Do you have problems with the transparency of your planning process?
Is it fast and efficient enough?
Is everyone working with the same and correct numbers?
Do you need a more powerful solution than an Excel Pivot table?
Do you have a problem differentiating between roles and tasks?
Do you have problems with the transparency of your planning process?
Is it fast and efficient enough?
Do you need a more powerful solution than an Excel Pivot table?
If yes, then PlanR is your professional planning tool!
Latest updates
NRF, retailer’s big show starts today. The event will be virtual this time and happening now through January 22. The retail community will be together for days for an event full of networking and learning.
Learn why historical data segmentation is an important step in producing an accurate demand forecast in retail: read our White Paper.
In early 2020 Blue Sky Retail Solutions LLC and Heavy Tools have entered into an agreement to pilot Blue Sky's PlanR based merchandise financial planning cloud solution. For more details about the service and results, read the article below.
Overview
Features
- Information is stored and represented on the multidimensional framework, with the help of various levels of the hierarchy structure.
- Working with separated branch of data to achieve an effective and rapid workflow.
- Users can create multiple plans.
- Multi-role management and different set of screens are pre-configured for different user roles.
- Templates contain indicators and KPIs that support plan creation.
- Users can easily customize their workbooks, manage KPIs, dimensions and filters.
- PlanR editor allows clients to change the configuration, add KPIs, measures and define additional calculations.
Benefits
- Supporting retail strategy and lowering the overall cost of ownership.
- Enable creating high and low-level detailed financial plans rapidly.
- Easy-to-use financial planning templates.
- User-friendly interface helps with quick user adoption.
- All the essential functions are quickly accessible.
- Financial planning best practice collection.
Multidimensional framework
Information is stored and represented based on the multidimensional framework which enables to place the data in hierarchical arrangement.
The multidimensional framework allows a quick and efficient data loading and exporting and also „slicing and dicing” of data. Slicing means that data can be sliced into single dimensions for easier analysis and the data can view one page at a time (in the worksheet). Dicing means that Data can be „diced” into subsections of multiple dimensions; dicing the data provides the user with the means to work with manageable chunks of data at lower levels.
Multidimensional framework
Information is stored and represented based on the multidimensional framework which enables to place the data in hierarchical arrangement.
The multidimensional framework allows a quick and efficient data loading and exporting and also „slicing and dicing” of data. Slicing means that data can be sliced into single dimensions for easier analysis and the data can view one page at a time (in the worksheet). Dicing means that Data can be „diced” into subsections of multiple dimensions; dicing the data provides the user with the means to work with manageable chunks of data at lower levels.
Workbooks, views
A planner uses a workbook to build and maintain plans throughout the season. The workbook is a user-defined data subset (of a master database) that includes selected dimensions levels, this is useful because the user can have a better overview about data and the calculations in the workbook can be performed more quickly. These workbooks consist of views and graphical charts used for planning, viewing, and analyzing business measures. Workbooks organize related planning information and divide levels of user responsibility. This framework allows a user to easily view, create, modify, and store data sets that are common to repeated tasks. Views can be customized for each user (rotating, pivoting, format functions etc.)
Roles
Top Down: These users are usually planning directors or planning managers. They create the overall targets for the company down to group/department level and set top-down group level targets for the bottom-up role.
Bottom Up: These users are usually merchandise planners. They create retail plan plans for approval by the top down role.
Hierarchies and levels
The standard set of planning hierarchies is supplied with PlanR: Calendar, Location, and Product. Levels are qualities of an item that define the structure and roll up within the hierarchies. Hierarchies are typically loaded from another operational system.
The standard set of hierarchy levels can be for example: Year, Quarter, Month and Week in the Calendar hierarchy; Company, Division, Group, Department, Class and Sub-Class in the Product hierarhy; or Company, Chain, Channel, District and Store in the Location hierarchy.
Measure aggregation and spread
KPIs
Workbook templates contain indicators and KPI-s which support the creation of the new plan. Thely help to predict and manage the future, maximize sales and profits, maximize return on investment, increase profitability and also minimize markdowns and out of stocks.
Planning Process
Technical background
- SQL server, that handles the data
- Application service that provides the user interface
- Active directory that handles user roles and authentications.
Solutions
Retail Financial PlanR
Retail Performance OptimisR
About Us
PlanR is made by Blue Sky. We are a team of professionals with a passion for solving business challenges. We have experience in business consulting, implementation, integration, support, solution hosting, development and application management.
We build solutions that answer business needs effectively, are intuitive, solve challenges that require complex processes, automate workflow and secure quality.
We provide global business consulting, solution implementation, integration, development and support services, working with industry-leading businesses.
We use a proven approach to consulting and implementation based on our extensive experience with businesses world-wide.
For more information, visit our website.
Contact Us
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- Delaware, USA