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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…
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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?…
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Effective Collaboration: Planning a Foundation of Success
When it comes to achieving the best results, effective collaboration in an organization is not just nice to have; it’s a critical element for success. By definition, collaboration happens when people work together. Applied to organizational goals, and strategic planning strategies, effective collaboration can take this to…
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Goal-Based Strategic Planning 101
Imagine you are the CEO of a new organization producing an up-and-coming electronic entertainment device which is quickly becoming the most sought-after item in the market. You’re a small, independently-owned company that has sold enough units in your short, twelve-month existence to keep your business operating with a…
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Connected Planning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
The rules of planning are evolving daily. While we still steer businesses based on numbers, plans, budgets, and assumptions, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) developments, computing power, and data we are on the cusp of a major transformation in the way we operate our businesses. We are progressing from static, cycle…
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A Good Plan: How Much Detail Do I Need?
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. What does a good plan look like? The core of planning is anticipating the future to the greatest degree…
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Getting Better at Getting Ready: Scenario Planning for Competitive Advantage
What if you had, ready at hand, an instruction book that told you exactly what to do in the event of any kind of emergency? You would feel more prepared to handle whatever challenge comes at you, wouldn’t you? Maybe you’d feel more confident knowing you always had a "plan B." That’s what Scenario Planning is: an…
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How Do You Plan? 5 Strategies to Increase Meeting Productivity
It’s only week two in the new year and meetings are already taking over our calendars as planning session after planning session is scheduled. With so many meetings in a row, it can start to feel like an episode of The Office where you’re caught in a Michael Scott meeting with no escape (or end) in sight. Not the best way…
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Plan for Success in 2019: 5 Tips to Achieve Your Goals
The new year is the perfect time for reflection, evaluation, and planning for what you will accomplish in the next 365 days. Did you meet or exceed your sales goals, get in those steps every day, and remember to put down your phone more often? Did you take action to earn that promotion, join a volunteer organization, or…
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Community Roundtable: State of Connected Planning, Part 2
Last week we spoke to four Community members to get their thoughts on the recent Anaplan State of Connected Planning report which uncovered leading planning trends in finance, supply chain, sales, marketing, human resources, operations, IT, and workforce functions. Today we’re publishing the second part of this…
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Community Roundtable: State of Connected Planning, Part 1
We spoke to a number of Community members about the recent Anaplan State of Connected Planning report in which a survey of over 1,000 planning professionals across all business functions in 45 countries and 18 industries uncovered leading planning trends in finance, supply chain, sales, marketing, human resources,…
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Racing the Red Queen: 3 Planning Processes to Beat the Competition
Have you heard of the Red Queen effect? The idea draws its name from a vignette in Lewis Carroll’s book, Through the Looking Glass. In the vignette, Alice is chasing the Red Queen in circles that seem to be taking them nowhere. When the two stop running, they are in exactly the same place. Alice is bewildered as she…
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The State of Connected Planning Trends Review
Have you had a chance to review the State of Connected Planning report? Interested in finding out what four planning trends we uncovered and what they mean for your 2019 business strategy? Now is your chance to dive into the State of Connected Planning report with me, Anaplan’s Chief Planning Officer, as your guide. Click…
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Who and What is a Chief Planning Officer?
You may have noticed this past summer we created a new role within Anaplan called a Chief Planning Officer. In my Connected Planning blog series, I plan to share the value we believe organizations will receive by placing a Chief Planning Officer in a seat at their executive tables. Within this series, I want to focus on…
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Simon Tucker Says: Be Agile With Your Plans
The Harvard Business Review recently published the article “Planning Doesn’t Have to Be the Enemy of Agile.” Given its implications for businesses, we asked our Chief Planning Officer for his thoughts on this timely and relevant topic. Simon Tucker: This is a great article about how companies should organize into agile…
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How Much Do You Know About Anaplan?
It's trivia time! Here's your chance to see how much you know about Anaplan—or at least learn a bit more about Anaplan's history and culture. Tackle these 10 questions and see how well you do. If you get stumped, try searching for answers (hint: the Anaplan.com filter option may help you here!). And if you like testing…
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Ready, Set, Go? 5 Ways to Get Started with Planning Your Next Project (Infographic)
1) Brainstorm It's no surprise that a simple round of brainstorming makes the list as a great way to get started with planning. Either individually or with a team, take the classic approach of a "no idea too big" brainstorm where all ideas, wants, needs, goals, concerns, sidebars, and comments are documented for all to…
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Leading the Industry Means Leading the Change
I’m excited to share some news with our valued community of customers! Allow me to introduce Christophe Bodin, our new Chief Customer Officer. Christophe has spent the past 25+ years ensuring customer success in the software industry. We have embraced his expertise and knowledge here at Anaplan to lead the teams that…
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Embracing Connected Planning for Private Capital
The private capital industry has experienced huge growth over the past decade, with unprecedented investor capital flowing into private equity and debt, real estate, infrastructure, and other alternative investment strategies. Success has brought new challenges, such as how to keep up with the volume, variety, and velocity…
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Heating up for Hub 2018
The winter solstice last week brought the shortest day of the year to the northern hemisphere. Much of the U.S. is experiencing an epic cold snap, snow and ice are clogging roads in the UK, and a few weeks ago airports across Europe were canceling flights due to heavy snow. With all this cold and gloom, you may well be…