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Setup / Import Forecasting Analytics / Reporting
    PlanGuru 2011 FREE Trial for 30 days Sign up for a Free PlanGuru Webinar

    How this can work within your business:

    Financial Professionals

      The idea for PlanGuru was inspired by the age old practice of reengineering spreadsheet models that were designed for versatility instead of precision. With PlanGuru's import tools you can have a custom tailored model up and running in a matter of minutes for each client. If they are on QuickBooks it is too easy. If they are on any other accounting system don't worry; using Excel as a conduit will only add a few minutes to each project.

      This way you can immediately start solving real problems while contributing valuable insight instead of getting burnt out, toiling away in a spreadsheet.

      You can create an unlimited number of Companies in PlanGuru and within each Company you can create an unlimited number of analyses.

    Entrepreneur

      First you define your time parameters, create new or modify existing classes (the blue account groupings on your income statement and balance sheet) and right click to start adding accounts.

      Maybe instead of adding accounts you want to start with your non-financials tab and create some "base drivers" like units sold or hours of labor. This way, when you start adding income statement accounts you can create them as a "function of a non-financial item."

    Small / Mid Size Businesses

      PlanGuru has been helping small and medium sized businesses (product & services, manufacturers & retailers, plus many more) build financial management systems that they never dreamed of before PlanGuru. Regardless if this is your first budget/ plan or you are trying to reengineer an inadequate existing process, PlanGuru's set-up features will get you up and running in record time with an analysis that is more accurate and robust than anything you previously prepared.

      Once you have determined the optimal structure for your budget, importing from Excel or QuickBooks enables you to have a custom built model(or models, if you are going to have multiple analyses) up and running in minutes.

    Large Corporations

      Some large organizations with complex situations struggle to understand how they would implement PlanGuru as an enterprise budgeting tool. We tell them to: A) learn how the consolidation tool works and B) grab your team, a marker board and sketch out your hierarchy.

      Building prospective financial analysis is an art not a science. PlanGuru was designed with this concept in mind as its simplicity empowers finance employees to implement and maintain their own budgeting structure instead of being beholden to outside IT consultants. This enablement coupled with PlanGuru's flexibility will lead to a more effective financial management system as things change and evolve over time.

      Most large organizations use PlanGuru for a wide range of projects : long-term strategic plans, business development decisions (acquisitions, divestitures), budgeting/ pricing individual projects.

    Non-Profit

      Choosing "Not for Profit Entity" on the first set-up screen will generate a default class grouping tailored towards non-profits; this can be further customized in any way.

      Most non-profits are able to implement PlanGuru without incurring any external consulting costs. However, if time constraints or a lack of internal resources make this difficult, we can connect you with a PlanGuru Professional Advisor who has non-profit experience to get you up and running at a fraction of what nearly any non-PlanGuru advisor would charge you.

    Easy Setup

    During Set-up you will first define your time parameters; you can forecast for up to 10 years and in years 1, 2, & 3, this can be done on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

    Next change or add the Classes in order to create account groupings that fit each business.

    If you are starting from scratch on a hypothetical business situation, simply right click in the appropriate place in the sheet and start adding accounts.

    Define your time parametersAdd/Change ClassesInsert a Category and Add Accounts

    Import Options

    If you are working with an existing company and have historical data or a chart of accounts in QuickBooks or Excel you can have a customized model up and running in minutes.

    The Excel Import
    PlanGuru uses Excel as a conduit for importing a chart of accounts and historical data. Nearly any accounting system can export data in a format that PlanGuru can read. Then you simply drag and drop your accounts to assign them to the different Classes in the model.

    Assign your classes in the Excel ImportAssign your Accounts individually or within a group

    QuickBooks Import
    If you are using QuickBooks, importing your company info into PlanGuru is even more automated than our Excel import. Data can be imported from QuickBooks by "class" (not to be confused with a PlanGuru Class) into separate analyses; this helps for multi-departmental/ locational budgeting. PlanGuru can also assign accounts automatically to the different sections of the model when working with QuickBooks.

    PlanGuru can import your chart of accounts and historical data at the sub-account level that is most appropriate for the project you are working on.

