Nucleus Research identifies more than 72 million workers involved in business planning worldwide

Anaplan, Inc. (NYSE:PLAN), a pioneer in Connected Planning, today announced that a new study conducted by Nucleus Research, Inc. found that more than 72 million workers engage in business planning activities worldwide. The independent research and analysis firm found that current technology solutions often fall behind in supporting strategic planning goals, and as a result often impair business operations and decrease flexibility. The study also identifies a potential solution in Connected Planning, where decision making can be accelerated by using actual real-time data and focusing on future planning with the support of advanced and predictive analytics.

“Before we implemented Anaplan, we used spreadsheets for planning functions in both Sales and Finance. These were often massive files that existed in hundreds of versions and were painfully slow to open,” said Ed Tang, VP of Strategic Finance, Business Analytics and GTM Operations at Box. “Now we have a trusted, easy-to-use cloud-based platform for broader collaboration, improved alignment across departments, and better decision-making.”

Nucleus Research published the findings in their “Guidebook: Connected Planning with Anaplan.” This study is based on data from various sources, including the International Labor Organization and in-depth interviews with organisations worldwide that use spreadsheets and tools, such as custom on-premises applications, to support planning processes. It identified challenges in current practices that too often result in disconnected, time-consuming planning processes whereby users lack a single version of the truth and a consistent way to cascade down or roll up changes to business plans across a company.

“With so many millions of workers involved in planning, there’s a broad industry need for new strategies and solutions to aggregate real-time data and accelerate decision-making,” said Rebecca Wettemann, VP, Research, Nucleus Research, and author of the Guidebook. “A Connected Planning approach improves operations with accelerated quota adjustment to drive desired business outcomes, faster reporting and guidance, better project cost control, and improved resource allocation.”

Nucleus Research’s findings asserted that a Connected Planning approach with Anaplan increases planning staff productivity by an average of 30 percent. According to the Guidebook, Anaplan’s Connected Planning platform provides:

• Support for strategic and corporate plans, annual budgets, and forecasts, with driver- and assumption-based plan capabilities, role-based views, and top-down and bottom-up views.
• Version and scenario modeling capabilities, including centralised control and versioning, and support for complex, multidimensional “what if” analyses.
• Support for revenue planning and forecasting with more than 15 unique revenue models, including support for multiple currencies, and CAPEX planning with multiple depreciation methods and payment plans.
• Personnel planning capabilities, including planning at the group, role, or individual level; the ability to split, transfer, and adjust headcount across hierarchies; and automating key calculations related to benefits and salaries.

“Inevitable change coupled with demanding market dynamics requires that companies critically examine how they plan and make decisions for greater business agility,” said Simon Tucker, Chief Planning Officer, Anaplan. “Connected Planning with the Anaplan platform gives companies a new way to run their businesses in a modern business climate where the stakes are high.”

Click here to read Nucleus Research’s “Guidebook: Connected Planning with Anaplan.”