Oracle Hyperion Planning Guidelines: “Planning” before a Planning Implementation

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-Written by Chris Harris

Oracle Hyperion Planning is a great tool for the forecasting and budgeting process.  The ability to both gather and report a wide array of budget and forecast data in a central system is invaluable to an organization of any size.  Include the Capital Expenditures (Capex) and Workforce modules and Planning can handle nearly any requirement of a company's planning process.  However, if a company fails to properly plan for the new system it will be very difficult to realize the benefits offered by Oracle Hyperion Planning.  The following are crucial items to keep in mind when implementing a new planning system.

Define business processes prior to implementing the system - It is important to have a clear understanding of what the underlying business processes are going to be prior to the start of an implementation.  This may seem obvious for existing processes, but it also applies to new processes that will be implemented with the system.  If these processes aren't clearly defined and understood by both the business and technical professionals prior to the implementation the details could easily derail the project.

Identify inefficiencies with the current system and plan to change as part of the implementation - Oracle Hyperion Planning definitely facilitates the budgeting and forecasting cycle, but building a planning system around flawed processes won't fully leverage the tool.  Even worse, incorporating these items into the system can delay implementation and take away from the areas where Oracle Hyperion Planning excels. Many times these inefficiencies appear to be must haves because they have been part of the cycle for years, but close examination will probably show that these processes are costly and at the same time add little or no value.  Because these processes are so deeply engrained they can be the hardest to challenge, but doing so will ultimately improve the Hyperion Planning system.  The Oracle Hyperion Planning implementation should be more than an implementation of software, but also a refining of processes.

Focus on Pain Points Steps should also be taken to flag pain points and ask why they are problematic.  Many times the answer is collection and organization of the process.  This is where the out of the box functionality of Planning comes to the rescue.  However, a lot of these issues are a result of offline calculations and data gathering.  Many times this will require customizations to the system in the form of custom business rules and data forms.  It is crucial to identify these items prior to implementing.  Most often this is done by including the right players in the design process and sessions.

Don't try to do more than planning with the Planning system - When designing a planning system it is crucial to know "the right tool for the right job".  Depending on the complexity and requirements, it may be necessary to keep processes like allocations and management reporting downstream from the Planning system.  It is very important for an Oracle Hyperion Planning system to be quick and nimble.  Many users will simultaneously be using the system and the more extraneous processes incorporated the slower the system will be.  Identifying processes and reporting that is not essential to the budgeting and forecasting cycle and moving these into other tools will ultimately benefit both those processes and the Planning system.

Executive management buy in is key - It is crucial to involve executive management in the initial stages of an Oracle Hyperion Planning implementation and to keep them updated throughout the project.  In addition to sponsoring the project financially, these individuals will ultimately be the audience for the output of the system.  Involving this group early and often will ensure the system meets their needs and delivers value added output.

Implementing a new budgeting and forecasting system is a big undertaking that requires the input, effort, and cooperation of many players across the organization.  Planning ahead and considering the items above will contribute to the success of the Planning system implementation.