Your P&L explained in plain English
Click 'Explain this P&L' for an explanation against last period and last year, or ask in plain English.
LiveWhat does Explain this P&L · Ask in plain language do? Leaders get the 'why' behind the numbers without waiting for month-end commentary.
How it works
The CFO dashboard compares this period with the previous one and the same period last year, and writes an explanation, saved so it shows instantly next time. In the report builder you can ask in plain English; if the question is unclear, Kinnow asks one quick-pick question, then answers with an explanation and a sample table.
Kinnow asks once with quick picks rather than guessing which figure you mean, and shows an existing explanation instantly instead of redoing it.
Step by step
- Open the CFO Dashboard. It shows the books at a glance: cash, receivables, payables, margin and how ready the month is to close. Beside the profit and loss is a card called Explain this P&L.
- Press Explain. Kinnow takes three profit and loss views that the P&L screen already works out: this period, the previous period and the same period last year. It does not recalculate or re-derive any figures.
- Kinnow writes the explanation. It picks the five biggest changes and writes a short plain-language account of each, with the narrative around them. Before the figures go to the writing model, party names are replaced by tokens and identifiers are held back.
- Read it, and reuse it. The explanation is saved against the period, so it appears instantly next time. Press Re-run if you want a fresh one. If it cannot be written, the card says so. It does not show a blank.
- Ask in plain English in the report builder. Type a question such as what is our collection efficiency by branch, and press Ask. If the question could mean two things, Kinnow asks one quick-pick question before it goes further, rather than guessing which figure you meant.
- Check what it assumed. The answer comes with a short explanation, a sample table and a line starting Assumed, so you can see what Kinnow took the question to mean.
See your own profit and loss explained against last period and last year.
What you see on screen
These are the CFO Dashboard and the report builder.
| Screen or button | What it shows or does |
|---|---|
| Explain this P&L | A card on the CFO Dashboard. It states what it does: an AI narrative of what moved month over month, in plain language. Buttons: Explain, and Re-run. While it works it says Explaining. If there is nothing yet, it says Not yet explained this month. |
| Ask in plain language | A box in the report builder with a placeholder question and an Ask button. |
| Pick one to continue | The one quick-pick question Kinnow asks when your question is unclear. |
| Assumed line | What Kinnow took your question to mean. |
| The sample table | A small sample table with the answer. |
Who uses it
| Who | When |
|---|---|
| CFO or finance head | Before a management meeting, wanting the why behind the month's numbers. |
| Owner or managing director | Reading the explanation instead of waiting for month-end commentary. |
| Accountant | Using the explanation as a starting point for management notes, and checking it against the books. |
| Branch or department head | Asking a plain-English question about their own area. |
Related
- Finance and tax: where the profit and loss and the CFO Dashboard sit.
- Certified business metrics anyone can use: the agreed measures behind plain-English questions.
- Monday-morning business briefing on WhatsApp: a weekly summary of the same kind.
- Ask Kinnow: ask across the whole business.
- Never a confident wrong number: why gaps are shown, not hidden.
Questions
What is Explain this P&L · Ask in plain language in Kinnow?
Click 'Explain this P&L' for an explanation against last period and last year, or ask in plain English.
What changes for the business?
Leaders get the 'why' behind the numbers without waiting for month-end commentary.
Is it available today?
Yes, it is live.
Which periods does Explain this P&L compare?
The current period against the previous period and against the same period last year, using the same figures as your profit and loss screen.
Are the numbers in the explanation recalculated by AI?
No. The figures come from your books. The model writes the explanation around them, and its output is checked so an invented amount is caught.
What does Kinnow do when my question is unclear?
It asks one quick-pick question and then answers. It also shows an Assumed line, so you can see how it read your question.
Does it send my customer names to an outside model?
Party names go as stable tokens, and identifiers in narration are replaced, so the model can compare entries without seeing the names. This covers Ask Kinnow and most agents today.
Show us last month's profit and loss and we will show the explanation Kinnow writes.
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