Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) – Enterprise performance management – is a system that supports planning, forecasting and analyzing operational efficiency, helping businesses make faster and more accurate decisions.
In the world, EPM has been widely applied in multinational corporations. However, implementing EPM in Vietnam is still a fairly new concept, mainly appearing in some large-scale or foreign-invested enterprises.
Therefore, this article by Bizzi will analyze the implementation reality, common EPM barriers and how EPM helps businesses overcome them effectively.
Why is it difficult to apply EPM in Vietnam?
EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) – Enterprise performance management – is a system that helps businesses plan, forecast, analyze and monitor performance comprehensively. If ERP software (Enterprise Resource Planning) helps businesses manage what is happening, while EPM helps businesses plan for what is going to happen – that is, future management.
In other words, EPM is the bridge between strategy - plan - implementation, helping management have a clearer view of operating performance, cash flow, profits and other financial/non-financial indicators.
The core objectives of EPM are:
- Support strategic decision making Based on reliable, real-time data.
- Align strategic goals with operational activities of each department and unit.
- Increase the ability to respond quickly to market fluctuations through simulation and scenario planning.
- Reduce reliance on manual Excel, towards an automated, transparent and controllable planning environment.
The scope of application of EPM is very wide, including:
- Budgeting
- Forecasting
- Profitability Analysis
- Management Reporting
- Performance Tracking
EPM can integrate directly with ERP, CRM, HRM, or accounting software systems – helping to create a comprehensive financial and operational picture.
Vietnam context: Why do businesses face barriers to EPM implementation?
Although proven effective in developed markets (US, Japan, Korea…), EPM is still a relatively new concept for most Vietnamese businesses. There are 4 main barriers that make applying EPM difficult, including:
(1) FP&A in Vietnam is still in its early stages of development.
Most businesses just stop at that level. accounting reports – cost control, but not really built FP&A department (Financial Planning & Analysis) with forecasting, scenario analysis or profit simulation functions. This leads to a lack of human resources and mindset to operate EPM effectively.
(2) ERP is not enough to meet the needs of planning and forecasting.
Many businesses mistakenly believe that ERP is enough for financial management, but ERP only reflects past data – “what happened”. Meanwhile, EPM works with future data – “what will happen”. The lack of integration between the two systems makes the planning, forecasting and analysis process fragmented and manual.
(3) “Excel” culture is deeply ingrained in businesses
Most finance departments still rely on Excel for budgeting and forecasting, even though this poses many risks: incorrect formulas, difficult version control, and time-consuming synthesis. This “Excel culture” makes businesses hesitant to change, making it difficult to switch to a modern EPM system even though they have seen the benefits.
(4) Lack of awareness of the strategic role of EPM
Many business leaders still view EPM as just “a financial planning tool”, instead of a platform to support enterprise-wide strategic management. This lack of awareness leads to EPM not being properly invested in, deployed piecemeal, or stopping at the testing stage.
EPM Barriers: Causes and Factors That Lead to Business Failure
While global enterprises are accelerating the application of Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) to improve data-driven planning and decision-making capabilities, EPM implementation in Vietnam is in a state of "failure before maturity".
Reason EPM implementation mistakes not only from technology, but also from data, people, budget and corporate culture – factors closely linked to the reality of operations in Vietnam.
Technology barriers: ERP not integrated – Weak IT infrastructure
One of the Challenges of using EPM is the problem system integration. Most Vietnamese businesses have invested in ERP, but these systems are often designed transaction accounting services, but not ready administrative data connection for EPM.
- ERP and EPM do not integrate well leading to fragmented data, must be entered manually, losing the advantage of automation.
- Weak IT infrastructure and lack of specialized system operations team make EPM deployment and maintenance costly and lengthy.
EPM implementation projects in Vietnam are prone to "bottlenecks" at the integration stage, causing businesses to become discouraged and return to traditional Excel.
Data barriers: Non-standardization, lack of central data warehouse
EPM works effectively only when businesses have standard, clean and centralized data. However, in Vietnam:
- Data is often scattered across many departments (finance, sales, logistics, etc.) and is not uniform in structure.
- Lack of Data Warehouse or Data Mart, making extraction - synthesis - analysis take a lot of time.
