Escape the Excel Planning Trap Without the Anaplan Headache – Introducing Boardwalk Velocity

Anaplan has been the undisputed leader in enterprise planning for decades. Despite its limitations, Excel still accounts for planning at 54% of businesses for its ease of use, flexibility, and deep-rooted familiarity. However, as business processes scale, organizations often seek alternative planning capabilities only to encounter a new set of challenges that increase costs and disrupt operations.

Anaplan Announces a Planning Revolution—But at What Cost?

High Total Cost of Ownership: Beyond licensing fees, implementing Anaplan can take months or even years, requiring extensive customization, third-party consultants, and ongoing maintenance. The total cost of licensing alone can exceed $27 million, including training, support, and configuration costs.

Model Migration Challenges: Moving existing Excel-based planning models to Anaplan demands unwrapping intricate formulas, rewriting logic, and reconfiguring workflows.

Rigid System Architecture: Anaplan's structured approach forces businesses to conform to its framework rather than allowing flexibility to maintain existing Excel workflows.

No Data Level Auditability: Anaplan's data model cannot capture data level changes in timestamps, making it difficult to track what changed at the cell level.

Heavy Change Management Burden: Employees familiar with Excel face a steep learning curve, leading to adoption resistance and costly retraining.

Why Switch to Boardwalk Velocity Instead of Anaplan?

Boardwalk Velocity transforms Excel into an enterprise planning powerhouse at a fraction of the cost and time, all while maintaining the flexibility users love. Instead of replacing existing workflows, it allows users to continue working within familiar Excel environments without disruption. Organizations that use Velocity typically see: improved margins by 2-4%, improved planning process efficiency by 70-80%, and improved data accuracy and integrity up to 100%.