    Import your Accounts from QuickbooksQuickbooks subaccount import options

    PlanGuru 2011 FREE Trial for 30 days Sign up for a Free PlanGuru Webinar

    How this can work within your business:

    Financial Professionals

      The forecasting methods you choose will vary greatly from client to client and PlanGuru will give you the flexibility to tackle any situation. Many PlanGuru Professional Advisors refine the entire analysis in-house after consultations with the client. In more complicated situations the PlanGuru Advisor will get the model set-up, enter some preliminary assumptions and then turn it over to the client for additional refinement. PlanGuru makes an outstanding collaborative tool.

    Entrepreneur

      If you are building a forecast for a hypothetical business situation it is essential to build supportable logic flows starting with understandable business dynamics. Existing companies can often take short cuts by using relationships in prior historical data to project the future. However, you do not have this luxury and will need to get your hands dirty down in the weeds.

      PlanGuru provides you with a framework that takes 100% of the model-building pain out of the process, while simultaneously helping you understand the forecasting process at a fundamental level. Spend an afternoon learning PlanGuru and you will be ready to confidently model your vision.

    Small / Mid Size Businesses

      Because forecasting all three financial statements is so difficult, many small and medium sized businesses simply do a "modified cash income statement" (net income – change in working cap – CAPX – financing activity = cash flow). In other words, they summarize the balance sheet changes into a few basic lines. Forecasting all 3 statements is a breeze in PlanGuru and will yield more accurate analysis that is more intuitive.

      The 20 different forecasting methods (most with vast sub-options) provide you with suggestions on how to forecast the different account types throughout the income statement and balance sheet. Our Non-Financial data tab (and the "Function of a Non-Financial Item" forecasting method) is for any situation where you need to "drive" your financial forecast using something like: units sold, billable hours, headcount and much more.

    Large Corporations

      "Drill-Down" capabilities are enabled using sub-totals, supporting schedules and our non-financial tab (can add multiple layers here). These can be used to create complex logic flows that capture the true business dynamics of any situation.

      When creating a multi-departmental consolidation analysis the balance sheet and/ or revenue section of an individual analysis can be eliminated.

    Non-Profit

      Non-Profits tend to rely heavily on year-over-year planning. The enhancements to the historical periods and the "Adjust Prior Period" method in PlanGuru 2011 were designed specifically for this requirement. Many non-profits have very unique requirements and find the "non-financial" tab to be an outstanding mechanism for solving these.

    Add/Change Category Tool

    The Add/Change Category Tool is used to refine the model by replacing the default assumptions with forecasting methods that accurately predict the dynamics of a business. Within this tool, you will designate the Subclass, the Forecasting Method and set your assumptions for each account.

    Add/Change Category Tool

    20 Types of Forecasting Methods

    Forecasting Methods have "Methods Options" that unlock tremendous modeling capability and flexibility. Throughout the income statement and balance sheet, different Subclass options are available; when you select a Subclass the applicable Forecasting Methods will then be available in your Add/Change Category Tool. For example, you can budget trade receivables based on average days to collect. PlanGuru also includes debt modeling tools that allow you to effortlessly model the full implications of any loan (or line of credit) by entering the terms.

    Accounts Receivable Method image Adjust Prior Period Method Pre-Paid Expense Method Trend based on Historical Data Method

    Drill down with Sub Schedules & Sub Totals

    Sub Schedules appear as one line item on your income statement. The values are calculated on a separate sheet, where you can add multiple variables within the Add/Change Category Tools. The bottom row of the Sub Schedule can be automatically summed or you can create any formula. The line items within a Sub Schedule can also reference a Non-Financial item.

    Sub Totaling allows you to take a group of accounts and create a subtotal directly on your income statement. The +/- sign next to the account allows you to expand and collapse the subtotal. Sub Schedules can even be added within a Sub Total.

    *Sub Totaling available in the Enhancement Package

    Function of a Non-Financial

    This method has an entire universe of forecasting possibilities in it's own right. Any metric can be created and forecasted on the Non-Financials Tab. A Non-Financial account can be used to forecast financial accounts or other non-financial items. You can also create formulas that reference any combination of other variables in the model.

