2012 Budgeting, Forecasting, and Planning Survey. Insight into Processes, Solutions, and Business and Finance Teams

Transcription

1 2012Budgeting, Forecasting,and PlanningSurvey InsightintoProcesses, Solutions,and BusinessandFinanceTeams

2 TableofContents IntroductiontoQuantrix s2012budgeting,forecasting,andplanningsurvey...3 ExecutiveSummary...4 SectionOne:AboutYourForecastingandPlanningProcess...5 Whatbestdescribesyourorganization'sbudgetingandplanningprocess:...5 Howfarintothefuturedoesyourstrategicplanextend?...5 Howapplicableislastyear'sforecasttoyourupcomingyear'sforecast?...6 Onaverage,howmanytimesdoyourecastyourbudget,asabusinessforecast, throughouttheyear?...6 Howmanyscenariosor"whatif"/ad hoctypeofforecastsareyourequiredtoprovide duringthecourseofayear?...7 Howquicklydoesyourteamneedtoturnaroundad hoc/"what if"scenarios?... 7 Whichofthefollowingfactorspromptsrequestsforalternativeoradditionalscenarios/adhocplans?...8 Atwhatpointdoyouexpectyourannualbudgettargetstobecomeobsolete?...8 SectionTwo:AbouttheElementsInvolvedinYourBudgets,Forecasts,andPlans...9 Howimportantarethefollowingmarketforcesandbusinessdriverstoyourforecast?...9 Howmuchofaninformationchallengedothesefactorspresenttoyourabilitytodevelop accurate,insightfulforecasts,plans,andbudgets...10 Howmuchofatechnicalchallengedothesefactorspresenttoyourabilitytodevelop accurate,insightfulforecasts,plans,andbudgets...10 Whichofthefollowingdoyouuseinyourfinancialplanningandanalysisprocess?...11 Doesyourcompanyhaveanyofthefollowingstrategicinitiativesfor2012?...11 SectionThree:AboutYourFinancialPlanningandAnalysisTeam...12 Whatmanageriallevelsinyourorganizationparticipateinthefinancialplanningand analysisprocess?...12 WhatITpersonnelinyourorganizationareinvolvedinthefinancialplanningandanalysis process?...13 Onaverage,howmanypeopleinyourorganization,includingITandbusiness,areinvolved inthefinancialplanningandanalysisprocess?...13 Onaverage,howmanywithinyourorganizationdoyousharefinancialplans?...14 Doyoushareallorpartofyourbusiness/financialplanswithorganizationsoutsideofyour company,suchassuppliersandpartners?...14 Onaverage,howmuchtimedoesyourteamspendeachmonthformatting business/financialplanssothattheycanbesharedbothinternallyandexternally?...15 Whatpercentofyourteam'stimeisspentonthefollowingactivities?...15 AboutourRespondents...16 Sizeoforganization...16 Marketswhereorganizationsells...16 Titleofrespondent...17 AboutQuantrixModeler BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page2

3 IntroductiontoQuantrix s2012budgeting,forecasting,and PlanningSurvey Asaleadingproviderofbusinessmodelingandanalyticssolutions,Quantrixiscommittedto helpingbusinessandfinanceprofessionalsdevelopaccurateandinsightfulforecasts,budgets, andplans.thecompanysurveyeditslistofcustomersandcontactsabouttheircompany s forecastingandplanningprocess,team,andtoolsetssothatitcouldgaininsightintoindustry challengesandtrends. ThesurveywasconductedduringFebruary2012,with158responses.Respondentswere offerednoguaranteedindividualincentive,butwereabletoenterforachancetowineithera Kindleelectronicreadingdevice,ora$150USdonationtothecharityoftheirchoice. Thefollowingpageshighlightresultsfromthesurvey.Respondentsvariedacrosscompanysize, geography,andindustry;readerscanfindfurtherinformationonrespondentdemographics startingonpage16. Chartsrepresentaveragesacrossalldemographicresponses.Wherethedatavaryfromthe averagesinsignificantways,moreinformationisincludedinthetext. Thissurveyusesthesetermstomeanthefollowing: Budget:Aone yearfinancialplanofdetailedrevenueandexpensesbyprofitandcost centers,consolidatedatthecorporatelevel. StrategicPlan:Amulti yearplanusedbyanorganizationtoalignitsorganizationand budgetstructurewithorganizationalpriorities,missions,andobjectives.alsousedfor strategicinitiativessuchasacquisitionsormarketexpansionandtoidentifysourcesand usesofcapital. ScenarioPlan:Anad hocplantoanalyzevariationtobudgetorplansand/ortoa specificbusinessevent/request. BusinessForecast:Periodic(e.g.quarterlyormonthly)revisionstobudgetsandplans basedonactualresultsandnewdata. Sales&OperationsForecast:Anestimateoffutureoperationaloutcomesthatuses historicalinternaloperationalandsalesdatainadditiontoexternalmarketand economicindicators;usuallyasub componenttobudgetsandplansbasedonactual resultsandnewdata. AllinformationonthesepagesisproprietarytoQuantrix,andcanbeusedwithpermissiononly. Shouldyouwishtousetextordatafromthereport,[email protected]. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page3

