Blog

Articles about the Anaplan Community and Connected Planning

Cal Poly Visits Anaplan Headquarters
The Anaplan University Connect program hosted a group of top undergraduate students from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) Orfalea College of Business at the Anaplan headquarters in San Francisco for an incredibly interactive exploration of Anaplan and Connected Planning, including career…
6 Reasons to Attend an Anaplan Event as a Master Anaplanner
One of the consistently top-rated perks of the Master Anaplanner status is the opportunity to network and connect with like-minded Anaplan experts. With Anaplan’s flagship event, Connected Planning Xperience (CPX), just around the corner, now is your chance to secure your spot among Anaplan’s elite model builders and…
5 Steps to Become a Successful Solution Architect
Learning something new can be intimidating and overwhelming, and learning the ins-and-outs of Anaplan is certainly no different. Lists? Line items? I thought this was just like Excel, so why are all the formulas different? Like most new endeavors, there’s a learning curve with Anaplan. Once you have taken the first small…
2019 CPX Hackathon: What You Need to Know
Welcome to the Hackathon! This one-day, pre-Connected Planning Xperience (CPX) hackathon provides participants with the opportunity to explore the platform, learn something new, receive guidance from Anaplan product experts, and network with like-minded colleagues—all while competing for prizes and bragging rights. Spend…
A Good Plan: Ownership Leads to Accountability
From the very moment an organization decides to implement Anaplan, it is imperative that it starts building the foundation for ownership of the solution from the beginning of requirements gathering to the end of user acceptance testing (UAT). When this is done successfully, clients feel confident in the solution and…
What Makes a Good Anaplanner?
Hello current and future Anaplanners! I’m Josh King and from my perspective as a current Anaplan exclusive partner and former Anaplan VP, I’d like to share the core values and skill sets that make for a great Anaplanner. I joined Anaplan in 2011, just after the product went commercial and was one of the first 10 employees.…
Community Roundtable: The Joys of Planning
The Community Roundtable is back with the sixth installment in the series, and this time we’re focusing on our partners. We've asked three of our partners to share what their favorite part of planning is and what about it gets them excited to go to work every day. Ready for some serious job envy? Keep reading to find out…
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Your Anaplan Model
Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" seems to be popping up everywhere these days with her book and Netflix show. I decided to take the principles of her KonMari Method and see how we can apply them to how we build Anaplan Models. The KonMari.com website explains the method: The KonMari Method™…
3 Planning Tips from the Rebel Alliance
May the 4th be with you! In recognition of Star Wars Day, we wanted to share some insights on planning that we picked up a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. In this special dual blog post, we’re analyzing the successes and failures of both the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire throughout “Star Wars: Episode IV…
3 Planning Tips From the Galactic Empire
In celebration of May the 4th (be with you!), we’re analyzing some planning-based highlights from arguably the most famous Star Wars film of them all, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.” In this special dual blog post, we’re analyzing what worked, what didn’t work, and what can be learned from the planning successes and…
60 Tips for Acing Your Anaplan Interview
Have you ever wondered what it takes to join the Anaplan ecosystem? Are you in the process of applying and want some insider information on what we look for when interviewing? If so, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve asked Anaplan employees to submit their top tips for interviewing within the Anaplan ecosystem. Ready…
The Truth About Sparsity: Part 2
In part one I defined sparsity, shared how combined hierarchy lists have been a common technique to avoid it, and dispelled some of its associated myths. I also discussed some issues you will encounter when using combined hierarchies. In part two I will discuss the modeling considerations for handling sparsity and the best…
7 Inspiring Books: Anaplan Community Reading List
Tomorrow is World Book Day—a day to celebrate the power of a good book and the impact it can have on our lives! A book that uplifts, excites, and changes us is also a book that we inevitably want to share with others. So, in recognition of this global event, we asked Anaplan leadership to share titles that have affected…
The Truth About Sparsity: Part 1
Throughout my five-plus years at Anaplan the conventional wisdom has been that we should eliminate sparsity in order to model efficiently. Throughout the last year, as part of the PLANS standards initiative, we have been critically re-evaluating all of the existing best practices and techniques and sparsity was included as…
Community Roundtable: Get to Know Your Customers Day
Happy National Get to Know Your Customers Day! In the spirit of today, we’d like to share what a few of our customers have been up to. The Community Roundtable is back with the fifth installment in the series, and this time we’re focusing on our customers. We've asked four customers to share with us what they’re currently…
