SAP Analytics
Thought Leadership

3 Reasons to Be Skeptical of Best of Breed Cloud EPM Vendors Claims to Support xP&A

Posted by David Den Boer on Tue, Aug 16, 2022 @ 14:08 PM

EPM as a solution category has arguably been around for more than two decades. Before the turn of the century, a long line of solutions starting with Hyperion was developed to alleviate specific pain points caused by Excel-based financial planning and analysis (FP&A) processes. 

In the first significant redefinition of EPM technology requisites, Gartner has just coined xP&A for Extended Planning & Analysis. While Gartner did not necessarily define an advanced performance management process to go along with these new platform technology requirements…xP&A does make possible some highly valuable advancements that are, in our humble opinion, worth serious consideration. 

Two key themes underpin xP&A:

• Alignment of Operational and Financial planning and analysis
• Incorporation of AI features such as Predictive Analytics

Of course, astute users of EPM might observe that using EPM tools to cover operational planning and analysis is not new, nor is predictive analytics. What is new is aligning these capabilities as a unified platform and assigning it a label. 

Let's face it, Gartner is influential. Redefining this category has had a ripple effect almost immediately on the market. Vendors formerly identifying as EPM technology developers snapped in alignment to rebrand their product portfolio as supporting xP&A. Customers are sure to follow Gartner's classification and articulate requirements for new analytics solutions using the fresh xP&A framework. 

How do longstanding vendors support these newly defined requirements? Prospective customers seeking the benefits of xP&A are right to be skeptical. Let's discuss three key ways technology vendors offering cloud EPM solutions may be overplaying their capabilities when they claim their solutions support xP&A. 

Topics: EPM ROI, EPM, xp&a

Moving Towards xP&A: How to Re-imagine the EPM Process

Posted by David Den Boer on Fri, Jun 17, 2022 @ 10:06 AM

Most organizations think about defining and improving the business case for expected ROI from EPM models only at the time of technology purchase - if these concepts are considered at all. But this is a mistake. Instead, the best practice is to measure the ROI of the system frequently in as many meaningful dimensions as can be evaluated. For example, solution and cycle performance times, analytic value, accessibility/reach are all crucial dimensions where metrics should be defined and consistently monitored for optimization opportunities. Doing so will help to bring about a significant shift in Performance Management capabilities.

The current trend is to start from scratch and re-implement performance management (EPM or xP&A) solutions to address challenges with the status quo solution effectiveness. Unfortunately, this extreme step is very costly and not likely to produce high-value results.

Topics: EPM ROI, Performance, EPM, xp&a

3 Steps to Ensure Projects are Delivering EPM Value

Posted by Connie Folk on Mon, Jan 09, 2017 @ 11:01 AM

Successful projects, delivering real results, are a must in today’s competitive environment.  Setting projects up for success can occur by following a proven methodology.   Optimally, organizational processes, behaviors, and results are directly correlated to, and as a result of, the creation and cascade of an overall organizational vision.  From the vision, a strategy is born.  However, your strategy may never become a star if it remains relative obscure to the larger organization.   One of the key challenges many companies face is operationalizing, or making the strategy a reality.  Projects are the vehicle to move strategy from the boardroom to the back offices and ultimately a core plank in delivering your overall strategy.

Topics: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Project Management, EPM ROI, Executive, EPM

How to Calculate Return on Investment for SAP BPC Projects

Posted by Richard Hynes on Wed, Nov 25, 2015 @ 10:11 AM

We know that EPM (and specifically SAP BPC) implementations have the potential to be very profitable, more so than other IT projects like ERP implementations. But how do you prove that?

This blog takes a step by step approach to building a solid business case for a SAP BPC implementation. There are many intangible benefits to an EPM project which are difficult to put a value to, but we can set out all the costs and calculate a large part of the benefits. Even without adding in the intangible benefits, such as improved data quality, higher management efficiency and faster decision making, BPC projects can still be very profitable projects, so let’s go through the business case elements step by step.

