widely used and institutionalised processes in organisations. When working on reporting processes or systems, the challenge is not just how information is presented, but whether the underlying system is designed to support real understanding and decision-making – rather than reinforcing a compliance-driven cycle.
This session explores a different way of looking at the problem.
Perhaps the issue is not how results are explained.
Perhaps it lies in how reporting – as a system rather than a collection of reports – is designed in the first place.
About the speaker
Colin Wu is a finance and analytics practitioner with over 15 years’ experience across Financial Planning & Analysis, business partnering, performance analytics, and reporting in global technology organisations and the New Zealand public sector, including over a decade at Dell in finance leadership roles, and more recently leading a Power BI-driven Performance & Insights team in Wellington.
He focuses on how organisations design financial analysis and performance reporting as structured, repeatable systems – supporting clearer understanding and more consistent, confident decision-making.
He holds CPA (Australia), IBCS Certified Consultant, Certified Advanced Financial Modeler (AFM), and Microsoft Certified Power BI Analyst credentials, reflecting integrated expertise across finance, analytics, and reporting.
About the event
This is an open event hosted by IIBA NZ Chapter. Drinks and nibbles will be provided.
Doors open at 5:30pm. The presentation will run from 6pm - 7pm
7pm - 7:20pm - You have the opportunity to chat further with Colin and other attendees
7:30pm we wrap up for the evening