Prepare for the unexpected with scenario planning software

Anticipate the future and take proactive action with scenario planning software. Let Abacum help you and your Finance team forecast the impact of your strategic decisions by defining clear objectives, assigning business drivers, and setting global variables in a customizable data model.

Automated Strategic Finance for Business Performance

Automate your BvA reporting, approve and control budget changes, build scenarios, and share reports with 1-click

Finance teams staying ahead with scenario planning

Stop limiting yourself. Eliminate Excel from the equation

Tired of managing large amounts of data in Excel? Worried about maintaining confidentiality within your spreadsheets? With scenario planning software, you and your team can model multiple scenarios, no matter how complex or technical the circumstances may be. With Abacum, you can eliminate time-consuming and error-prone processes, build precise and easy-to-understand scenarios, and allow all business owners to provide their input through permission-based collaboration features.

”With Abacum, I have all the tools I need to answer the questions that would go unexplored before. I can understand the trends, write my analysis, build my graphs, and inform our leadership team with recomendations”

Pieter Hugo

Revenue Manager

Stop making trade-offs, model with precision and accuracy

When conducting scenario planning in spreadsheets, precision and accuracy are not always compatible. The more precise you want your financial model to be, the more data you must input manually, which not only takes more time but also makes the information less up-to-date by the time you get your results. Abacum solves this issue by automatically consolidating large amounts of data into a single source of truth, allowing for precise and up-to-date scenario forecasts that take into account all available information. Leverage dimensional granularity to forecast revenues by product or expenses by vendor, unlocking more detailed and accurate visibility of your company's future.

”With Abacum, we integrated our ERP, CRM and data-warehouse. Giving us a real-time overview into our performance, without the manual tasks of aggregating all that data”

Xavier Castellana

CFO

Align everyone with Abacum's intuitive interface

You don't have to worry about whether your strategy leaders will understand your financial forecasts. By incorporating Abacum into your tech stack, you can ensure that your scenarios are easy-to-read, thanks to its intuitive visualizations. With our scenario planning software, you can filter relevant information and leverage user-friendly visualization options to share your analyses with stakeholders from any department.

”With Abacum, I have all the tools I need to answer the questions that would go unexplored before. I can understand the trends, write my analysis, build my graphs, and inform our leadership team with recomendations”

Pieter Hugo

Revenue Manager

Take a holistic approach toward the uncertain future

Integrating scenario planning software into your daily processes can provide detailed information on your financial health, and help you better prepare for an uncertain future. Modern technologies enable automated data gathering, input categorization from all sources, and analysis of information from all business units. The ability to quickly access relevant data will allow you to take greater ownership of your actions from a holistic perspective and make more impactful business decisions.

”With Abacum, we stopped budgeting by emailing spreadsheets. Our 30+ Budget Owners became collaborators, understood their performance, and gave us the visibility to plan with clarity”

Maria Lapucci

Senior FP&A Analyst

Forecast and manage your sales

Forecasting your company’s future performance doesn't have to be a tedious task. With the help of financial modeling software, you can make precise financial predictions based on historical performance and current trends. Your team will be able to forecast and manage sales more accurately than ever before by adopting cutting-edge technologies. Advanced software will provide you with valuable information and a greater understanding of how changes in the market will impact your company in real-time. Abacum will serve as your greatest ally, enabling you to measure success against KPIs and making sure your business is always on top of its game.

”With Abacum, I have all the tools I need to answer the questions that would go unexplored before. I can understand the trends, write my analysis, build my graphs, and inform our leadership team with recomendations”

Pieter Hugo

Revenue Manager

Customizable integrations to fit your unique needs

Don’t worry about software compatibility. Abacum integrates with all sources, providing real-time forecasting with a seamless experience.

Google Sheets

Google Sheets

Snowflake

Snowflake

Xero

Xero

Tableau

Tableau

Salesforce

Salesforce

Quickbooks

Quickbooks

Netsuite

Netsuite

Looker

Looker

Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct

and more...

