Evaluating a business unit by its numbers — from revenue and performance metrics to expenses and head count — and building an action plan from that information is a key role for the financial planning experts at Microsoft. Comprising financial analysts, controllers, and accountants, this division is directly responsible for the financial health of Microsoft through skills like budgeting, modeling, and sizing up how our products and applications are doing compared to our competitors'.

Financial Analysis professionals collectively take the pulse of Microsoft's daily operations and how the company is moving ahead. Their input into vital issues such as business opportunities, expense controls, head-count management, return on investment, and pricing versus cost recovery determines the company's overall direction.

Financial planning is not only about the numbers that make Microsoft tick, but also about how to push those numbers forward to drive our business to more profitability and better efficiency.