The Analytics Lessons FP&A Leaders Need to Build Better, Repeatable Workflows with Ned Harding

Feb 5, 2026

Ned Harding, Chief Product Officer at Enso Analytics and Alteryx co-founder, shaped self-service analytics used by hundreds of thousands. He discusses why current tools fail collaborative teams. He highlights building repeatable, testable workflows. He warns about AI overfitting and Excel pitfalls. He urges integrating analytics across the org and using scientific method and simple models for reliable forecasting.

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INSIGHT

FP&A Is A Company-Wide Service

FP&A must serve the whole company, not just the CFO or investors.
Deliver predictable, repeatable outputs so stakeholders can trust monthly results.

ANECDOTE

Accidental Path To Building Alteryx

Ned entered data analytics by accident while solving messy customer data problems at SRC/Alteryx.
He built internal tools for data prep which later became productized into Alteryx.

INSIGHT

Teams Need Hybrid, Collaborative Tools

Most analytics tools target individuals or IT control, not collaborative teams.
Enso focuses on hybrid, team-first workflows that combine local and cloud data securely.

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In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Ned Harding - a true pioneer in the data analytics space - to talk about why most data tools still don’t meet the needs of today’s collaborative teams. From building Alteryx from the ground up to launching a new venture (Enso Analytics), Ned shares his take on what’s broken in data workflows and how FP&A teams can fix it.

Ned Harding is the Chief Product Officer at Enso Analytics, a platform that helped define the self-service analytics category. He started coding at eight years old, taught himself from PDP-11 manuals, and has spent the last two decades creating tools used by hundreds of thousands of analysts worldwide. He’s a product guy through and through, and he’s on a mission to help teams work smarter with their data.

Expect to Learn:

Why most data tools fall short when it comes to real team collaboration
The importance of repeatability and testing in FP&A workflows
How to avoid common pitfalls with AI and overfitting in forecasting
Why Excel is both a lifesaver - and a landmine
How to build a true “culture of analytics” across your entire org

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

“The biggest successes happen when teams collaborate - analytics shouldn’t be a solo act.”- Ned Harding
“If your team’s not getting value from your data work, you’re not doing your job.”- Ned Harding

Ned shares practical insights on how FP&A teams can become strategic partners by embracing collaborative, repeatable analytics. He emphasizes the value of integrating data across teams, avoiding AI pitfalls, and applying the scientific method to drive consistent, data-informed decision-making.

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Follow Ned:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ned-harding-34a57526/

Company - https://www.linkedin.com/company/enso-analytics/

Website - https://ensoanalytics.com

Earn Your CPE Credit

For CPE credit please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, and answer a few questions and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode

[02:43] – Meet Ned Harding & His Journey to Enso

[06:04] – Accidental Start in Analytics

[10:59] – Turning Tools into a Business

[14:49] – Why Enso Analytics?

[25:43] – Analytics Across the Org

[29:16] – Context is Everything

[35:51] – The Risk of Overusing AI

[43:56] – Are We in an AI Bubble?

[47:07] – Top Skills for FP&A Pros

[49:54] – The Excel Debate

[53:12] – Fun Final Questions