- Many businesses still enter data manually, leading to errors, duplication, or the inability to trace the original data source.
When the data foundation is not solid, EPM – which depends on analytics and modeling – cannot deliver its real value.
Cultural barriers: Fear of change & resistance from accounting staff
It is a common practice that the finance – accounting team is familiar with working with Excel and manual processes. Moving to a more transparent, automated system often makes them feel out of control or fear of being re-evaluated.
- Staff have the mentality of "being afraid to learn the new system".
- Department heads fear losing control of the numbers.
- A “data silo” culture hinders information sharing between departments.
It is this cultural barrier that causes many EPM implementation projects in Vietnam to fail. "stillborn" despite very good technology, because end users refuse to use it or use it in a workaround.
EPM Budget Barriers: ROI Not Yet Visible
Implementing EPM in Vietnam requires significant investment – not only in software, but also in training, consulting, and process changes. However, many Vietnamese businesses still lack confidence in ROI (Return on Investment) because:
- No immediate short term effects.
- The cost of deploying, customizing, and maintaining the system is high.
- Lack of quantitative KPIs to measure effectiveness after implementation.
As a result, financial leaders are likely to delay or reduce the scope of EPM projects, leaving the system incomplete.
Lack of Internal EPM Expertise: FP&A Under-Capacity
EPM is more than just a tool – it requires strategic financial analysis (FP&A) thinking and skills. However, most finance teams in Vietnam are still at the reporting and cost control level, without in-depth training in:
- Financial Modeling
- Scenario Planning
- Performance & Profitability Analysis
Without a strong internal FP&A team, businesses depend entirely on outside consultants, leading to many Challenges of using EPM after handover.
Lack of commitment from leadership: No strong enough “sponsor”
One of the factors that determines the success of EPM is the commitment from the top leadership, especially the CFO or CEO. Without a powerful sponsor, EPM projects can easily:
- Delayed due to lack of budget or conflicting priorities.
- No voice when process changes are needed.
- Lack of motivation for departments to coordinate data sharing.
Without a “pioneer”, EPM remains at the “experimental” level and cannot spread throughout the enterprise.
EPM Barriers: Practical Issues After System Implementation
Implementing Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) helps businesses improve their ability to plan, forecast, and make decisions based on data. However, the journey to “real-life operation” of EPM is not easy.
After the EPM implementation phase in Vietnam, many businesses encountered a series of challenges when using EPM – from data quality, integration capabilities to change management and maintenance costs.
Data challenges: Poor quality, inconsistent across departments
EPM only works well when the input data standardized and reliableBut in reality, in many businesses:
- Data comes from various departments (finance, sales, production, human resources…) with inconsistent format, structure and update period.
- Incorrect information, duplicates, or missing data history prevent the system from generating accurate reports.
- Some departments still enter data manually, causing errors and making it difficult to control the origin of data.
EPM systems do not accurately reflect operational performance, causing planning, forecasting, and analysis to fail. loss of reliability.
Integration Challenges: Difficulty connecting with ERP, CRM and legacy systems
EPM often needs to be linked to existing systems such as ERP, CRM, HRM or internal accounting software. However, in reality:
- These systems use different architectures and databases, making integration complex and time-consuming.
- For businesses using legacy system (legacy, homegrown systems), data often has no API or open structure, making EPM difficult to access.
- Synchronizing data between systems often results in latency, reducing the effectiveness of real-time analysis.
EPM is “data-clogged,” unable to reach its full potential, especially in summary reports or immediate forecasts.
User challenges: Difficult to train, IT dependency and resistance to new processes
One of the common problems after implementation is that the end user team does not have mastery over the system.
- Users have difficulty in operating and do not understand the operating logic, so they depend too much on the IT department.
- The "fear of change" mentality makes them continue to use Excel in parallel, reducing conversion efficiency.
- New approval or planning processes in EPM can be different from old habits, leading to implicit resistance from staff.
Without a proper training and change management strategy, EPM can easily become an “expensive system with few real users”.
