'Twas the Night Before Planning

'Twas the week before Christmas, and at the North Pole
The elves were a-stirring; they’d lost all control.
The workshop was messy with toys everywhere,
Unwrapped and unfinished and in disrepair.

The problem was Christmas had grown every year
‘Til planning was now their primary fear.
Twelve months to prepare was no longer enough
For the billions on Earth—they just couldn’t keep up.

The door to the shop flew wide with a clatter,
As Santa arrived and saw what was the matter.
He took in the mess with a glance ‘round the shop
Then sadly sat down on a chair with a plop.

“I’ve known this was coming for a good while now,”
He said, “But I’d hoped to delay it somehow.
My process is ancient; my systems are junk.
I need a solution that scales, or I’m sunk!”

At that moment far south in a town by the bay,
A planning alert caused the team to say, “Hey!
We’re needed right now! Deploy Anaplan quick!”
So they modeled and D.I.S.C.O.’d all night for St. Nick.

"Now, Data! Now, Modules! Line Items and Reference!
On, Filters! On, Dashboards! On, Graphs and Performance!
Make sure it’s optimized! This model can’t fall!
So test away! Test away! Test away all!"

Joined in the cloud, they modeled as one
Overcoming all obstacles, they got stuff done!
Once they’d ensured it was ready to go,
They emailed ol’ Santa and they let him know.

“Dear Sir,” it said, “We heard of your need
And prepped a response with remarkable speed!
Legacy tools just aren’t meant to expand
To meet global supply chain and workforce demands.”

“Connecting your plans, your data, and teams
Will streamline your workflow and fulfill all your dreams.
Use this model to fix things, as quick as a wink.
To get started now, just click this here link.”

His eyes—how they crinkled as he read the letter.
He wondered, “Could this tool really be so much better?”
His droll little mouth was tight-lipped with his doubt,
While he thought through his options and outlined his route.

Then he said, “Well, why not?” as he loaded the site,
“No more time to waste! I’m too near Christmas night!”
He loaded his workspace after logging right in.
When he saw what was there, he broke into a grin!

A solution so simple, so ready to help
That he laughed when he saw it in spite of himself.
A multi-dimensional cure for his woes
That will adjust and respond as his enterprise grows.

He followed instructions and took good advice
By making his Lists and checking them twice.
With Rolling Forecasts, Filters, Versions, and Roles,
Kris Kringle was back to meeting his goals!

On the night before Christmas, the elves met near the sleigh
To toast the success of the Anaplan Way.
As Santa, with full inventory, took flight:
“Connected Planning for all! And to all a good night!”