The Tipping Point: The Curiosity Conversation, “Is There a Better Way?”

Part 1 of Why Companies Talk to Us About EPM

One thing I have learned from my research is that not every EPM conversation starts with a crisis.

Some companies reach out because they are curious. They have heard about EPM, AI, predictive forecasting, or connected planning, and they want to understand what it could mean for their business. They may not have a clearly defined problem yet, but they can sense there may be a better way to plan, forecast, and make decisions.

These conversations are often exploratory. They are less about jumping straight into software and more about understanding the business: how it operates, how it plans, where the pressure points are, and where better information could create value.

The questions are usually practical:

• Can planning better support strategy and execution?

• Can data provide clearer insight?

• Can automation give teams more capacity to focus on higher-value work?

• Can AI add value to existing business processes?

• Can analytics help identify opportunities or risks that are currently hidden from view?

Curiosity starts the conversation.

These companies are not necessarily under immediate pressure, but they are thinking ahead. They want to understand what is possible so that, when the time is right, they are ready to take the next step.

For these companies, the first conversation is usually about education. What does Jedox do? How is EPM different from a reporting tool? Where does AI add value? How do companies usually start? What would an initial project look like? And, importantly, what level of investment is involved?

That last question matters. EPM solutions typically require enough scale, complexity, or business pressure to justify the investment. So, the curiosity conversation often helps a company understand whether EPM is something they need now, something they should plan for, or something they should simply understand better for the future.

The curiosity conversation is often the beginning of a longer journey. It builds internal awareness, helps the business understand the market, and gives decision-makers a clearer view of what to look for when the need becomes more immediate.

And when a trigger point does arrive, growth, funding, a new leader, audit pressure, board reporting demands, or finance team fatigue, the business is in a strong position to begin the process of selecting a platform and partner. It already has a clearer view of what is possible and what good could look like.

Raelena Quaine

Astute Dimension