4 ExecutiveSummary Top levelinformationfromthequantrix2012budgetingandforecastingsurvey: Thebusinessoutlookisimproving,assurveyrespondentsreportthat preparingfor growth isthemostimportantdriverindevelopingtheirbudgets,forecasts,andplans. Thisholdstrueacrossallcompanysizesandmarketsectors,andwillrequirebusiness andfinanceprofessionalstoshiftgearsfromadownsizingmodeintooneofexpansion. Businessandfinanceprofessionalsspendatroublingamountoftimeonroutine, administrativetasks,ratherthanonin depthanalysis:almostthree quartersoftheir time 72% isspentadministeringtheoverallprocessandcollectingandvalidating data.theamountoftimetheyspendonvalue addedanalysisisdownto28%.this highlightsaneedforrobusttoolsthatstreamlineadministrativeprocessesandfocus professionals attentionondevelopingplansthatdelivertheinsightfulinformation companieswillneedtomeetthisnewperiodofgrowth. Spreadsheetscontinuetobedominant,butbusinessandfinanceprofessionalsarenot happyaboutit:closeto90%ofallcompaniesusespreadsheetsintheirfinancial planningandanalysisprocess,butmorethan50%reportthattheyplantoreducetheir relianceuponspreadsheetsforfinanceactivities. Businessandfinanceprofessionalscontinuetospendasignificantamountoftime recastingbudgetsandrespondingtoad hocqueries.mostcompanies 58% rework budgetsquarterly,andhalfofallrespondentsprovidefourormoread hocscenariosper year.responsetimecontinuestoaccelerate,particularlyforsmallcompanies:13%of thosewithlessthan50employeesmustprovidead hocscenarioswithin24hours. Themostimportantdriverforthecreationofscenarioscontinuestobe variancefrom forecast.sinceprofessionalsarespendingclosetothree quartersoftheirtimeon routinetasksratherthanvalue addactivities,whatisbeingsacrificedisqualityand timelinessofanalysis.companiesneedtoinvestmoretimeevaluatingthebusiness factorsdrivingscenarios/adhocplansratherthanonthecurrentplanbeingwrong. Thefinancialplanningandanalysisprocessinvolvesacomplexarrayofpeopleandtools,and toomuchtimeandeffortiswastedinnon essentialtasks.thesepressurescanonlybe overcomewithrobusttoolsetsthatenableprofessionalstogather,analyze,model,andshare dataefficientlyandeffectively. Overtime,businessandfinanceprofessionalsfindthatit shardtomodifyandadapt spreadsheetsforchangingbusinessconditions,andthatit stootimeconsumingtousethemfor anythingmorethansimplisticscenarioplanning, saysrobertkugel,svp&researchdirector BusinessResearchatVentanaResearch. Butthereareanewgenerationofspreadsheet alternativessuchasquantrixthataredesignedtobeusedbybusinessandfinance professionals,notjustitdepartments,whichcanimprovetheirplanning,forecasting,and budgeting. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page4

