This work is supported by ESSER III Funding
Starting March 21, 2022, Anaplan, our new budget planning and forecasting system, will launch to all departments within Jeffco as the new budget planning and forecasting system. Schools will continue using Hyperion for the current fiscal year and will transition to Anaplan next year, as mentioned in the January 5 email from Dan Cohan.
We are moving to Anaplan because our current budgeting and forecasting system is decentralized, complicated and manual. This leaves users vulnerable to errors, unable to maximize budgets and constrained by general high-level analysis.
Anaplan’s flexible and easy-to-use platform will:
- Improve the user experience by centralizing and simplifying the budgeting process
- Enable improved accuracy, deeper analysis and forecasting at each level of the district
- Empower collaboration amongst leaders and their stakeholders to better support educational success
If you are someone who will be involved in the implementation of Anaplan, the steps listed below will help build your understanding of the upcoming transition.
- Review the FAQ below
- Watch for emails regarding further details and next steps
- Share any questions or feedback with any of our Budget Analysts (more details on this in the FAQ)
- If you are responsible for school budget planning, you will begin using Anaplan next year
We understand that change of any kind may be uncomfortable. However, we will be providing additional information and training prior to your transition to Anaplan to make the change easier. We thank you for your patience and commitment to improving Jeffco’s ability to plan and forecast budgets. Our expectation is that Anaplan will save you time, energy and effort when developing your budget which will enable us all to focus on what really matters: improving our schools, supporting our staff, and exceeding the needs of our students.
Jeffco Public Schools
Anaplan Budget Planning and Forecasting Platform FAQs
What is Anaplan?
Anaplan is a cloud-based budgeting and forecasting tool designed to simplify planning, tracking, updating, sharing and collaborating. The tool will replace Hyperion, our current budgeting and forecasting tool which allowed a process using hundreds of Excel spreadsheets, in favor of an all-in-one platform. Anaplan enables timely data, automatic calculations, simplified and visual reporting, and real-time collaboration to deliver deeper analysis and greater value to our district, staff, and students.
Why is Jeffco implementing Anaplan?
Our current budgeting and forecasting tool is lengthy, complicated and manual. This leaves our schools and departments vulnerable to errors, missed opportunities for people-focused allocations and subject to broad, high-level analysis. Anaplan also provides much needed flexibility within our budget planning process and allows for quicker budget scenario planning throughout the fiscal year. All these Anaplan benefits enable a higher quality, more accurate Budgeting for Outcomes and Student Based Budgeting.
When will the transition from Hyperion to Anaplan take place?
Anaplan will go live for departments on March 21, 2022. Anaplan will go live for schools next year when planning for the 2023 fiscal year, the exact date has yet to be determined. There is work already being done behind the scenes to develop the Anaplan system and customize it to the unique needs of the Jeffco school district.
Important Dates:
- February 24 – Receive email about Anaplan end user training coming soon
- February 28 – Receive Anaplan training Outlook calendar invitations
- March 7 to March 18 – Attend Anaplan end user training
- March 21 – Anaplan Go Live for Departments
- March 21 to April 18 – Anaplan post Go Live support activities
Who will be affected by the transition to Anaplan?
Anaplan will launch to all departments on March 21 while schools will continue using Hyperion and will transition to Anaplan next year. Anyone who currently has a Hyperion account will be impacted in some way. There will be variations on the degree of impact based on your current role and how involved you are in the budgeting process. The general groups that will be impacted include Department Heads, Department Financial Secretaries, Department Budget Managers, Principals, School Business Managers, School Financial Secretaries, HR, IT, and Community Superintendents.
How will I be affected by the transition to Anaplan?
Everyone will experience the transition to Anaplan in a different way according to the role they play in the budgeting planning process. If you currently have a Hyperion account, then you will receive an Anaplan account and training to ensure you have the understanding and knowledge on how to use Anaplan to plan your department or school budget. If you do not have a Hyperion account, then you will experience relatively little impact due to the Anaplan implementation.
The Budget Team will continue their role within the budget planning and forecasting process and will continue to be your point of contact for all budget related questions.
Who do I contact if I have questions about the implementation of Anaplan or the tool itself?
Please contact your Budget Analyst (listed below) that you typically work with on budget planning. If you do now know who your Budget Analyst is or if this does not apply to you then please contact Brian Sammons (listed below).
Will I receive training on Anaplan?
Yes, there is training for anyone involved in any aspect of the budgeting process. The training will be tailored to your role in the budget process. Training for direct users of Anaplan will include general features, benefits, and entering budget data. For those roles that will not directly use Anaplan but need to be aware of the changes taking place there will be general awareness training that will provide an overview of the system and what features and benefits you may expect.
Will Anaplan replace PeopleSoft?
No. PeopleSoft will remain the system of record for all financial and human resource activity and for reviewing transaction details. Anaplan will serve as the tool for creating budgets and will utilize PeopleSoft actuals in summary for comparing the two.