Who are the PACE Disciples and Apostles?

This article is not intended to be religious. It is using an aspect of religion as a metaphor and analogy.

However, regarding religion my position is the that being a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or whatever religion is much more about how one behaves and less about what one believes from the Bible, Quran, Torah, or whatever source.

I view the people involved with or who follow the Profitability Center for Excellence (PACE) can be compared to apostles and disciples. But first we need some definitions

Definitions

The word “disciple” comes from a Latin term meaning student or learner.  Discipleship is a lifelong journey of growing in faith and understanding.

An apostle, on the other hand, has a more specific role and calling. The term “apostle” comes from a Greek term meaning “one who is sent out.” It can refer to an emissary or anyone sent on a mission. While all apostles are first disciples, not all disciples become apostles. Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle had their followers as disciples who adhered to their teachings and philosophies.

To summarize, a disciple is a follower and learner, while an apostle is one specifically sent out with a mission.

PACE Disciples and Apostles

So, what is the metaphor and analogy?

Before answering this I need to first describe the mission of the Profitability Center for Excellence (PACE).

PACE is a non-profit community of professionals dedicated to helping organizations make better, more informed decisions through the use of data analytics employing integrated, causal models.  Focusing exclusively on how to enable better managerial decision-making within organizations through the use of such models, PACE has become a go-to source for people looking for independent and impartial (vendor and methodology neutral) information to improve their organization’s operational and financial performance.

The Metaphor and Analogy

The PACE apostles are a small group led by a PACE’s Executive Director, several PACE Directors, and subject matter experts (SMEs). They are passionate about enterprise and corporate performance management (EPM/CPM) methods and financial planning and analysis (FP&A). They are on a “mission” to get organizations, including their CFOs, out of the 1980s and into the 21^st Century to implement, apply, and deploy progressive management methods.

The PACE disciples are its 3000+ members and 9,000+ followers on the PACE LinkedIn site. They attend PACE webinars, view PACE Moments video podcasts, apply methods in the PACE Profitability Analytics Framework (PAF), and attend the annual September PACE Analytics+ Virtual Conference with its exceptionally engaging lineup of speakers

PACE’s Foundation and Guiding Principles

Profitability is most often measured based on external financial reporting requirements, such as generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and reported on “general purpose” financial statements designed primarily for investors and lenders. The internal decision-support perspective is very different. The primary principle that applies to the internal decision-support perspective is the causality principle with cause-and-effect relationships. The financial information created for internal decisions must clearly reflect the reality of the resources, processes, customers, and situations.

Many organizations employ inaccurate, incomplete, and immature financial planning and analysis (FP&A) models and processes. This leads to an inability to accurately forecast operational results, to identify potential cost reduction opportunities, and fails to expose financial and operational risk. Additionally, static and functionally-focused budgets reinforce functional silos and promote decisions that undermine organizational performance.  Profitability Analytics is built on a holistic, integrated view of revenue management, managerial costing, and investment management within an organization which overcomes these deficiencies.

Teachers and Learners

Disciples and apostles play crucial roles to expand and grow acceptance of the ideas, concepts, and methods described above.

PACE apostles are teachers. PACE disciples are learners.

The beneficiaries of PACE apostles and disciples are an organization’s line managers, employee teams, and executives who are provided the tools for much better, accurate, and visible to provide insights to make better decisions.