    In other words it is easy for:
    • Manufacturers to drive a financial account based on units sold
    • Service companies to forecast based on billable hours or headcount
    • Banks to forecast interest income and expense by creating an "assets under management"
      non-financial metric
    • The list is endless

    Consolidations

    PlanGuru can be scaled to meet the complexities of nearly any business using our Consolidation Tool. This enables you to take an unlimited number of Analyses and create a new Consolidation Analysis which is a live roll-up. You can also consolidate Consolidation Analyses; this allows you to create hierarchies with an unlimited number of tiers.

    Consolidation Tool now has a currency conversion feature, which can handle multiple currencies.

    *Consolidation Tool available in the Enhancement Package

    Consolidation Tool image
    PlanGuru 2011 FREE Trial for 30 days Sign up for a Free PlanGuru Webinar

    How this can work within your business:

    Financial Professionals

      Once you are done building your forecast in PlanGuru all of your reports are already done; you just need to run them. In addition to multiple views of all financial statements, non-financials and supporting schedules, PlanGuru can run assumptions and comment reports. These will enable you to produce a self-contained set of documentation that explains itself.

      At the end of each month you can easily import actual results; PlanGuru will remember all of your import definitions from set-up. You can then run Budget vs. Actual reports on all of your financial statements and ratios, in addition to rolling forecasts.

    Entrepreneur

      Nothing is more frustrating than spending a great deal of time and energy building a presentation only to not have an answer for "where is ____?" Once you are done building your forecast in PlanGuru all of your reports are already done, you just need to run them.

      In addition to multiple views of all financial statements, non-financials and supporting schedules, PlanGuru can run assumptions and comment reports. These will enable you to produce a self-contained set of documentation that explains itself. Based on what most lenders and investors are used to seeing, you will likely leave your audience thoroughly impressed.

    Small / Mid Size Businesses

      At most small and medium sized businesses the person building the budget wears many hats. They understand the budget, but frequently don't have the time to produce the immense set of reports needed to fully explain the budget to others. The budget becomes a mystery to everyone outside the people who worked directly on it; this is no longer the case with PlanGuru.

      Once you are done building your forecast all of your reports are already done; you just need to run them. In addition to multiple views of all financial statements, non-financials and supporting schedules, PlanGuru can run assumptions and comment reports. These will enable you to produce a self-contained set of documentation that explains itself.

    Large Corporations

      While PlanGuru does have extensive Budget vs. Actual and rolling forecast reporting features, many large organizations simply use PlanGuru to "solve" the budget. They then load this budget into their accounting system, ERP or analytics package to do any ongoing reporting associated with a robust financial management system.

      In July we will release our Excel Add-in, which was specifically designed for larger organizations who need to see very particular views of the data on the fly. This tool will enable you to extract any customized data arrangement into an Excel sheet, create formulas & graphs, and then refresh the data any time a change is made within PlanGuru. We will be releasing "PlanGuru Analytics" in the 4th quarter; this will be a comprehensive online analytics suite.

    Non-Profit

      Most non-profit boards are blown away when they are presented with their first analysis prepared in PlanGuru. When you are done solving your assumptions all of your reports are done already; you just need to run them. This includes assumptions and comments reports, which when coupled with your financial statements can give your board members the entire story in a self-contained set of documents.

    Analytics & Reporting Options

    Once you have solved your budget numbers, PlanGuru's enhanced reporting features make putting together the presentation a breeze. Flexible financial statement reporting allows you to show:
    • Balance sheet and income statement
    • Statement of cash flows
    • Statement of retained earnings
    • Assumptions and comments reports
    • Wide array of Budget vs Actual reporting features

    • PlanGuru gives you the ability to export to:
        • Microsoft Excel (Now including Non-Financials & Sub Schedules)
        • Adobe PDF


    Ratios Tool

    The "Ratios" tool automatically calculates 20 predefined key financial ratios. You can change any of these ratios or add new ratios that you define. This tool has been significantly enhanced. Ratio reports can be run for historical data, the budget or on a budget vs. actual basis.

    Breakeven Tool

    The "Breakeven" tool has been significantly enhanced, giving you the flexibility to change the default fixed-variable expense assumptions.

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