5 essential truths to understanding Connected Planning for retailers

Connected Planning unites people, data, and plans to drive better business outcomes. The static business plans of the past can’t keep up with today’s fast-changing market conditions and external events. Traditional planning approaches and technologies often lack the collaboration, insights, and predictive, self-learning capabilities necessary for strategic decision-making.

By breaking down information silos, Connected Planning eliminates inefficiencies across financial, corporate, and operational planning. In an increasingly fast-paced economy, global retail organizations share a common goal: to be agile and responsive to market volatility and shifting consumer demands. Yet many still rely on isolated spreadsheets, hindering effective cross-enterprise collaboration. Below are five key truths illustrating how cloud-based Connected Planning transforms businesses by unifying data, people, and plans on a single platform.

Traditional planning tools limit business growth

Legacy planning tools and processes often block visibility and agility, making it hard for businesses to stay ahead of uncertainty. Umesh Biyani, Asian Accounts Director at VISEO APJ, and Neha Biyani, Anaplan Delivery Director at VISEO APJ, share insights on why Connected Planning defines the future of business planning.

Truth 1: Traditional plans are outdated

Plans built in legacy software or spreadsheets quickly become obsolete. Overly rigid and manual planning processes make revisions difficult. This rigidity, combined with disconnected systems, results in sluggish planning and backtracking. Successful organizations use Connected Planning to modify plans instantly, with forward-looking data showing the impact of adjustments across business units.

Truth 2: Connected Planning focuses on the future

Many teams spend most of their time gathering past data. Even after analyzing the data, they often still rely on historical performance as a predictor of the future. Connected Planning shifts the focus to analyzing risks and opportunities to ensure future performance, reducing the time spent on data consolidation.

Truth 3: Planning and decision-making must happen in real-time

Too much time is often wasted on consensus-building before acting on a plan. When data and plans are connected across the organization, decision-making accelerates. This minimizes the time spent agreeing on data and allows businesses to make decisions faster, without relying on outdated information.

Truth 4: Connected Planning will become the norm for everyone

Many planning cycles involve only a few people, while others remain disengaged. Widespread participation and feedback are essential for successful execution. A single platform that leverages shared data simplifies collaboration, leading to faster decision-making and real-time adjustments.

Truth 5: Connected Planning empowers bold leadership

Planning systems can trap people in outdated processes. However, the tools that helped a business succeed in the past might not lead to future success. Driving transformation requires three key roles:

1. An executive sponsor who advocates for the transformation.
2. A change agent who challenges the status quo and fosters collaboration.
3. A model builder who tracks the transformation’s progress from start to finish.