How does Anaplan improve data driven decisions and streamline reporting?

Chris Roe is a Solution Consultant at Bedford, helping customers to understand the value of Anaplan within their own organisation. Chris has 10 years’ experience in the Enterprise Performance Management space including implementing and overseeing the successful delivery of Financial Planning and Analysis solutions.

What types of reports and dashboards can we create within Anaplan?

Anaplan facilitates collaboration among team members through its native cloud platform, which allows users to work together on the same data in real-time across any device. Multiple users can access and edit their plans simultaneously, enabling seamless collaboration across departments and locations. Additionally, Anaplan offers features such as shared dashboards, commenting, user tagging that bring users directly into the conversation at the right point and notifications via Email and Slack to keep teams informed and engaged.

Can we customise reports to fit our specific needs and preferences?

Yes, Anaplan allows users to customise reports to fit their specific needs and preferences. Users can tailor report and dashboard layouts, formatting, filters, or visualisations to align with their unique business requirements. Additionally, Anaplan’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for users to design and modify reports without requiring technical expertise. Using the ‘Save personal copy’ feature enables end users to modify or customise dashboards and reports without impacting other users.

Are there any pre-built report templates available?

Anaplan offers a library of pre-built report templates as well as accelerators that cover a wide range of use cases and industries. These templates provide a starting point for users to quickly create reports without starting from scratch. Users can customise these templates to suit their specific needs or use them as-is to accelerate their reporting processes. By leveraging pre-built templates, users can accelerate the report creation process, reduce development time, and ensure consistency across reporting efforts.

How does Anaplan support real-time decision-making based on the latest data?

Anaplan supports real-time decision-making based on the latest data by providing access to up-to-date information and enabling dynamic analysis and forecasting. Users can connect Anaplan to various data sources, including ERP systems, CRM platforms, HRIS, and other business applications, to ensure that their reports and dashboards reflect the most current data available. Additionally, Anaplan’s in-memory calculation engine and real-time collaboration features enable users to analyse data, run simulations, and make informed decisions in real-time.

Can we export reports or share them with stakeholders outside of Anaplan?

Yes, Anaplan allows users to export reports in various formats, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint using the Microsoft 365 add-in, and PDF, for sharing with stakeholders outside of the platform. Additionally, Anaplan provides robust sharing and permissions controls, allowing users to securely share reports with specific individuals or groups while maintaining data privacy and security. Whether it’s delivering financial forecasts to executives, sharing sales performance metrics with regional teams, or collaborating with external partners, Anaplan’s robust export and sharing functionalities facilitate seamless communication and collaboration across the organisation and beyond.

What to read and do next

Read: Still stuck debating the numbers instead of the decision? Learn how connected planning turns trusted data into confident action in our blog “The planning blindspots most organisations never see.”

Get in touch: Bedford Consulting is Anaplan’s longest-standing EMEA Partner of the Year, with deep expertise in data integration, planning and reporting. To discuss any of the themes in this article, contact our team at info@bedfordconsulting.com.

By Chris Roe

Solution Consultant, Bedford Consulting

Chris Roe is a Solution Consultant at Bedford Consulting, specialising in EPM, with a strong focus on financial planning, and management reporting. With around ten years’ experience in the EPM space, Chris helps organisations understand how to use Anaplan to improve decision‑making through accurate, timely, and connected data.

Chris works closely with customers and prospects to design and deliver solutions, ensuring planning models are robust, scalable, and aligned to business needs. He is particularly experienced in helping organisations move beyond spreadsheet‑based processes and build reporting frameworks that provide clarity, consistency, and confidence at both operational and executive level.