What takes the most time when optimizing an existing Anaplan model?

Question

When you inherit or start optimizing a large Anaplan model, what usually takes the most time?

A. Understanding the existing model structure and dependencies
B. Finding and optimizing slow or complex formulas
C. Cleaning up unnecessary modules, line items, or lists
D. Documentation and understanding why certain design decisions were made

I’m curious what other Anaplanners find to be the biggest time sink.

For larger models, it seems like the challenge is often less about making a change and more about understanding the impact that change could have elsewhere in the model.

How does your team usually approach this?

Kartik · Answer

Absolutely. I think the stakeholder alignment point is especially important — removing something that looks redundant technically can create rework if the business still depends on it.

I also like the idea of separating “load-bearing” items from dead weight before making structural changes. That dependency mapping seems like it could make optimization much safer.

Thanks for adding these points, Jaya!

Jaya Jonnalagadda · Answer

All the above mentioned steps and a few more - I am currently working on the same @Kartik

I would like to add a few more -

* Loop in business owners early & stakeholder alignment.(confirm what is genuinely needed before removing anything - to prevent rework)
* Address structural issues (higher risk, so do it incrementally, density tuning on big modules)
* Map and estimate the dependencies and document ( which items are load-bearing vs. dead weight)