Change management: KPIs are not synchronized, lack of connection between departments
EPM aims to link strategy with execution through an enterprise-wide KPI system. However, many organizations implement EPM without restructuring their measurement metrics:
- Each department has its own KPIs that do not align with the overall goals.
- There is no cross-functional evaluation mechanism.
- Management levels do not agree on KPI calculation or threshold.
Therefore, the challenge when using EPM is that it cannot accurately reflect actual performance, making management reports become formal and lose strategic meaning.
Challenges when using EPM for reporting: Incorrect KPIs – Dashboards are difficult to customize
Another problem about Challenges of using EPM is the EPM reporting system lacks flexibility:
- KPIs are set rigidly, making it difficult to adjust to market changes or new strategies.
- Dashboards display data that is not intuitive or personalized to the user.
- Some automatic summary reports have errors due to uncleaned data sources.
Instead of supporting decision making, EPM reports take time to reconcile and verify, reducing trust in the system.
Maintenance Challenges: High Maintenance Costs – Complex Upgrades
Once operational, businesses face significant system maintenance costs, including:
- Software license fees, server or cloud rental fees.
- Cost of internal IT personnel or deployment partners for maintenance and updates.
- Difficulty in upgrading to new version, especially if the old system is too heavily customized.
For small and medium-sized businesses, maintenance costs become financial burden, leading to The challenge when using EPM is interrupted or not updated regularly.
EPM Implementation in Vietnam: Current Situation, Difficulties and Solutions from Bizzi
In the world, EPM has been widely applied in multinational corporations. But in Vietnam, EPM is still a fairly new concept., mainly appearing in some large-scale or foreign-invested enterprises.
Current status of EPM implementation in Vietnam
Reality shows that most Vietnamese businesses are not ready in terms of people, data and technology to effectively deploy EPM.
Some outstanding features:
- FP&A team is still lacking: Most only stop at accounting - cost control functions, there is no FP&A department specializing in analysis and forecasting.
- Planning tools are still manual: Excel is still the primary tool, making it difficult to ensure accuracy and version control.
- ERP does not support forecasting or scenario planning: ERP only manages past data, while EPM needs to simulate and forecast the future.
- Low awareness of EPM: Most business leaders still consider EPM as a “financial tool” and do not understand its strategic role in business management.
Specific barriers in the Vietnamese market
EPM implementation in Vietnam faces many challenges Systemic and cultural barriers:
- Language & Localization: Most international EPM platforms not yet Vietnamized completely, making training and operations difficult. Businesses need implementation partners who understand the specifics of local finance and processes.
- “Excel reporting” culture: Excel is the “life tool” of Vietnamese accountants. Switching to EPM makes many employees worry about changing processes, losing control of data or having to learn from scratch.
- Limited resources: Medium and fast growing enterprises (revenue 100–300 billion/year) often no dedicated FP&A team, so there is a lack of personnel to operate and exploit the system after deployment.
Sactona Solution – Practical approach for Vietnamese businesses
To overcome the above barriers, Bizzi combined with Sactona (Japan) bring Optimal EPM solution for Vietnamese enterprises - ensuring both international standards and domestic operating practices.
How to overcome barriers when implementing EPM – Solution from Sactona
Implementing Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) is an important step to help businesses move from manual financial management to strategic performance management. However, the reality in Vietnam shows that most businesses face barriers in terms of people, data and technology, making the EPM application journey complicated and costly.
With Sactona – a solution developed in Japan and localized by Bizzi.vn – these barriers are removed in a practical, flexible and suitable way for Vietnamese businesses.
Familiar Excel Interface – Reduce User Barriers
One of the reasons why EPM is difficult to accept in Vietnam is "culture Excel”. Most finance departments are familiar with Excel operations, formulas and spreadsheet structures. Switching to a complex EPM system makes users feel unfamiliar and takes time to train.
Sactona completely solves this barrier by:
- Keep the same interface and operations as Excel, making it easy for users to access, without fear of "learning from scratch".
- Direct integration with Excel, allowing data entry, simulation and reporting right on the familiar tool.
- Eliminate resistance to change, resulting in high user adoption rates from the very beginning.
User friendly, easy to use – the system is operated quickly without requiring complex training.
