Business Challenges and Objectives

Our client uses Anaplan for budgeting and financial forecasting needs as well as their monthly actuals closing process. This Anaplan system was used by the teams across APAC and Africa region. The large region with various use cases posed multiple challenges including:

• Multiple Anaplan models used across countries due to differing business models requiring different reporting structures and diverse allocation rules
• Extra-long support coverage window to provide support during business hours across multiple time zones (from Australia to Africa)
• Support involved interaction with users from 11 BU regions, covering 50+ countries
• Actual Period Closing, Forecasting and Budgeting cycles running on stringent timelines
• Robust technical skills required to support models with complex business rules
• Multiple high priority enhancement requests received from BU’s during the period close weeks
• Managing numerous integration points for data movements and external scheduling tools to run the extracts required extensive knowledge of all the integration systems and tremendous effort to coordinate across multiple BUs.

The Solution

TekLink provided an End-to-End Support solution that streamlined their operational practice and freed up critical resources to focus on the core business, instead of exhausting their efforts in internal coordination. The project required resources with in-depth technical knowledge of Anaplan & BPC systems as well as functional knowledge of the Financial Planning and Allocation processes. With extensive domain expertise of our consultants, many of the skill-based concerns were easily resolved.

TekLink’s solution consisted of-

• Regular support of all Anaplan models ensuring on-time enhancement, performance tuning, and new developments as required.
• Support coverage window provided support during business hours across all time zones from Australia to Africa
• Periodic advisory and implementation support to optimize related systems that impacted the Anaplan processes.
• Deployed specialized and experienced consultants, and technical teams with full integration system know-how. A separate team was deployed to support inter-BU coordination.
• Automated actuals reporting processes and data load processes to consolidation system for external reporting
• Continuous training to the end-users for effective utilization and adoption of the solution
• Critical support was provided across the following cycles:
• Monthly pre-close week and close week
• Monthly pre-forecast and forecast close week

Key Benefits

• A streamlined and faster closing process with the on-time submission of details.
• Higher accuracy in planning and actuals reporting owing to limited manual/excel based work
• Enhanced productivity of BUs with smoother coordination and faster turnarounds due to cost-effective and efficient support coverage
• Less technical issues, saving time and effort of business users, allowing them to focus on their core tasks.
• Smoother transition and onboarding of resources with TekLink managing the entire process proficiently.