Software enhances collaborative planning across the board, alleviating data mismanagement and siloed decision-making while providing the momentum your organisation needs going forward. However, Anaplan is a complex machine so it takes the right experience and effort to implement it in your business.
If you’re considering Anaplan but are unsure about the implementation, here’s how an Anaplan consultancy can help.
- Where Are You on Your Anaplan Journey?
- Implementing Connected Planning
- The Benefits of Working With an Anaplan Partner
Where Are You on Your Anaplan Journey?
Are you currently looking into implementing Anaplan? Now, you may have heard how a dedicated Connected Planning (S&OP) platform can improve your business in several areas, such as:
- Increasing interdepartmental transparency and collaboration: the whole organisation has an understanding of product lifecycles and can make better informed, collaborative decisions based on near real-time data.
- Implementing successful budgeting and forecasting: using data and advanced algorithms to forecast changes in your business’ landscape.
- Informed demand and supply routines: make adjustments across your supply chain by having an accurate view of current inventory levels and avoid the risk of inaccurate customer demand estimates.
- Improved customer experience: increase customer satisfaction by meeting deadlines and promises as well as providing accurate feedback to customer enquiries.
Although, you might not have realised the implementation of Anaplan takes time, dedication and effort. The initial set-up includes many variables, including documenting the workflow Anaplan addresses and identifying the parts of the process Anaplan covers.
At this point, you’ll need to determine the areas Anaplan needs to replace and which areas can integrate alongside the system.
Furthermore, you may be struggling with key implementation tasks. This could be in data capture methods such as manual entry, semi-automated or ETL vendor integration. In contrast, it could be in the model build during Sprint phases, where you could encounter issues with iterative refinement or fail to deliver expected outcomes.
We realise Anaplan implementation doesn’t come without challenges. That’s why Anaplan has dedicated, experienced partners you can choose from, each with their own history of working with Anaplan and a personalised skill-set.
Implementing Connected Planning
Some detractors believe Connected Planning doesn’t need a software platform to work. Technically, this is true, but it comes down to an issue of survival overgrowth. An S&OP process can survive in legacy software such as spreadsheets, but it’s not ideal as it can’t grow. These processes are time-consuming, inefficient and prone to human error.
Similarly, other individuals believe spreadsheets allow for effective S&OP modelling. The difference between a spreadsheet and Anaplan? Spreadsheets are static whereas Anaplan reacts to the data environment. The right Anaplan partner guarantees the proper implementation of these processes.
Although Anaplan implementation can be rapid, in comparison to many other technologies, best practice is essential to ensure success. If you’re interested in looking over the full journey from beginning to end, you can explore our infographic.
Without a dedicated Anaplan consultancy implementing these stages for you, it’s unlikely you’ll know how to carry them all out individually.
The Benefits Of Working With an Anaplan Consultancy
Anaplan is an intuitive platform but implementation takes skill and experience. An Anaplan consultancy provides that expertise as they offer key support when it comes to business process, data management, model design and deployment.
The best consultancies also show a willing dedication towards the ‘honeycomb’ of Connected Planning. Inventory planning, demand planning, S&OP - they’re all related. Consultancies are also intuitively aware of this and provide solutions to systems across the board.
The right Anaplan consultancy for you is one that provides not only expert knowledge but also insights into your particular planning needs. It's common to define needs inside a framework of what you believe is possible and Anaplan can deliver so much more that was possible before. At Profit& we call this 'the art of the possible'.
Your chosen Anaplan Implementation partner will support you across a variety of use cases and tailor their approach to your specific needs, challenges and market landscape.
They will create an Anaplan experience that is incredibly beneficial to companies who have a clear aim to respond quickly to market developments, by capitalising on access to accurate, near real-time data. So how can an Anaplan consultancy help you?
Explore the Profit& Case Studies
By reading through the Profit& case studies, you’ll discover how Anaplan has improved planning efficiency and business performance for their clients. These successes will hopefully convince you that the Anaplan software is right for you. You’ll also see how an experienced and passionate consultancy can guide you on the road to efficient Connected Planning.
Click the link below to get started.