Self-configuring – No programming required, reducing deployment costs
Another EPM barrier that causes projects to fail is relying too much on the IT team or implementation partner. Many international EPM platforms require complex programming, which increases costs and time.
Sactona is designed with the philosophy of “autonomy”:
- The finance department can configure its own planning model, KPIs, and reports without IT intervention.
- No code or script required, allowing businesses to flexibly adjust when there are changes in strategy or organization.
- Shorten deployment time to only 2–3 months instead of 6–12 months like traditional systems.
Businesses save significantly on consulting, deployment and system maintenance costs, and can proactively update the model when needed.
Flexible deployment in Cloud or On-premise – Suitable for all scales
Not all businesses have the same level of technology infrastructure readiness. Therefore, Sactona offers two flexible deployment models:
- Cloud (SaaS): Suitable for medium and large businesses that want to deploy quickly, without server costs, and can be accessed anytime, anywhere.
- On-premise: For large corporations or businesses with high requirements for security and internal infrastructure.
Both models allow for flexible scaling and easy upgrades according to the growth rate of the business. Whether it is a medium-sized enterprise or a multi-branch corporation, Sactona still meets the needs, optimizes costs and flexibility in operations.
Training support – Operation – Internal maintenance
One of the biggest challenges when implementing EPM is the lack of post-implementation operational capabilities. Sactona addresses this with a lifecycle model that includes:
- End-user training: detailed instructions according to each business's financial processes.
- Operation Handover: helps the finance department take control of the entire planning – forecasting – reporting process.
- Support regular maintenance and updates: ensure the system is always stable, suitable for changes in business strategy.
Enterprises operate EPM independently, without depending on IT or external consultants, significantly reducing long-term maintenance costs.
What do businesses need to prepare before implementing EPM?
Implementing Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) is a big step in your company’s financial digital transformation journey. However, EPM is more than just software — it’s a strategic management system that requires careful preparation of data, people, and processes.
Many businesses fail not because of technology, but because of unprepared management platforms and internal capabilities. So before investing in an EPM system, what do businesses need to prepare?
Building a Data Governance Framework – The Foundation for Every Decision
EPM works effectively only when input data is standardized, clean and connected. Therefore, the first step a business needs to take is to establish a Data Governance Framework.
This includes:
- Identify the “single source of truth” – single source of standard data for the entire enterprise.
- Standardize data entry, processing and storage processes between departments.
- Set up Data Owner, Data Steward roles, responsible for data integrity.
When data is properly managed, EPM can exploit, analyze, and create accurate insights, instead of dealing with inaccurate or fragmented information.
EPM Maturity Model Review – Know Where You Are to Go Further
Before implementation, businesses need to assess the maturity level of performance management (EPM Maturity Model).
EPM maturity is usually divided into 4 levels:
- Manual Stage: Using Excel, distributed data, manual planning.
- Structured Stage: Have ERP, start periodically aggregating data.
- Integrated Stage: Departments share data, using basic dashboards.
- Optimized Stage: Automated EPM application, scenario simulation (Scenario Planning).
This review helps businesses understand inner capacity, determine the appropriate scope of implementation and avoid wasteful “leapfrogging”.
Identify strategic KPIs – Directions for the entire system
EPM is not just an accounting tool, but system that links strategy to executionBefore implementation, businesses need to:
- Identify strategic KPIs reflect core business objectives: growth, profit, market share, operating performance…
- Establish a cross-departmental KPI measurement mechanism, ensuring consistency and transparency.
- Clearly define the calculation method and data source of each KPI to avoid errors during system operation.
When KPIs are clear and consistent, EPM can automate reporting, performance evaluation, and support real-time decision making.
FP&A Training and EPM Core Team Setup
One of the factors that determine the success of EPM project implementation in Vietnam is internal operations team.
Businesses need:
- Build or upgrade FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) capabilities – group specializing in planning, forecasting, and financial analysis.
- Establishing EPM Core Team including representatives from finance, operations, IT and HR.
- Training in financial modeling, planning and data analysis skills to ensure the team can operate the system independently after deployment.
Strong FP&A helps businesses Proactively control and exploit the value of EPM, instead of relying solely on the supplier.
