The supply chain has undergone a profound transformation in recent decades, more connected, more complex, and more data-driven. Yet many organizations still plan as if we were in the 1990s. At Beyond Plans, we help companies cross this critical threshold by leveraging the Anaplan platform to build modern, collaborative, and action-oriented planning.
Why Legacy Tools No Longer Work
Despite the explosion of available data, many supply chain teams remain stuck with Excel or siloed systems. Designed for another era, these tools can’t keep up with today’s speed and cross-functional challenges.
The result?
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Plans scattered across spreadsheets, hard to share, harder to trust.
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Delayed decisions based on already outdated data.
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Collaboration slowed between supply chain, finance, sales, or HR.
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Growing frustration among planners who need both responsiveness and precision.
What Modern Planning Looks Like
From our experience at Beyond Plans, the most advanced supply chains share common traits:
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Accessibility: planning is not reserved for a few experts, but open to all relevant functions.
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Real-time updates: data is refreshed continuously, not once a month.
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Actionability: scenarios directly lead to concrete decisions.
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Realism: operational constraints are embedded from the start.
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Adaptability: the system is designed to absorb rapid change.
In other words, planning is no longer a one-off exercise but a living process, integrated into daily operations.
The Most Common Pitfalls
Even with a clear vision, many organizations fall into predictable traps when starting their transformation:
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Misaligned objectives: each team pursues its own priorities without a shared vision.
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Chaotic collaboration: unclear roles and responsibilities.
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KPI overload: too many indicators obscure decisions instead of clarifying them.
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Lack of strategy: processes are redesigned without an overarching direction.
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New tech, old habits: automating poor practices doesn’t make them better.
At Beyond Plans, we help our clients avoid these pitfalls by structuring the transformation journey from the outset, strategic framing, goal alignment, collaborative design, and change management.
Rethinking Both Planning and Platforms
Expectations on planners keep rising, even as resources often remain limited. The new generation of tools must therefore be fast, intelligent, intuitive, and collaborative.
Anaplan has invested more than $500 million in its platform, particularly to integrate AI. But experience shows that artificial intelligence only creates value if the fundamentals are in place: strong data governance, process integration, and user adoption.
This is where Beyond Plans makes the difference, with a dual expertise: deep technical mastery of Anaplan and real-world supply chain experience, allowing us to build pragmatic solutions tailored to each context.
FAQ
Why is Excel no longer suited for supply chain planning?
Because it doesn’t allow real-time updates or cross-functional collaboration, leading to slow, outdated decisions.
What are the benefits of a platform like Anaplan?
End-to-end visibility, the ability to simulate multiple scenarios quickly, and stronger alignment between supply chain, finance, sales, and HR.
How long does a successful transformation take?
It depends on organizational maturity, but with a well-structured approach, first results can appear within months.
What is Beyond Plans’ added value?
We combine technical expertise with business insight: we don’t just deploy Anaplan, we enable your teams to generate sustainable value from it.
