Item: Planful
Rating: 8
Author: Niru Irukulla

Overall Satisfaction with Planful (formerly Host Analytics)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We migrated from a spreadsheet based budget process to Host Analytics. Data integrity, version control and having single source of truth were issues we encountered with spreadsheets and that is now something we do not have to worry about. I agree with some of the other users in that the interface may not be the best, especially for those of us who have used Hyperion products in the past but it does the job. You will not need IT involvement in maintaining the tool, implementation was fast and cost effective.

We now have budget, actuals and forecast data in one system rather than numerous spreadsheets. There is more time for analysis, as opposed to checking and re-checking data in excel files. The finance team can finally be partners to the business and provide data in a timely and consistent manner. Host Analytics customer support is excellent, and overall very attentive to customer feedback on features and product enhancements. In fact, they released some features in workforce planning that we had asked for.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Workforce Planning. The ability to plan payroll taxes, benefits and merit at the employee level. Important for SW company where headcount is major cost driver.
BI like tool for reporting; takes some getting used to but powerful once you get the hang of it.
Data load rules, allows ease of uploading data such as headcount or GL data. Set up the rule once and just reuse it.
Dynamic planning; offers excel like interface and more flexibility than structured planning

Cons

Takes a lot of clicks to complete tasks
If you use structured planning as well as dynamic planning it does feel like i am managing 2 systems. would be nice if it was one integrated platform
Templates with calculations, reference accounts and history data can be slow to open
Workforce reporting cube is not intuitive
Lots of focus on bells and whistles type of features such as AI, machine learning. worry that they may lose focus on core functionality.
Dynamic planning is very flexible, with that comes the woes of having an open canvas to design models. Can be tricky to trouble shoot issues.
Would love to have usage report concept in all parts of the application including dynamic planning

Return on Investment

More time for busines partnering
Less time checking spreadsheets
Data integrity
Consistent and timely analysis & reporting

Automation

The ability to have single source of truth for finance. Quick, user friendly reporting. Our business is growing and changing and we have been able to adapt our system with this change thus far.

Ease of Reporting

Reporting is fairly intuitive, haven't spent too much time on dashboards but basic ones are fairly easy.

Finance Self-Service

Very easy in my opinion, but also depends on how well your data and dimensions are structured.

Alternatives Considered

I wasn't involved in the evaluation process, current company already had Planful/Host before I joined and we re-implemented and enhanced functionality as that was more efficient time wise than moving to brand new tool.

Likelihood to Recommend

It's a good option for any company looking to get off Excel budgeting. Companies of any size or industry can benefit from Host Analytics.

Planful Feature Ratings

Planful Features and Attributes

Support Rating

The team is very responsive when cases are opened. Additionally, we have 1:1 support when rolling out more complex enhancements and that has been valuable.

Key Insights

Do you think Planful delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Planful's feature set?

Yes

Did Planful live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Planful go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Planful again?

Yes

Usability

Workforce planning and reporting functionality is excellent. Dynamic planning (aka Spotlight, modelling) is powerful too as well. However, learning curve can be a little steep initially.

Real-Time Data

It's provided one source of truth for the FP&A team, and user friendly platform to create and run reports.

Data Accuracy

For a large organization it's been invaluable tool to consolidate forecasts and budgets. Having the ability to create scenarios aids in what if analyses.

Exceptional Examples of Planful Support

Product team was very receptive to some features/functionality i had been wanting and actually deployed it. They definitely try to listen to the customer. And they have provided 1:1 support when needed for some system related projects we were rolling out.

Workforce planning
Reporting, P&L and adhoc style reports
Driver based planning

Innovative Uses

not sure

Future Planned Uses

Bring in more data from other systems such as Workday
Leverage dynamic planning more, external source models etc

Likelihood to Renew

We are able to accomplish what we need with Host Analytics right now so no plans to switch.

Evaluating Planful (formerly Host Analytics) and Competitors

Products Replaced

Not Sure

Key Differentiators

Price
Product Features
Product Usability
Existing Relationship with the Vendor
Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Analyst Reports

Functionality, being able to do what we want with the system

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I may include more detailed use cases and proofs of concept.

Planful (formerly Host Analytics) Support

Planful Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed Immediate help available Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	None