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We Need a Lot of Things, but Definitely Not Another Planning Tool
“We need a lot of things, but definitely not another planning tool.”
We heard that a lot when we started Valsight and asked controlling leaders for feedback on our product idea. Honestly, we felt the same way.
It was clear to us that there were already enough specialised tools for bottom-up budgets and detailed cost centre planning. The problem was a different one: the existing tools all followed traditional approaches that could no longer keep pace with rising volatility and uncertainty.
VUCA existed ten years ago too. Yet the way many companies planned felt more like steering with a view of the rear mirror than like working on the future.
So from the start we had a different ambition: software that lets controllers advise management and support decisions. The focus was on simulation and value driver models early on, on comparing assumptions and evaluating measures.
Today it matters more than ever to not just ask what-if questions but to answer them quickly and transparently. To understand what happens when assumptions change. And to play through the options before committing to one.
The objection back then was entirely right. Nobody needed another planning tool.