How does Anaplan increase collaboration whilst managing user access?

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.

How does Anaplan facilitate collaboration among team members?

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 control access levels and permissions for different users or teams?

Yes, Anaplan provides robust access control capabilities that allow Model Builders to define access levels and permissions for different users, roles or teams. Model Builders can grant or restrict access by user or role to specific Anaplan hierarchies, modules, versions, lists, actions, or cells within models, ensuring that sensitive information is protected and only accessible to authorised users. Anaplan’s versatile access control features empower organisations to maintain data integrity and confidentiality. By entrusting Model Builders with control, Anaplan fosters a secure environment where information is shared selectively, preserving confidentiality while enabling collaboration essential for informed decision-making and strategic planning.

Is there a feature for commenting, discussing, or annotating data within Anaplan?

Anaplan includes several features for commenting, discussing, and annotating data within models. Users can add comments directly to cells, or entire sections of a model, including tagging other Anaplan users who receive a notification, facilitating communication and collaboration around specific data points. This feature enhances transparency and enables users to provide context, share insights, and ask questions within the platform.

Can we track changes made by different users and revert to previous versions if needed?

Anaplan offers comprehensive audit trail functionality that allows users to track changes made by different users and revert to previous versions if needed. The platform logs all changes made to models, including who made the changes, when they were made, and what specific actions were taken. Model Builders can review the audit trail to monitor activity, identify discrepancies, and restore previous versions of models, if necessary, without having to raise IT support tickets which prevents delay or downtime. End users can access cell level audit history for any date range using the ‘Show history’ feature, to identify who made the change to that cell, when they made the change and what the previous cell value was.

Are there any collaboration features specifically designed to streamline workflow and communication?

Yes, Anaplan includes collaboration features specifically designed to streamline workflow and communication. These features include workflow automation capabilities that enable users to automate their planning processes, streamline approval processes, and improve overall efficiency within their organisations. Workflow is designed to eliminate the need for manual intervention in executing effective planning processes. Automated task handover and notifications drive efficiency, delivering data and insights more quickly. Additionally, Anaplan offers integration with popular collaboration platform Slack, enabling users to receive Anaplan notifications and share Anaplan pages.

What to read and do next

You can also check out our other frequently asked questions for more information, including:

• How does Bedford’s Demand Application work, and what benefits can it deliver to your organisation?
• How can you leverage Anaplan for effective Scenario Planning and Analysis?
• How does Anaplan ensure forecast accuracy and optimise performance?

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.