Configure Plan Models

Learn about plan model configurations and how to change them.

Overview

Every plan model is made up of a set of components that define how it behaves, appears, and functions. These components work together to create the full configuration of a plan, and understanding each one is key to setting them up effectively.

As an administrator, you can modify the following plan model components to meet specific organizational needs:

• Plan items: Plan items allow you to model and measure anything in your plan by referencing inputs and other plan items. Each plan item can be displayed as a distinct line in your plan view. For more information, see Plan Items.
• Inputs: Inputs either bring existing data from your application into your plan model or introduce fixed numeric values. The values brought in by the inputs serve as the foundational data for various elements in your plan. For more information, see Plan Inputs.
• Parameters: Parameters allow you to ask planners questions and filter plan data based on their responses. While optional, they offer a powerful way to tailor the data based on user input. For more information, see Plan Parameters.
• Plan model settings: Define the settings for your plan model such as the core metric, granularity, and app availability. For more information, see Plan Model Settings.

Whether you're making a small adjustment or creating a new plan model from scratch, knowing how each part fits into the overall structure will help ensure accuracy, consistency, and confidence in your changes.

Best practices

To ensure a smooth and error-free experience when working with plan models, please consider the following best practices.

Duplicate plan models to make modifications

When modifying plan models, we recommend that you create a duplicate and edit the copy instead of directly modifying the plan model. This practice safeguards the original model and allows you to experiment with changes without risking disruption to existing plans. It also ensures that existing plan models will inherit Blueprint updates from Visier. For more information about Blueprint inheritance, see Blueprint Inheritance.

Use designer notes to document your changes

When modifying plan models, we recommend documenting the reason and details of your modifications. In Studio, each plan model contains a Basic Information tab. The Basic Information tab contains a Designer Notes section that is an admin-only description of the object. This provides an excellent space to maintain a log of your changes, the rationale behind them, and any important considerations. This documentation can be helpful for future reference and for other users who may work with the plan model.

To add designer notes to a plan model:

1. In a project, on the navigation bar, click Planning > Plan Models.
2. In the list, select the plan model you want to change.
3. Click Basic Information.
4. Click the Designer notes field to open the Designer notes editor.
5. In the Designer notes editor, add your content.

Validate your plan model

Before previewing your project, validate that your plan model is error-free. To do this, click Validate in the top right corner of the Plan Models room.

The model will be validated for errors, and any issues found will be listed. This check is recommended before previewing, as certain validation errors can prevent the model from being previewed.

Preview and test your changes

After making any modifications to a plan model, preview your project and test the changes within actual plans.

To preview your changes, do one of the following:

• Click Preview in the top right corner of the Plan Models room.
• On the navigation bar, click Preview Solution.

You can replicate typical planner workflows, such as:

• Rebaselining: Ensure the rebaselining process functions as expected with your modifications. For more information, see Change the Baseline Period.
• Range Editing Cells: Verify that users can edit data ranges correctly and that calculations update appropriately. For more information, see "Range edit" in Edit Plan Values.

If you run into an unexpected plan item value, you can use plan item lineage to help you debug. Plan item lineage allows you to see the formula and calculation details for the lowest leaf level of a projection plan item, highlighting the cells used to calculate a plan item in the grid. For more information, see "View calculation details" in The Planning Grid Views.

Thorough testing helps identify and resolve any unexpected issues before planners encounter them in a live planning cycle.

Configure a plan model

You can configure a plan model by making changes to plan items, inputs, parameters, and settings. To configure plan models in Studio:

1. In a project, on the navigation bar, click Planning > Plan Models.
2. Duplicate an existing plan model by doing the following:
   1. Click an existing plan model. For example, Headcount and Cost Planning (New).
   2. Click the More actions button.
   3. Click Duplicate.
   4. Optional: Give the duplicate a name and description.
   5. Click Duplicate.
3. Make your changes:
   1. In the Model tab, you can:
      • Click New to add a new plan item, input, goal, or parameter.

        Tip: When adding new plan items, inputs, or parameters with similar configurations, check Create another before clicking create. If selected, the creation panel will stay open, pre-filled with your last configuration. This lets you quickly create similar objects with minor tweaks, saving time when you need multiple items with mostly the same setup, such as several headcount inputs with different filters.

      • Click an existing plan item, input, goal, or parameter to modify it. To see existing inputs, goals, and parameters, click the Info button .
   2. In the Settings tab, you can change the core metric, granularity, and app availability.
   3. In the Basic Information tab, you can edit the plan model metadata, such as the display name and description.
4. Optional: Preview and test your changes. To preview your changes, do one of the following:
   1. Click Preview in the top right corner of the Plan Models room.
   2. On the navigation bar, click Preview Solution.
5. When finished, publish your project to production. For instructions, see Publish Project Changes.