Effective Integrated Planning and Control

Planning and Control are arguably the two key elements to business success.

Managers of most organizations are continually planning for the future (short, mid and long term goals), and then measuring whether they achieved their goals, and if not, why not.

In the technology driven world of today, these functions are referred to as Corporate Performance Management (Planning) and Business Intelligence (Control).

Both of these functions have a high reliance on your businesses data and its accuracy, and are most successful when integrated.

Data across multiple systems

In most organisations today the data needed for successful Planning and Control exists in a variety of systems or sources. These can be made up of both internal and external sources/systems. Each of these systems may offer their own CPM or BI solution, but they can only utilise their own data.  This is where tools such as Excel have come to the rescue. Excel allows for ‘easy’ integration of data from different sources for reporting and analysis.  However, for all its benefits, Excel also presents its own challenges and risks, reducing confidence in your numbers.

A single version of the truth

Generally, you do not need all the data, from all systems, all the time. All you require is what matters for planning and control.  When the data is required from different systems it is important to ensure it is consistent and relatable (across time/geography/division/etc.). The most effective way to successfully Plan and Control is to create a ‘single version of the truth’. By this we mean integrating the data you need into a single source, and in a format that the business and end users can understand.  Often a datawarehouse is considered the only solution, but it isn’t anymore.

This is where all-in-one CPM and BI solutions such as BOARD can provide a reliable and cost effective solution. BOARD can integrate data from all your sources into one Planning and Control system. With this solution your business can spend less time collating data and generating reports and more time analysing, planning and performing.

For a discussion about how your business could benefit from an integrated CPM and BI solution contact us [email protected]

See more at www.bi5.com.au or www.board.com