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Full responsibilities scope

What does CFO do? 6 responsibility areas.

Full list of finance director tasks — from management reports to strategic negotiations. Plus concrete breakdown: which duties get replaced by management system.

Definition: who is CFO

CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is the English title for finance director — one of the most important roles on the executive team. CFO is responsible for strategic management of company finances and translating financial data into business decisions.

Role requires both deep financial expertise (accounting, controlling, corporate finance, tax law) and strategic and communication competencies (ability to communicate with CEO, board, banks, investors).

6 CFO responsibility areas

Percentage time allocation of typical CFO in 30-100 employee company:

1. Management reports and KPIs

30-40% of time

Weekly/monthly reports for CEO and board: P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, top cash leaks, industry alerts, strategic and operational KPIs.

2. Cash flow and liquidity

15-20% of time

13-week rolling forecast, receivables monitoring (DSO), payables management (DPO), bank negotiations for credit lines and factoring.

3. Cost and margin controlling

15% of time

Margin analysis per product/project/location, leak identification, cost structure optimization, CAPEX allocation, make-vs-buy decisions.

4. Strategic planning

15% of time

Annual budget, 3-year plan, scenarios (best/base/worst case), business case for new products/locations/acquisitions.

5. Strategic negotiations

10-15% of time

Banks (credits, factoring), investors (VC, angels), key clients (contract terms), strategic suppliers, M&A (acquisitions, company sale).

6. Compliance and audits

5-10% of time

Annual audit preparation (auditor), cooperation with tax inspection, reporting to supervisory board, due diligence at fundraising/exit.

Which duties can be replaced by management system?

Analysis area by area — what can really be automated:

Management reports and KPIs
System delivers every Wednesday automatically. Better than human, no Excel errors and no delays.
95%
Cash flow and liquidity
13-week forecast updated daily. Bank negotiations stay with CFO/CEO.
90%
Cost and margin controlling
Margin per product/project automatic. Make-vs-buy decisions stay with CEO/CFO.
85%
Strategic planning
System provides data, but 3-year strategy requires human.
30%
Strategic negotiations
Requires a personal relationship. Your CFO and finance team are alongside you the whole time — included in the subscription — and you lead the final talks yourself.
0%
Compliance and audits
Audit trail and documentation automatic. Annual audit and due diligence require human.
60%

Summary

The system (Inratio) handles ~70-80% of daily CFO workautomatically. For the remaining 20-30% (strategy, negotiations, M&A) you have a CFO and finance team available continuously — included in your subscription, advising on an ongoing basis, not billed per project. Total: ~95% of CFO value at a fraction of an in-house CFO's cost.

FAQ about CFO work

What exactly does CFO do in a company?+

CFO (Chief Financial Officer / finance director) is responsible for 6 areas: (1) management reports and KPIs, (2) cash flow forecast and liquidity, (3) cost and margin controlling, (4) strategic planning and budgeting, (5) negotiations with banks, investors, key clients, (6) compliance — audits, tax inspections, reporting to board/supervisory board.

How does CFO differ from chief accountant?+

Chief accountant is responsible for the PAST — books, statements, taxes, social contributions, JPK, KSeF. CFO is responsible for the FUTURE — what we'll do next quarter, how to earn more, where to invest. In smaller businesses (5-30 employees), chief accountant often performs some CFO tasks, but rarely has time for strategy.

Does CFO do accounting?+

No. CFO doesn't do accounting — that's the chief accountant or accounting office. CFO READS accounting results (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) and translates them into business decisions. CFO without accountant = pilot without navigation. Accountant without CFO = navigation without pilot.

How many hours weekly does CFO work?+

Full-time CFO: 40-50h/week. Of which ~40% management reports, ~25% strategic planning, ~15% negotiations (banks, suppliers, clients), ~10% board meetings, ~10% controlling and compliance. In practice for companies with 5-50 employees, ~50-70% of this work can be automated by management system.

What CFO work CAN BE REPLACED by management system?+

System (Inratio) replaces: weekly management reports, KPI tracking, 13-week cash flow forecast, industry alerts, document audit trail. For strategic decisions (M&A, expansion), bank negotiations, due diligence, board mentoring you have a CFO and finance team available continuously — included in your subscription, not billed per project or per hour. The system handles the operational work; the people advise on an ongoing basis, all for a fraction of an in-house CFO's salary.

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See how much CFO work Inratio replaces

14 days Pro free. Setup 10 minutes. First report next Wednesday.

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