Integration with all sources

All of your business's data in one SSOT

Global variables

Consistent data across the entire company

Dimensional granularity

No more data complexity, just actionable details

Using Abacum for scenario planning

Abacum is the business planning software for Strategic Finance leaders to drive operational performance and make informed decisions in real-time. With Abacum, you can define global variables and integrate large amounts of data from various locations into one source of truth. This enables you to model with consistent definitions and compare financial scenarios based on different key drivers and assumptions. Compared to spreadsheets, Abacum can provide you with greater granularity, enabling you to identify new growth opportunities early on, anticipate potential challenges in the coming months, and adjust your strategy to safeguard your company's future financial position.

What makes Abacum unique?

Our vision is to make every Finance team a hero in their organization.

Abacum fp&a logo
Excel /Gsheet
Other modern tools
Automation

Reporting, performance analysis, and rolling forecast in 1-click

Insights

Complete visibility in financial planning and forecasting

Collaboration

No barriers in communication around Finance information

Flexibility

Total flexibility in how data is inputted or displayed

Security

Customized control for specific users with access to the necessary data

Still have questions? We’ve got answers.

How can you bring your DCF model into Abacum from Excel?

A Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is a valuation method used to estimate the value of an investment by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them back to their present value. This is a powerful method that takes into account both the timing and size of future cash flows, making it an effective way to analyze investments.

If you have been using Excel to create your DCF model and want to move it to a financial modeling software like Abacum, you are in luck. Abacum is a cloud-based business planning platform that allows you to quickly and easily import your existing Excel-based DCF model, while adjusting and improving it natively. Simply upload your Excel file as a CSV, and Abacum will automatically convert it into an interactive web-based model. With just a few clicks, Abacum will generate visuals, such as graphs and charts, to help you better analyze your business’s insights and move from data to execution faster.

What are the benefits of using financial modeling software?

Financial modeling software offers precise and current information about a company's financial position in real-time, enabling firms and investors to make well-informed decisions in a fraction of the time.

You may integrate financial modeling solutions to eliminate time-consuming processes, generate reports that can be used for financial planning, automate operations that would otherwise be done manually, and analyze data from a variety of data sets. Financial modeling tools may also be used to build financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, as well as to help you identify opportunities and risks that might not be obvious to the human eye.

Which software is used for financial modeling?

Microsoft Excel is the most widely used financial modeling software. Excel-based models allow users to create models with formulas, charts, and graphs. However, for more advanced and detailed predictions, larger businesses are increasingly adopting specialized financial modeling software, such as FP&A or business planning software.

Financial modeling software allows you to build more complex models and provides an in-depth view in real-time of a company's financial situation. This allows SaaS businesses and investors to make decisions about investments, budgeting, and financial forecasting more accurately and faster.

What does a financial model show?

A financial model is a tool used to project the future performance of a company or investment. It typically includes detailed assumptions about revenue, expenses, capital investments, and other factors that affect the company’s financial performance.

A model can be used to perform scenario analysis and make decisions about how to best allocate resources. Financial models are often used by investors and analysts to assess the potential return on investment of a project or initiative.

Can you use Excel for financial modeling?

Yes, Excel is the most popular tool used by financial analysts and other corporate finance professionals in the industry for financial modeling. It is a versatile spreadsheet program that has a wide range of features that allow users to store and analyze large amounts of data, build business models, create charts and graphs, and perform complex calculations. However, while Excel is certainly a useful tool, integrating it with powerful financial modelling software can take your business planning to the next level.

By using such software, you can unlock even more advanced features and capabilities that Excel alone cannot provide. For instance, you can use historical performance and market data to improve the accuracy of your financial forecasts or use advanced analytics tools to uncover hidden insights in the data from various functions of your business. Additionally, financial modeling software can help you automate tedious tasks, such as data entry or report generation, freeing up time for more strategic activities.

In short, while Excel is a great starting point for financial modelling, it is important to consider integrating it with more advanced software to stay ahead of the curve. Doing so can help you unlock new insights, save time, and make more informed decisions.

What is financial modeling?

Financial modeling is the process of creating a mathematical representation of a financial situation or system. It is used to analyze and forecast potential outcomes, such as future profits, cash flows, and other financial metrics.

Financial models are typically created using software programs such as Microsoft Excel or specialized financial modeling software. They can be used to evaluate the performance of a company, assess the risks associated with an investment decision, or project future cash flows.

Still have questions? We’ve got answers.

What is scenario planning?

