Getting the Most from IBM Planning Analytics

Implementing or scaling-up and getting the most out of your IBM Planning Analytics solution can be a daunting task. But with the help of an experienced consultancy, you can unlock the potential in your system to maximise impacts and explore powerful possibilities for success.

IBM Planning Analytics is a powerful business planning solution. Working with a leading consultancy that has the experience and expertise to help you get the most out of the software can drive genuine cost efficiencies and deliver powerful insights for the client. Continuous development can be broadly grouped into the following:

• Gain a good understanding the basics of IBM Planning Analytics
• Utilise the support resources available to you
• Staying up to date with updates and patches
• Customising your solution to fit your specific needs
• Continuously evaluating and improving your usage of the software

Understand the basics of IBM Planning Analytics

Before diving into the support services available for IBM Planning Analytics, it's important to have a basic understanding of what the software is and how it works.

IBM Planning Analytics is a powerful tool for financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and analysis. It allows users to create detailed financial models, perform what-if scenarios, and generate reports and visualisations.

These advanced capabilities mean that IBM Planning Analytics can help businesses make better decisions and improve their financial performance. And there are plenty of examples to illustrate this:

• A retail organisation was able to reduce its inventory levels, leading to the organisation saving £100,000 per year.
• A construction company improved its project management processes, and the company was able to make a substantial saving of £250,000 per year.
• A telecommunications company used the software to identify how to consolidate its IT infrastructure. As a result, the company saved £500,000 per year.

With savings like those (and many more examples of even more spectacular insights), IBM Planning Analytics is obviously a very powerful business tool. But to get the most out of it, you need the expertise and insights that can only come from experience and in-depth knowledge of the software. Nobody wants to pay for expensive software and only use it to solve minor issues!

Utilise the support resources available to you

When it comes to getting the most out of your investment in IBM Planning Analytics, utilising the support resources available to you is key.

IBM itself offers a variety of support options, including online resources, phone and email support, and even personalised support from a dedicated technical account manager. Take advantage of these resources to troubleshoot issues, learn new features, and optimise your use of the software.

With the right support, you can maximise the value of your investment in IBM Planning Analytics.

Taking this a stage further, IBM maintains a worldwide infrastructure of Accredited Business Partners. InfoCat have been an IBM Business Partner since Cognos TM1 was purchased by IBM (to become what we now know as IBM Planning Analytics) and incidentally, we supported TM1 well before it was purchased by Cognos!

Having this depth of knowledge is critical to your success and Working with an IBM Planning Analytics consulting service means that you have access to an entire pool of trained, knowledgeable professionals with vast expertise in the platform and other analytics solutions.

With this type of support structure, you can not only get the best advice and guidance on how to make the most out of your system, but also benefit from an experienced team of professionals who can guide you through every step.

Leading consultancies are proficient in all aspects of IBM Planning Analytics, including installation, configuration, and customisation. They can help you get IBM Planning Analytics up and running quickly and efficiently and offer ongoing support to help you troubleshoot problems, and quickly resolve issues. They will also provide training to help your users get the most out of the system.

Typically, an IBM Partner will not only have in-depth knowledge of the product,  but many specialise in a number of vertical markets and can easily walk you through the implementation process to avoid pitfalls and provide the best resolution to make your application hit the ground running.

Your business partner specialist will also have access to deeper IBM resources and the IBM product developers themselves (this can be a game-changer for those clients who really push the software) and will provide you with peace-of-mind knowing that the installation of IBM Planning Analytics is in good hands.

IBM partners are committed to your success, and they will work with you every step of the way to ensure that IBM Planning Analytics is installed and configured correctly.

Stay up to date with software updates and patches

One of the most important ways to get the most out of your investment in IBM Planning Analytics is to stay up to date with software updates and patches. These updates often include bug fixes, security enhancements, and new features that can improve the performance and functionality of the software.

By regularly checking for updates and installing them as soon as they become available, you can ensure that you are always using the latest and greatest version of IBM Planning Analytics. Additionally, staying up to date with updates and patches can help prevent issues and ensure that your software is running smoothly.

A good IBM Business Partner will proactively advise their clients of all performance enhancements to keep the installation running as intended from day one.

Customise your solution to fit your specific needs

IBM Planning Analytics is at its most powerful as a business tool when it is customised to fit the unique needs of your business. With in-depth knowledge of specific industries to draw-on, your IBM Business Partner will shorten your implementation or ongoing development programme and more easily identify areas where customisation may be necessary and guide you through the process of making those changes.

Whether it’s creating custom reports, modifying workflows, or integrating with other software systems, we can help you get the most out of your investment in IBM Planning Analytics. Don’t settle for a one-size-fits-all solution – let us help you tailor your software to meet your specific needs.

Other areas your Business Partner will support you with are:

• Increased efficiency: IBM partners can help clients improve their efficiency by streamlining processes and eliminating waste. This can free up resources that can be used to focus on other areas of the business.
• Reduced risk: Your IBM Partner can help reduce risk by identifying and mitigating potential problems, helping clients avoid costly mistakes and setbacks.

Conclusion

Continuously evaluate and improve your usage of IBM Planning Analytics.

To get the most out of your investment in IBM Planning Analytics, it’s important to continuously evaluate and improve your usage of the software.

This means regularly reviewing your processes and workflows to identify areas where improvements can be made. It also means staying up to date with the latest features and updates to the software, and taking advantage of any training or support resources that are available to you.

Not every company, however large, necessarily has the spare resources to do this and many choose to work with their Business Partner to either carry out the review process for them or provide additional resource to make the best of the reporting aspects of the software at the busiest times of each month and year.

By making a commitment to ongoing improvement, you can ensure that your business is always getting the most value from IBM Planning Analytics.