Topics: Best Practices, Thought Leadership, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), EPM ROI, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

Remember the great 1996 classic flick, Jerry Maguire? Do you recall that moment early in the movie when Tom Cruise’s character writes his memo before he got whacked? His coworkers clapped and cheered. They did so because they believed in what he said. Then corporate reality set in and they had to get back to work… back to business as usual!  So did Bob “Business as Usual” Sugar win in the end?

Throughout the movie many characters call the memo a “Mission Statement”.  Well, folks, after 20 years I have had it!  I am writing my “memo” in this blog.  While I am not staying up late and photocopying my “memo” to be hand placed on my colleague’s seats, I hope this has a (somewhat) similar effect. 

Topics: Best Practices, Thought Leadership, EPM ROI, Performance, Implementation

This is a 100% true story.  The names have been altered to protect the innocent (and the guilty)!

Everyone likes a great story.  What makes a story great is a plot, a villain, and a hero.  What makes this particular story more interesting is that it is a business story. It also one that clients keep asking me to repeat to their teams, peers and even their executive staff.

Topics: Best Practices, Thought Leadership, Analytics, EPM ROI, Microsoft, Implementation

Business Intelligence: A Core Business Competency

Posted by David Den Boer on Thu, Mar 13, 2014 @ 15:03 PM

Economic challenges are all around today’s market. We hear about struggling companies that are suffering from poor performance. We know that companies don’t exactly come with manuals for the CEO to reference when things aren’t going well. In the past, conventional wisdom was to focus on the core money making operations of the enterprise. A car manufacturer that also dabbles in satellite technology, a TV manufacturer that also makes laptops, and newspaper that also owns real estate are examples of companies that, when times get difficult, have decided to dump ventures not aligned with the company’s core competencies. That’s what makes Gartner’s assessment ( Business Intelligence: A Core Business Competency) extremely important.

Topics: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Business Intelligence (BI), Analytics, EPM ROI, Value, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

EPM Value Is Exclusively The Client's Definition

Posted by David Den Boer on Mon, Jan 13, 2014 @ 10:01 AM

This is an old story we see all the time. A policeman happens upon a drunk frantically searching for something at the base of a streetlight. “Hello there, looking for something?” The drunk looks up, “Yesh Offisher, I lost my keysh in the park.” “In the park? Then why are you looking on this street corner?” says the confused cop. “The light is better here!” says the drunk.

This is the problem with how EPM projects are governed today, and no, I am not implying drunks are prevalent in EPM! Too often prospects make decisions based solely on price, thinking that value is equivalent across service providers, and net ROI is maximized by selecting the lowest cost implementation proposal. I encourage customers to stop and think about what they get with the low cost provider. A team that doesn’t have the ability to offer the appropriate breadth services that are specifically designed to add value while reducing risk, leave only the lowest common denominator of value in their wake.

Topics: Best Practices, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), EPM ROI, Value, Implementation, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)

Are You Mature Enough for EPM - Part I

Posted by Peter Bull on Wed, Oct 02, 2013 @ 09:10 AM

The ultimate goal in any competitive pursuit is to achieve peak performance—and in the enterprise performance management world, that means reaching "column five" in the EPM Maturity Model.

Topics: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Training, EPM ROI, Value

The Easy Way to Increase EPM ROI - Part 1

Posted by Jonathon Pause on Thu, Nov 08, 2012 @ 08:11 AM

Like it or not, we are a business society of metrics and when it comes to enterprise performance management (EPM), few are more important than return on investment (ROI). You have two ways to increase your EPM ROI: increase the gain from investment or reduce the cost of investment. We are steadfast believers that partnering with Column5 is the best way to optimize your gains, but today I want to discuss how you can control your costs, no matter the size of your company. The easiest way to reduce costs is to focus on reducing your cost per model (application BPC 7.5 and earlier).

Topics: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), EPM ROI, Rapid Deployment Systems, Performance, Value, Implementation, BPC (Business Planning & Consolidation)