5 SectionOne:AboutYourForecastingandPlanningProcess Whatbestdescribesyourorganization'sbudgetingandplanningprocess: 7% 14% Ourcompanyhasjustabudget 28% Ourcompanyhasbothabudget andastrategic(mulk year)plan Themajorityofrespondentstothesurveydevelopbothastrategicplanandabudgeteachyear. Thelargerthecompany,themorerelianceonthistactic:26%ofcompanieswithlessthan50 employeesuseabudgetonly,while44%createabudgetandastrategicplan.butverylarge companies thosewithmorethan5,000employees reportthat77%usebothabudgetanda strategicplan.companiesthatselltoconsumersaremorelikelytooperatewithjustabudget: 23%ofB to Ccompaniesreportingthischoice.Yet,companiesthatselltootherbusinesses(Bto B)aresplitbetweentwooptions,with38%reportingtheyincorporatetheirbudgetwithin theirstrategicplan,and38%reportingtheydevelopbothbudgetsandstrategicplans. Howfarintothefuturedoesyourstrategicplanextend? 51% Ourcompanyhasastrategic planthatincorporatesabudget forthenextfiscalyear Ourcompanyhasastragekc planbuthaseliminated,or neverusesabudget 39% 22% 10% Oneyear Twoyears 29% Threeyears Fourormoreyears Acrossallmarkets,29%ofcompanies strategicplansencompassthreeyearsand39% encompassfourormoreyears.however,46%ofverylargecompanies thosewithmorethan 5,000employees reportthattheirplansextendforfourormoreyears. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page5

6 Howapplicableislastyear'sforecasttoyourupcomingyear'sforecast? 1=notapplicable;2=somewhatapplicable;3=extremelyapplicable Averageanswer:2.2 Theaverageansweracrossallmarketsandcompanysizeswas2.2,butevenindividualsegments displayedlittlevariationfromthatpoint.inaddition,thisnumberremainedconstantfromthe 2011versionofthissurvey.Nomatterthesizeofacompanyormarkettowhichitsells, businessescannotrelyuponlastyear sforecasttooffermeaningfulinsightintothefuture, particularlyinavolatileeconomy. Onaverage,howmanytimesdoyourecastyourbudget,asabusinessforecast, throughouttheyear? 13% 9% 19% Monthly Quarterly Annually 58% Never Thevastmajorityofrespondents 58% recasttheirbudgetsquarterly,butlargercompanies reportthattheygothroughthisexercisemorefrequentlythantheaverage.ofcompanieswith morethan1,000employees,33%reportthattheyrecasttheirbudgetmonthly;ofthosewith morethan5,000employees,30%reportthattheyrecastmonthly,comparedwithonly19%of companiesoverall.b to Bcompaniesaremostlikelytorecastquarterly(63%)ormonthly(25%), whileb to Ccompaniesrecastlessfrequently:17%reportthattheyrecastannualy. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page6

7 Howmanyscenariosor"whatif"/ad hoctypeofforecastsareyourequiredto provideduringthecourseofayear? 20% 12% 6% 12+scenariosperyear 7 11scenariosperyear 29% 32% 4 6scenariosperyear 1 3scenariosperyear Acrossallcompanytypesandsizes,themajorityofrespondentsreportthattheyprovidead hoc scenariosduringtheyear:32%reportthattheyprovidebetweenfourandsixperyear,and another29%reportthattheyprovideonetothreeperyear.b to Bcompaniesandcompanies with5,000ormoreemployeesprovidethemostad hocscenarios,with15%oftheformerand 16%ofthelatterprovidingmorethan12scenariosperyear. Howquicklydoesyourteamneedtoturnaroundrequestsforad hocor"whatif"scenarios? 5% 18% 17% Within24hours Withinoneweek 16% 44% Withintwoweeks Onemonthormore Wedonotprovidead hocscenarios While18%ofrespondentsoveralldonotprovidead hocscenarios,thecompaniesthatdomust turnthemaroundquickly:17%provideresultswithin24hours,andanadditional44%provide themwithinoneweek.b to Bcompaniesareunderthemostpressure,with25%reportingthey mustturnscenariosaroundwithin24hours,buteven13%ofsmallcompanies(lessthan50 employees)needtoprovideresultswithinoneday.for62%oflargecompanies(morethan 5,000employees)scenariosmustbedeliveredwithinoneweek.AkeybenefitofQuantrixisthe abilitytocreate whatif scenarios onthefly ;therebyimprovingthetimelinessofanalysis. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page7

