Item: Anaplan
Rating: 10
Author: Kait Chura

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

As an implementation partner, my company assists in creating solutions for other companies to utilize Anaplan. Internally, we are also consumers because we do use it for workforce planning and sales, but in the role of an implementation consultant, we are brought in to transform various departments (supply chain, Finance, Sales, etc) in numerous industries (high tech, oil, and gas, consumer goods, higher education, etc.). COVID highlighted the need for companies to implement cloud-based solutions as most workforces are turning into hybrid work environments, which is where Anaplan solves the biggest problem through connected planning.

Pros and Cons

Integration with ERPs.
Ease of use/internal enablement.
Versioning and scenario planning for variance analysis.

Anaplan is dynamically changing —meaning that the product is being improved but the changes are not necessarily being communicated.
Anapedia is not the easiest resource as the screenshots are not the best quality—video tutorials would be incredibly helpful.
"Today" functionality—the model should know the current date like excel can.

Most Important Features

Versions
Integration with multiple ERPs.
Low maintenance

Return on Investment

As an implementation partner we have achieved Gold Partner level with Anaplan.
Our partnership with Anaplan also has exposed us to new customers.
We have improved our own ability to track internal projects with the tool.

Key Insights

Do you think Anaplan delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Anaplan's feature set?

Yes

Did Anaplan live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Anaplan go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Anaplan again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint, DocuSign

Likelihood to Recommend

Anaplan is the perfect solution for anyone who has an Excel spreadsheet or spreadsheets that are "working" but seem inefficient. What I mean by that is that Anaplan formulas can be learned by anyone who has done moderate to significant Excel work; but, where Anaplan thrives is that it's not creating a situation where you have to save v1, v2,FINAL.v1, versions of the same document. You can either create versions to compare them in the tool, or you just modify the formula and move on with your day. It's cloud base, so the numbers usually calculate instantaneously and it's easier for executives to look at.

Daily planning can be done in Anaplan, but since Anaplan is a cloud-based platform—meaning you'd have to purchase more space if the model gets too large—a real benefit in Anaplan is also in evaluating if you want to continue the status quo. Daily planning may not be the only way to get an accurate forecast, so I'd say that oftentimes the things that Anaplan might not be the best solution for is because companies are still following the way they've always done something.

Cloud Based Planning

Overall Satisfaction with Anaplan