Choosing the right EPM solution for your scale – Sactona
The final and decisive factor is to deploy EPM in Vietnam in accordance with the capacity and scale of the enterprise. Sactona - EPM solution designed specifically for Finance and Accounting Department of Medium and Large Enterprises, focusing on FP&A process optimization, budgeting and forecasting.
Characteristics of Sactona is the solution EPM built specifically for rooms Finance - Accounting in medium and large enterprises, helping to optimize the entire process FP&A, budgeting and forecasting.
- Familiar interface like Excel, helping users convert quickly and without depending on IT.
- Allow multidimensional budget planning by department, project or branch.
- Provide management reporting and variance analysis in real time.
- Optimal deployment and operating costs, significantly lower than international solutions.
- Fast deployment time, clear return on investment (ROI), suitable for the characteristics of the Vietnamese market.
Business Easily get started on your EPM journey without complex infrastructure or a large IT team, but still ensure efficiency and international standards.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – EPM application in Vietnamese enterprises
Here is the part FAQ – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) helps businesses understand the nature, barriers and appropriate direction when wanting to deploy the EPM system. Sactona.
What is the biggest EPM barrier to implementation?
The biggest barrier is not technology, but people and data. Most Vietnamese businesses still rely on manual Excel, data is not standardized and scattered among departments. When switching to EPM, accounting and finance staff are often reluctant to change, leading to internal resistance.
Additionally, current ERPs often do not support forecasting or scenario planning, making initial integration complicated.
Why is EPM not widely deployed in Vietnam?
EPM is still a fairly new concept in Vietnam, currently mainly implemented in large corporations or FDI enterprises. The three main reasons include:
- Lack of awareness of the role of EPM in strategic management.
- The “Excel reporting” culture is ingrained, making transformation difficult.
- Lack of FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) team with expertise in system operations.
What are the common challenges that lead to failure in EPM?
EPM projects often fail because:
- Data is not standardized, there is no central data warehouse.
- Lack of commitment from leadership, no strong sponsor from CFO/CEO.
- Hasty deployment, no readiness assessment (EPM Maturity Model).
- No Change Management during implementation.
What do businesses need to prepare before implementing EPM in Vietnam?
Before implementation, businesses need to:
- Building a Data Governance Framework – data standardization
- Assess current EPM capabilities to choose the right route.
- Identify strategic KPIs as a basis for performance measurement.
- Train internal FP&A or EPM Core Team.
- Choose the right solution for the scale – like Sactona.
When well prepared, businesses double their chances of success and reduce implementation time to just 2–3 months.
Is EPM suitable for small businesses?
In the past, EPM was only suitable for large corporations due to its high cost and complex technical requirements. But now, Sactona has helped Enterprises with revenue of 200 billion or more can be easily deployed thanks to:
- Model fast deployment – low cost.
- Interface Familiar Excel, no programming required.
- Flexible Cloud or On-premise, suitable for budget and infrastructure.
EPM is no longer the “privilege” of large corporations – it has become viable strategic management tools for Vietnamese businesses
How to overcome internal cultural barriers when applying EPM?
The success of EPM depends on 70% Change Management.
Businesses need:
- Clear internal communication about EPM benefits for businesses and implementation goals.
- Organize the training session, workshop so that employees understand and actively use the system.
- Ensure Finance leaders and departments participate, do not let EPM be just an “IT project”.
Conclude
Implementing EPM in Vietnam is a strategic lever to help businesses manage performance and make smarter decisions. EPM barriers in people, technology and processes are no longer obstacles if businesses choose the right direction.
To successfully implement, Vietnamese businesses need:
- Start by standardizing your FP&A data and processes.
- Choose a flexible, user-friendly EPM solution (like Sactona – which combines the power of international EPM with the flexibility of Excel).
- In particular, strong commitment from leadership is needed, along with a strategy to change organizational culture in parallel with technology transformation.
With Sactona, Vietnamese businesses can deploy EPM quickly, effectively, and truly create value – instead of just a digital transformation project “on paper”. Discover how Sactona – platform Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) new generation Bizzi.vn distribution Exclusive from Japan Help your business plan, forecast, and analyze more effectively:
👉 Sign up for free consultation and demo here!