8 Whichofthefollowingfactorspromptsrequestsforalternativeoradditional scenarios/ad hocplans? Changingcurrencyrates Changingcommodityprices Newproduct Newmarket Newcompektororcompekkvebehavior Variancefromforecast Percentofrespondents Acrossbusinessesofallsizesandmarketsegments,variancefromforecastwasthemostlikely reasonacompanywouldrequestanadditionalscenarioorplan,with63%ofrespondents selectingthischoice.thisisevenmoretrueforthelargestcompanies,as75%ofthosewith morethan5,000employeesindicatethatvariancespromptadditionalscenarios.companies withbetween1,000and4,999employeesaremoreimpactedbychangingcommodityprices, with67%sayingthiswasadriverforadditionalscenarios. Atwhatpointdoyouexpectyourannualbudgettargetstobecomeobsolete? 10% 25% 13% 24% Beforetheyearbeginstheyarealready obsolete Onetothreemonthswithinthefiscalyear Fourtosixmonthswithinthefiscalyear 5% 22% Seventoninemonthswithinthefiscalyear 10to12monthswithinthefiscalyear Never,theyarealwaysuseful Threequartersofsurveyrespondentsreportthattheirannualbudgettargetsbecomeobsolete atsomepointwithintheyear,withmorethanhalfreachingthatpointwithinthefirstsix months.smallercompaniesfacethemostchallengesinthisarea:18%ofcompanieswithless than50employeesreportthattheirbudgetsareobsoletebeforetheyearbegins. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page8

9 SectionTwo:AbouttheElementsInvolvedinYourBudgets, Forecasts,andPlans Howimportantarethefollowingmarketforcesandbusinessdriverstoyour forecast? (Currentvs.NextYear;Scale:1=NotImportant,2=SomewhatImportant,3=VeryImportant) CommodityPricing CompekkveAckons CurrencyFluctuakon MulknakonalPolikcalEvents CapitalPurchases ChannelExpansion Nextyear Current CostCuqng Outsourcing PreparingforGrowth Downsizing Companieswearyofthechallengingeconomywillfindsomecomfortinthefactthat,acrossall surveyparticipants,themostimportantbusinessdriverforthisyearandnextispreparingfor growth.thisistrueofallmarketsegmentsandcompanysizes,withtheexceptionofcompanies withmorebetween1,000and5,000employees,whichlistchannelexpansionasthetopdriver (2.7ranking)followedcloselybypreparingforgrowth(2.6).Theleastimportantdriveris downsizing.nextyearlooksequallyaspromising,withallrespondentspegginggrowthasan evenmoreimportantdriver.however,acloserunnerupiscostcutting,withcompanieslarger than1,000employeeslistingitasthesecond mostimportantbusinessdrivertopreparefornext year. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page9

10 HowmuchofanINFORMATIONchallengedothesefactorspresenttoyour abilitytodevelopaccurate,insightfulforecasts,plans,andbudgets. (Scaleof1 5,Where1=LeastChallenging) Geqngdatainakmelyfashion Geqngcomprehensivedata Geqngreliabledata Geqngaccesstotherightpeopleforinformakon Businessandfinanceprofessionalscontinuetostrugglewithallaspectsofgettingdata,ranking everycategoryasevenmorechallengingthanin2011 ssurvey.verylargecompanies(5,000or moreemployees)saythatgettingcomprehensivedataisthemostdifficult(3.0onthescale). Thosewithlessthan5,000employees,includingsmallcompanieswithlessthan50emploees, saythatgettingreliabledataistheirbiggestinformationchallenge. HowmuchofaTECHNICALchallengedothesefactorspresenttoyourabilityto developaccurate,insightfulforecasts,plans,andbudgets. (Scaleof1 5,Where1=LeastChallenging) Replicakonoferrorsinlegacydatabases/planningtools Decipheringplanningmodel'sformulasand/ordata sources Abilitytoviewdatainmulkpledimensions(e.g.,by region,productgroup,division,country,etc.) Customprogrammingrequiredtoaccessinternaldata Overcominginternaldatasilos/needto"rollup"mulkple andinconsistentsourcesofdatathroughoutthe organizakon Thetechnicalaspectsofusingthedataposeevengreaterchallengesforcompaniesthangetting accesstodata. Rollingup dataisthemostchallengingaspectforallcompanies,but particularlysoforcompanieswithmorethan5,000employees:thesecompaniesrankitas3.6 onthescale,comparedwitharankof3.2acrosstheboard.whileallcompaniesstrugglewith decipheringtheformulasanddatasourcesoftheirmodels,b to Ccompaniesrankitastheir biggestchallenge,at3.5onthe5 pointscale. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page10