As a Finance leader, preparing for the future can be challenging, especially when faced with uncertainty and risk. It is for that reason that scenario planning is the go-to tool for finance teams to minimize uncertainty, by expanding the scope of their forecasts to include a variety of potential outcomes.

Scenario planning is key for businesses to make data-driven decisions. It simulates possible scenarios by considering financial assumptions, operational drivers, and external factors, which are particularly relevant forces in today's volatile market. By predicting the impact of different variables on financial efficiency and growth, Finance can better manage risk, model operations, and streamline sales forecasts.

Depending on their business setup, companies use various types of scenario planning to prepare for different circumstances and develop agile strategies. These types include strategic management, operational, quantitative, and normative scenario planning.

How do I create a scenario in Excel?

Creating a scenario in Excel is relatively simple, but can be time-consuming depending on the complexity of the project.

You must first enter the data necessary to create a realistic scenario. This includes all relevant information about your company’s current and future financial and strategic goals, as well as any external factors that may have an impact on future outcomes. Once this is done, you can use various tools within Excel to forecast outcomes based on different scenarios or variables. These tools include pivot tables, data tables, and goal seek.

While spreadsheets are certainly a valid tool for scenario planning, it is important to be aware of their limitations. This is especially true as companies scale and their needs and complexity increase. One such limitation is the potential for errors due to manual data entry. Because spreadsheets rely heavily on human input, they are prone to mistakes, which can lead to incorrect assumptions and projections.

Spreadsheets in complex scenarios can be challenging. When dealing with large datasets spread across numerous tabs, it can be difficult to keep track of all variables and ensure that everything is working as intended. Plus, they can be somewhat limited in terms of collaboration capabilities.

How do I use scenario planning?

Scenario planning involves creating multiple scenarios that describe possible futures, taking into account various factors such as economic trends, consumer preferences, and technological developments. By considering a wide range of possibilities, businesses can be better prepared for any obstacles that may arise.

Here is how to use scenario planning:

  1. Identify the drivers: Identify the key drivers that could affect your business in the future, such as social trends, economic conditions, or technological advances.
  2. Create scenarios: Develop multiple scenarios that outline different possible futures based on these drivers.
  3. Analyze outcomes: Evaluate the potential outcomes of each scenario and identify any potential risks or opportunities for your business.
  4. Plan for the future: Develop a plan to prepare your business for any potential scenarios.

Monitor trends: Keep track of changes in the factors that could affect your scenarios and adjust your plans accordingly.

What is scenario planning software?

Scenario planning software is a type of computer program used to help organizations anticipate and prepare for potential changes in the future. It is designed to enable users to identify, evaluate, and simulate a range of scenarios that could potentially affect their business or industry.

The software typically includes tools for analyzing data, visualizing information, creating simulations, and presenting results. This enables users to explore multiple outcomes based on different factors and develop strategies to respond effectively.

What are the different types of case scenarios?

Case scenarios are hypothetical situations that allow for the exploration of potential outcomes, allowing decision-makers to plan for a variety of possibilities. Several types of case scenarios can be explored using scenario planning software:

  1. Best-case scenario: This is the most favorable outcome for a decision or event. It assumes all variables will work in your favor and present the best possible outcome.
  2. Worst-case scenario: This is the least favorable outcome for a decision or event. It assumes all variables will work against you and present the worst possible outcome.

Base-case scenario: This scenario is the most likely to occur, based on all available data and information. It does not assume either the best or worst outcome but rather provides a realistic picture of what could happen.

What are the benefits of using scenario planning software?

There are several benefits to using a scenario planning software system:

  1. Improved efficiency: Scenario planning software streamlines the process by allowing users to automate the process of creating and analyzing scenarios. This saves time and resources, resulting in greater efficiency.
  2. Improved accuracy: By using effective scenario planning processes, users can access up-to-date data in a few clicks and create more accurate simulations. This reduces the risk of manual errors and allows users to make better-informed financial decisions.
  3. Permission-based collaboration: Scenario planning tools allow team members to see the impact of different scenarios on their parts of the business specifically, giving them more visibility on how they might need to adjust accordingly.

Enhanced visualization: Scenario planning software provides a simple way to visualize data through dashboards, improving the understanding of non-finance users or stakeholders and helping them easily identify trends and patterns.

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