User Groups Live! and CPX: The Benefits of Both
In the pursuit of “all planning for all people,” Anaplan offers a variety of incredible events to equip individuals and businesses to succeed in their Connected Planning journeys. From our annual flagship event—Connected Planning Xperience (CPX)—to local meetups and webinars, such as our recent (and future) User Groups…
Time to Tidy: No More Mess in Your Models
As winter is now behind us and the annual process of “spring cleaning” begins, I find that it is a good reminder to not only clean and organize my house, but also to clean another area that most likely needs some organization: my Anaplan models. The beauty of Anaplan’s platform is that it gives the model builder an…
Unlock Your Potential: Future Master Anaplanner Training at CPX
Are you ready to take your Anaplan skills to new heights? This year’s Connected Planning Experience (CPX) is the opportunity you’ve been looking for! Enjoy the comforts of a dedicated lounge, connect with some of the top Anaplan minds, and get the recognition you deserve when you become a Master Anaplanner. This year at…
Introducing the Connected Planning Playbook
Connected Planning isn’t easy. That’s why we can’t help but smile a bit when we hear our customers and prospects say, “Well, of course, Connected Planning at Anaplan is great. It’s what you do!” The reality is: our own Connected Planning journey was hard. And, if it was hard for Anaplan, it had to be hard for our…
User Groups Live! by the Numbers
Host Hannah Cho interviews Erin Graupmann, Thibaud Raucoules, Stephanie Baure, and Byron Mikowicz during the Ask Me Anything portion of User Groups Live! The Anaplan Community hosted User Groups Live! on March 21, a first-of-its-kind event (for Anaplan) that brought together Anaplanners from around the world in a virtual…
Ideas into Action: Looking Back at Popular Idea Exchange Submissions
Since the launch of the Community Idea Exchange last fall, we've been overwhelmed by the response from the Anaplan Community, who have so far sent hundreds of suggestions on how to enhance the Anaplan platform experience, Community, Academy, and so much more! As many of you know, the Idea Exchange is an open forum where…
The Importance and Power of an External Community
Community is the most important thing we can be part of. For as long as life has existed, people have sought and formed communities. Moreover, as humanity grows and becomes more and more connected, those Community structures and interactions start to span outside of our houses, towns, cities, and countries, in order to…
A Good Plan: Spend Time on User Stories
In this guest blog series, Anaplan partner Spaulding Ridge examines what they have found to be integral parts of a good plan: the level of detail, the process, the people involved, the timing, and pitfalls to avoid. Writing user stories is one of the most impactful and exciting phases of the early Anaplan implementation…
Game of Thrones: The Great Plan is Coming
The final season of "Game of Thrones" is quickly approaching, and it’s best we prepare our battle cries and learn the strategies of our rivals. Or at least use this time to discover the different types of planning involved when waging war for not only the Iron Throne but also against the White Walkers! Within the past…
International Women’s Day Roundtable: Career Advice From The Women of Anaplan
Photo Credit: Laura Rae PhotographyHappy International Women’s Day! Today marks 111 years of celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Over just the past 19 years, women in leadership roles have doubled. According to Pew Social Trends, “The share of women sitting on the boards of…
Why You Should Join the Anaplan Community (Infographic)
There are many reasons for joining an online community, from wanting to be exposed to different perspectives and connecting with peers, to sharing ideas and growing professionally. With so many online communities out there ranging from social media platforms, such as LinkedIn or Facebook, to industry-leading forums, it can…
Busting the Two BIG Myths of Cost Reduction
Most organizations, at some point, will need to find ways to significantly reduce spending. We are all familiar with general exhortations to spend less, as if managers willingly commit to frivolous spending and can easily "cut a little fat." Sure, there are always some small things that can be reduced, although in practice…
Strategic Planning: 6 Steps for Small Businesses
As a small business owner, you’re a member of a unique group of people that face a specific set of challenges when it comes to business planning. You’ve identified the right niche, hired a rock-star team, and are poised to conquer the business world! When the initial buzz wears off and you’re left to compete in an…
A Good Plan: Avoiding Scope Creep
In this guest blog series, Anaplan partner Spaulding Ridge will examine what they have found to be integral parts of a good plan: the level of detail, the process, the people involved, the timing, and pitfalls to avoid. Now that you have decided the level and type of detail in your planning process that works best for…
Strategic Planning Quiz
Now that you’ve brushed up on your strategic planning expertise, it's time put what you've learned to the test. We’ve created the ultimate strategic planning quiz featuring 10 questions pulled from the strategic planning articles featured on the Community Blog this month. Need a refresher on what was covered this month?…