u/Virtual-Giraffe-2616

I genuinely don’t get the strategy here.

Canada is probably the closest and most integrated ally the US has. It’s also the biggest source of US crude oil imports, and we rely on Canada for a bunch of minerals and things like potash. (U.S. Energy Information Administration⁠)

Yet we keep escalating tariffs and trade fights with them.

I understand the argument about dairy, autos, trade barriers, etc. But is the upside really worth damaging one of the most important economic relationships the US has?

Feels like Canada is the last country we should be trying to alienate.

What am I missing?

Something I’ve been thinking about: the hardest part of building an Anaplan model is usually
understanding the business. How things actually work, what drives the numbers, and why a process that sounds simple needs 15 exceptions.

I’d like to think that business knowledge is the most valuable part of what we do. Platforms change, and we might not be working in Anaplan forever.

But how much of that knowledge actually transfers? If you move to another company or industry, do you find yourself drawing on what you learned, or does it feel like starting over because every business operates differently?

Maybe the transferable skill is knowing which questions to ask and how to figure a business out.
Curious to hear from anyone who’s switched companies, industries, or moved beyond Anaplan. How much of that experience came with you?

A lot of people entering Anaplan focus heavily on:
Writing complex formulas
Passing certifications
Memorizing best practices
But the best solutions usually come from understanding the actual business problem:
Why does Finance need this forecast?
Why does Sales need this hierarchy?
What decisions will this model help people make?
A technically perfect model that nobody uses is still a failed implementation.
Do you think Anaplan professionals are becoming more like software developers, or should they be closer to business consultants?
What skill matters more: technical modeling ability or business acumen?

With the rapid growth of AI, automation, and integrated planning tools, I’ve been wondering where the future of connected planning is headed.
Do you think platforms like Anaplan will remain the standard for enterprise planning, or will they eventually be replaced by something else?
Possible challengers:
AI-native planning platforms
ERP vendors building stronger planning capabilities
Data platforms with embedded planning layers
Custom solutions built on modern cloud stacks
What do you think is the biggest threat to Anaplan long term?
And if you believe Anaplan will survive, what do you think will keep it ahead of competitors?

If you could have the Anaplan product team build one new feature this year, what would it be?
Mine would be better native version control for model building—something closer to Git where you can easily compare changes, roll back, and collaborate without relying on ALM alone.
Other ideas:
Better debugging tools
Faster formula dependency tracing
Improved model documentation
Easier bulk formula editing
More powerful APIs
Better UX customization
What’s at the top of your wishlist?

I’m curious how it’s performing in real-world environments rather than demos.
A few questions for those who’ve used it:
Has it actually made you faster?
What tasks is it best at?
Where does it struggle?
Do you trust the formulas or model suggestions it generates?
Has it changed the way you build models, or is it more of a nice-to-have?
Would love to hear honest experiences—the good, the bad, and whether it’s worth using regularly.

If you could have the Anaplan product team build one new feature this year, what would it be?
Mine would be better native version control for model building—something closer to Git where you can easily compare changes, roll back, and collaborate without relying on ALM alone.
Other ideas:
Better debugging tools
Faster formula dependency tracing
Improved model documentation
Easier bulk formula editing
More powerful APIs
Better UX customization
What’s at the top of your wishlist?

I’ve noticed a few common ones:
Putting everything into one giant module.
Skipping System modules and repeating LOOKUPs everywhere.
Building without thinking about scalability.
Ignoring model size until it’s too late.
Focusing on getting the right answer instead of building something maintainable.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone building their first production model, what would it be?
I’d love to hear what experienced model builders, Solution Architects, and COE leads have seen.

I’ll start: I think a lot of models could benefit from more thoughtful UX page design. People spend weeks optimizing formulas that save milliseconds, but users end up wasting minutes every day because dashboards are cluttered or workflows aren’t intuitive.
Some other things I don’t see discussed enough:
Line Item Subsets (when they actually make sense)
Dynamic Cell Access beyond basic approvals
System modules for cleaner architecture
Proper use of Calculation, Input, and Reporting modules
Version management strategies for large enterprise models
Curious to hear from other model builders, Solution Architects, and COEs:
What’s the most underused feature, design pattern, or best practice in Anaplan that has made a big difference in your models?

Hi,

I just helped someone become a certified model builder.

But now they’re stuck. They can’t get any anaplan opportunities cause they don’t have the experience.

This got me thinking,
Would anyone else be interested in a “mock consulting project”

It would mimic a real consulting project to help you put experience on your resume.

Only building if I see interest. Please comment if interested.