11 Whichofthefollowingdoyouuseinyourfinancialplanningandanalysis process? Businessintelligencetools Standalonebudgekngandplanningtool ERPbudgekngmodel Mulkdimensionalbusinessmodelingtools(e.g. Quantrix) Spreadsheets(e.g.Excel) Percentofrespondents Spreadsheetscontinuetobethemostwidelyusedtoolforfinancialplanningandanalysisacross allcompanysizesandsectors.thelargerthecompany,themoretheyareused:92%of companieswithmorethan5,000employeesreportusingspreadsheetsforfp&a;79%of companieswithlessthan50employeesusespreadsheets,and36%relyonmultidimensional businessmodelingtoolssuchasquantrix. Doesyourcompanyhaveanyofthefollowingstrategicinitiativesfor2012? ReduceIToverheads AdoptSaaSapplicaikonswherepossible Reducerelianceonspreadsheetsforfinance ackvikes MoveinternalapplicakonstotheCloud Percentofrespondents Spreadsheetsmaybedominant,butsurveyrespondentsarenothappyaboutit:they overwhelminglyreportthattheyplantoreducetheirrelianceuponthemforfinanceactivities. Companieswithbetween1,000and4,999employeeshavethemostaggressiveplans:61%want toreducerelianceonspreadsheets.forverylargecompanies(morethan5,000employees),the highestrankingitemwastoreduceitoverheads(75%). 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page11

12 SectionThree:AboutYourFinancialPlanningandAnalysisTeam Whatmanageriallevelsinyourorganizationparticipateinthefinancial planningandanalysisprocess? CEO CFO Controller DepartmentalManagers GeneralManagers RegionalManagers ProductManagers ChannelManagers Sales&Markekng FinancialPlanners Percentofrespondents ThefinancialplanningandanalysisprocessextendsfarbeyondtheFP&Ateam,assurvey respondentsreportabroadrangeofmanagerialinput.whileit sexpectedtofindheavy involvementfromc levelexecutivesandfinancialexecutives,companieslookforinputfrom departmental,regional,channel,andproductmanagers. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page12

13 WhatITpersonnelinyourorganizationareinvolvedinthefinancialplanning andanalysisprocess? Percentofrespondents ITremainsinvolvedinthefinancialplanningprocessinnumerouswaysformostcompanies, with31%ofcompaniesreportingthatitchoosesanddeploystools,and24%statingthatit programstheinterfacesrequiredtoextractdatafromdatawarehouses.itismoreinvolvedin 2012thanitwasinlastyear ssurvey:thisyear,39%ofrespondentssaidthatitisnotinvolved,a 10 pointdropfromlastyear sresultof49%. Onaverage,howmanypeopleinyourorganization,includingITandbusiness, areinvolvedinthefinancialplanningandanalysisprocess? CIOandupper levelittochooseanddeploy toolsets ITmanagementtodetermineandimplement securityprotocols ITmanagementandstafftoestablishprocessfor dataaccess ITstafftoprograminterfacesusedtoextractdata fromdatawarehouses ITisnotinvolvedinmycompany'splanning process % 5% 6% 11% 21% 56% 1to10 11to25 26to50 51to75 76to100 morethan100 CompaniescontinuetorequirealotofinputduringtheFP&Aprocess,andthelargerthe company,themorepeopleinvolved.forcompanieswithlessthan50employees,92%report thatbetween1and10peopleareinvolved.forcompanieswithmorethan5,000employees 31%relyonmorethan100peopleintheprocess. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page13

14 Onaverage,withhowmanypeoplewithinyourorganizationdoyou sharefinancialplans?(e.g.,ceo,boardofdirectors,countrymanagers,salesmanagers,etc.) 2% 4% 5% 21% 68% 1to25 26to50 50to to200 morethan200 Companiesofallsizesmustsharefinancialplansthroughouttheorganization:bigger companies,inparticular,mustchoosebudgeting/forecasting/planningtoolsinorderto accommodatethelargenumberswithwhomtheymustshare.closetoonequarterof companieswithmorethan5,000employeesshareplanswithmorethan200people.for companieswithbetween1,000and4,999employees,42%shareplanswith26 50people. Doyoushareallorpartofyourbusiness/financialplanswithorganizations outsideofyourcompany,suchassuppliersandpartners? 5% 16% Yes,wesharefinancialplans externally 79% No,wedonotsharefinancial plansexternally Wehavenotsharedplansinthe past,butplanondoingsointhe future Whilecompaniescontinuetoshareplansinternally,fewersharethemoutsideofthefirm.While 23%reportedsharingplansexternallylastyear,thisyearonly16%reportdoingso.Companies withbetween1,000and4,999employeeswerethemostlikelytoshareplans,with25% reportingthattheyshareexternally. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page14

