Retail Anaplan Connected Planning Implementation

A retail organization with 200 stores transformed their fragmented planning process into a connected planning environment, reducing planning cycle time by 65% and improving forecast accuracy by 30% through Anaplan implementation.

Problem

A retail organization with 200 stores and $800M revenue was struggling with disconnected planning. Strategic planning, financial planning, and operational planning happened in silos with different data and tools. The challenges included:

• Siloed planning: Strategy, finance, and operations used different tools
• Long planning cycles: Annual budget took 4 months
• Poor forecast accuracy: Forecasts were off by 25% on average
• No scenario modeling: Couldn't quickly model market changes
• Fragmented data: Multiple versions of truth across departments

Solution

Nurture Solutions implemented Anaplan connected planning with driver-based models, integrating strategic, financial, and operational planning into a single environment. The approach included:

• Connected data model: Single source of truth for all planning
• Driver-based planning: Operational metrics drive financial outcomes
• Scenario modeling: Multiple scenarios evaluated simultaneously
• Rolling forecasts: Continuous updates instead of annual cycles
• ERP integration: Actuals flow automatically into planning models

KPIs and Results

Key Takeaways

1. Connect strategy to execution: Strategic objectives must link to operational plans
2. Driver-based models work: Operational metrics drive financial outcomes
3. Continuous planning beats annual: Rolling forecasts stay connected to reality
4. Integrate data sources: Actuals should flow automatically into planning
5. Build internal capability: Train power users to maintain and extend models