We are excited to announce the release of Scenario Planning with Financials in the Portfolio Planning or Strategic Planning Workspace as part of May 2025 store release compatible with Xanadu family release. This powerful capability enables organizations to simulate investment strategies, align them with financial constraints, and maximize portfolio value — all within the strategic planning process.
Highlights
- Granular Financial Planning
Configure and track budgets by detailed cost types such as Labor, Software, Hardware, or custom categories. This enables precise control and accountability over how funds are allocated and spent across planning items. - Support for Flexible Planning Cycles
Accommodates a wide range of planning timelines — from long-range three-year roadmaps to lean budgeting through quarterly or monthly cycles. Adapt easily to the cadence that fits your organization's governance model. - Participatory Budgeting and Lean Portfolio Management
Supports agile financial planning and execution. Fund Epics within shorter planning cycles (e.g., one or two quarters), empowering product managers, EPMOs, and business leaders to engage in timely, data-driven funding decisions.
What is Scenario Planning with Financials?
Scenario Planning with Financials enhances simulation capabilities in Strategic Planning Workspace by allowing you to:
- Set financial targets at the portfolio plan level
- Simulate budget allocations for various combinations of planning items
- View real-time cost and benefit breakdowns
- Compare multiple scenarios to select the optimal plan
Key Capabilities
Financials View in Simulation Mode
- New financials tab under Scenario Planning
- Breaks down costs and benefits by time scale: Plan Timeline, Fiscal Year, Quarter, or Fiscal Month
- Roll-up attributes include Expense Type and Cost Type
- View budget, forecast, actuals, variance, and benefits data
Set Portfolio Budget Targets
- Define targets by: Expense type (Capex, Opex) or Cost type (e.g., Labor Capex, Software Opex)
- Choose time scale for targets: Timeline, Year, Quarter, or Month
- Target headers update dynamically in the financials view
Perform Cost-Benefit Simulations
- Add or remove planning items from “in-plan” to test prioritization impacts
- Budget values auto-populate from Forecast or Actuals based on item context
- Visual cues for over- or under-budget scenarios
- Edit and revise budgets before scenario approval
- Approved scenarios update official budget values
Integrated with Prioritization and Roadmap Modules
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Scenario Financials works in tandem with existing Prioritization and Roadmap views
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Any changes made to planning items in either module (e.g., dates, in-plan status) are reflected in the Financials view
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Likewise, budget changes in Financials impact prioritization outcomes and timeline feasibility
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The Outcomes widgets in the left side panel provides real-time visibility into the impact of changes across modules — including budget vs. target, Capex/Opex distribution, and expected benefits
Scenario Comparison
- Compare different scenarios and current plan side by side
- View outcomes such as Capex, Opex, total benefits, and actual costs
- Identify which plan delivers the best value within the available budget
Budget allocation on scenario approval
- Automatically update the approved budget values to the work items from the approved scenario including clearing budget to de-prioritized items
- Optionally, convert in-plan demands with budget approval automatically to projects
Use Cases Supported
- Test budget impacts of new or revised planning items
- Enter budgets top down to planning items manually or auto-populate them with the latest forecast
- Shift planning items to a new timeline and analyze the impact of the delay on the budgets automatically
- Manage staggered budget approvals by quarter or fiscal year
- Fund strategic items like Epics in short-term cycles
- Track Target versus total simulated budget for items moving in and out of plan
- Align long-range plans with lean or incremental budgeting processes
Configuration Requirements
To enable this functionality:
- Set sn_invst_pln.enable_budget_allocation_v2 to true. Default value – ‘false’
- Set sn_invst_pln.budget_allocation_attribute to either expense_type or cost_type.Default value – ‘expense_type’. These settings apply at the instance level and affect all users.
- Migrate existing budget values of active demands and projects to Budget allocation v2
- Run the scheduled job: Data generation for financials in SPW/PPW
Licensing
- Included in SPM Standard and SPM Pro licenses
- Standard: Supports Demands and Projects
- Pro: Adds support for Epics
Summary
Scenario Planning with Financials provides the visibility and control needed to align strategic objectives with financial reality. Whether you’re managing a long-term roadmap or adapting to rapid changes through lean budgeting, this feature gives your organization the tools to make informed investment decisions.