15 Onaverage,howmuchtimedoesyourteamspendeachmonthformatting business/financialplanssothattheycanbesharedbothinternallyand externally? Formattingplansforsharingisatime consumingtaskforcompaniesofallsizes,butlargerones reportspendingmoretimeonthisprocessthanthosethataresmaller.forcompanieswith morethan5,000employees,38%reportspendingbetween6and10hourspermonthonthis task,and30%reportspendingmorethan20hours.forcompanieswithbetween1,000and 4,999employees,17%spendmorethan20hours. Whatpercentofyourteam'stimeisspentonthefollowingactivities? 16% 13% 34% 37% Lessthan5hourspermonth Between6and10hoursper month Between11and20hoursper month Morethan20hoursper month 28% 39% Colleckngandvalidakngdata 33% Administeringprocess Conduckngvalue added analysis Oneofthemostconcerningpiecesofdatafromlastyear ssurveywashowlittletimebusiness andfinanceprofessionalswereabletodevotetowardthevalue addedanalysisofinformation 31%.Thisyear ssurveyshowsnoimprovement,with28%spentontheanalysisthatdrives insightfulbusinessdecisions.companiesclearlyneedrobusttoolstostreamlinedatacollection andvalidationaswellastheoverallfinancialplanningprocess. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page15

16 AboutourRespondents Totalnumberofresponses:158 Whatisthesizeofyourorganization? 12% 26% 13% 11% 39% Lessthan50employees 50to100employees 101to1,000employees 1,001to5,000employees Morethan5,000employees Pleaseselectoneanswerthatbestdescribesthemarketstowhichyousell. 36% 41% Businesstobusiness Businesstoconsumer 23% Bothbusinesstobusinessand businesstoconsumer 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page16

17 Pleasechooseoneitemfromthefollowinglistthatmostclosely matchesyourtitle: CEO CFO FP&A Controller CIO/ITManagement DepartmentalManager OtherBusinessManagement Sales&Markekng Percentofrespondents 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page17

18 AboutQuantrixModeler QuantrixModeler smultidimensionalbusinessmodelingandanalytics(bma)softwareenables financialprofessionalstobreakawayfromtherestrictionsofspreadsheettechnologyand enterprisebusinessintelligenceapplicationstoquicklydevelopfinancialmodelsofthehighest integrity,flexibility,andtransparency.quantrixmodelerisadesktopbusinessmodelingand analytics(bma)softwaresolutionthatenablesfinancialandbusinessplannerstounderstand theimpactofdecisionsthroughmulti dimensionalmodeling,visualizations,and whatif scenarios. Quantrixhasreleasedversion4ofQuantrixModeler.Keynewfeaturesincludeimprovements toscripting,theabilitytoaddhyperlinksandimagesintocells,andaglobalproblemspanelto quicklyandeasilyidentifyissueswithinamodel. Businessandfinanceprofessionalsneedtospendmoretimeonvalue addedactivities,andless timemanagingmodels, saysmichaelsalisbury,productmanager,quantrix. Newfeaturesin thisversionofquantrixmodelersupportourcustomers needsforarobustmodelingplatform thatenablesthemtomakequick,accuratedecisionsbasedonprecisionmodelswiththelatest data. FeaturesofQuantrixModeler4include: ScriptManager:Thisfeatureenablesuserstocreatelibrariesofscriptsthatcanbe easilysharedwiththeirothermodels,aswellasimprovementstouserinterface controlsandauto completefunctions. HyperlinksandImagesinCells:Withversion4,userscanincorporatehyperlinkswithin thecellsoftheirmodelstoexternalurls,toanotherlocationwithinthemodel,ortoan externalfile.inaddition,userscanplaceimagesdirectlyinthecellsoftheirmodels. GlobalProblemsPanel:Usersnowcanviewallerrors,warnings,andconditionswithin theirmodelfromonecentrallocation.modelswitherrorswillautomaticallydisplaya bannerpromptinguserstoviewthepanel. Quantrixversion4isavailableforbothWindowsandMacintoshplatforms.VisittheQuantrix websitetodownloadatrial,understandhowquantrixcompareswithspreadsheets,viewa varietyofsamplemodels,orlearnmoreabouttheqloudweb reportingservicethatenables businessandfinanceprofessionalstopublishmultidimensionalquantrixmodelstotheweb. Clickheretodownloadacopyofthe2011Budgeting,Forecasting,andPlanningSurvey. 2012BudgetingandPlanningSurvey page18