Modelers Forum UK

My team are about to implement ALM on several of our most significant and complex models.  We're all happy with the process but are a concerned with the extra work it will take to implement quick fixes.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this extra work.   At the moment if an end user calls with an issue we can very quickly implement a fix. Small fixes (e.g. a typo) can be fixed there and then, giving the end user some great customer service.  Once we have ALM'd even a typo will require all model builders working in the affected model to down tools while a revision is rolled back, new tag created, typo corrected, new tag created, sync, roll back to previous revision, re-correct the typo etc.  A more significant urgent change could stop others from building for hours at a time.  It feels painful, costly and burdensome.  I'm sure the pros of implementation outweigh the cons.   What is your experience / your customers' experiences?  Are we right to think that we'll feel some pain?  Do you have any tips to minimise the impact?   ... View more

Thought you guys might be interested in this...   " Join the next Anaplan Live! Spotlight on April 28 at 11:00 a.m. (GMT+8) to hear from Metro North Hospital and Health Service, an Anaplan customer, about why it's critical to start with the business process when designing a new application. See a demo of their app and model and hear how their very intentional approach in designing an incredible user experience has helped them design a tool that drives outcomes for their stakeholders. Connect live with our speakers during the event to get all your questions answered. After the session, join one of our virtual tables hosted by Anaplan Groups to continue the discussion. Be one of the first to register for this APAC event!"   Register here: https://usergroups.anaplan.com/events/details/anaplan-anaplan-live-series-powered-by-the-anaplan-community-presents-anaplan-live-spotlight-from-business-process-to-ux-design/   ... View more

Hi all,   Thank you so much for joining yesterday - we had great discussions about the latest features and especially the end-user pivot and filter. How do you communicate to your users about this feature?   Here are a couple of ideas that I implemented myself in my previous role and at Anaplan   Idea 1: Communicate to your end users Create a monthly newsletter for your end-users or main stakeholders if you have lots of users (the content can also be posted on your intranet for extra visibility, including by all end users - because I am assuming you have an intranet section about Anaplan, right? This is another great idea, maybe for another day), which highlights: What has been delivered in Anaplan this month (what you've built: a new model, a new UX page, simplified a process, improved something...)   Tip of the month (a good way to teach your users about functionalities like end-user pivot in bit size) - short paragraph about a new (or existing) awesome functionality, with a link to the intranet (again!) where they can watch a short video of it in action (and access all previous tips!)   Recognition of the month - it's always nice to say thank you to people in your company who have helped you or has done the right thing with Anaplan (for example solving a data issue, reporting something, giving you feedback...). If you have an internal appraisal system (Lattice or other), you may want to put a link so that the recipients are encouraged to say thank you to your team too (it works both ways!) Coming soon: are you going to provide new documentation (in the intranet  😉 ), move to the NUX (finally!  😁 ), create a new model, improve a process next month or in the future? let your users know to get them excited, and they may even reach out to help you out or give their input Idea 2: Communicate to your power users This newsletter is targeted to model builders, administrators or more senior people involved in Anaplan depending on how your company is structured. These people are likely not on Anaplan Community, and even if they are, it may be good to avoid duplication of work by sending a summary. I used to compile: Releases: what's new and what's coming soon in Anaplan (highlight the key features from the Anaplan release blog, with a link to it) Disruption and maintenance: to let them know of anything on the Anaplan side Community & events: to invite people to join community events and user groups, but also user feedback sessions Recognition - again, but a different audience Admin tips & tricks: another way to educate people about Anaplan, but a bit more technical Model builder corner: specific for model builders   You can see I have re-used those ideas now at Anaplan in my Extensions Bulletin. Ooh, and one last thing: once you have an intranet section dedicated to Anaplan sorted, the good thing is you can then create an email signature that links to it!     Now, it's your turn. I challenge you to create: A newsletter for your end users or your power users A space dedicated to Anaplan on your intranet with useful content (get inspired from Community, Anapedia, the Extensions page - yes, I again applied the same idea  😉 ) A personalised signature Let's go!   ... View more

Here is the explanation of how to do the Copy Branch & Assign workaround  as demonstrated at the January User Group ... View more

Join the Anaplan Community’s next Anaplan Live! Spotlight on Thursday, February 25 at 10 a.m. CST (4pm UK time) to hear how the latest updates to Anaplan APIs can benefit model builders. Connect live with top Anaplan experts to learn about what has changed, including the new transactional APIs, and how you can use them to create more accurate plans with up-to-date data. Register for this FREE event here. ... View more