How ForQuest Solutions Is Changing the IBM Planning Analytics Consulting Model After 10 Years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most IBM Planning Analytics projects take too long to deliver value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a decade of building TM1 solutions across Banking, Retail, Manufacturing, CPG, and Franchising, we’ve seen the same pattern repeat itself: organizations invest months of consulting time building planning models from scratch, only to end up with solutions that are difficult to maintain, slow to evolve, and dependent on the same consultants who built them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The traditional consulting model isn’t broken \u2014 it’s just incomplete. And after 10 years of living inside Planning Analytics environments, we decided to build something better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every IBM Planning Analytics implementation shares common building blocks. Dimension structures for chart of accounts. Time-based hierarchies. Currency conversion logic. Allocation rules. TurboIntegrator processes for data loading. Planning Analytics Workspace dashboards for input and reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet most consulting engagements treat every project as if these patterns don’t exist. The result? Teams spend 60-70% of their project timeline rebuilding what’s already been built hundreds of times before \u2014 burning budget on commodity work instead of investing in the business logic and workflows that actually differentiate their planning process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s the gap we set out to close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At ForQuest Solutions, we combine deep IBM Planning Analytics consulting expertise with two proprietary products designed to accelerate time-to-value and reduce project risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ProfitCy is a suite of production-ready planning models built on IBM Planning Analytics for Financial Planning, Sales Planning, and Expense Planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These aren’t templates or starter kits. They’re complete model frameworks with cubes, rules, feeders, TurboIntegrator processes, and Planning Analytics Workspace dashboards \u2014 all designed by consultants who’ve built these solutions dozens of times across multiple industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ProfitCy comes with industry-specific configurations for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result is faster deployment \u2014 weeks instead of months \u2014 with lower implementation risk and a planning system your team will actually use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your planning team lives in Excel. Your data lives in TM1. The gap between them shouldn’t require a VPN and a legacy add-in that only works on Windows desktop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PAXcel is a web-based Excel add-in that connects business users directly to IBM Planning Analytics data through modern REST APIs. It works in Excel for the web, desktop, and Mac \u2014 with enterprise security, per-user TM1 authentication, and zero local installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What PAXcel means for your team:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For distributed teams, remote workforces, and organizations moving to cloud-first architectures, PAXcel eliminates the last connectivity barrier between business users and their planning data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our consulting practice covers everything organizations need to get the most from their IBM Planning Analytics investment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We work directly with end clients and as a trusted subcontractor alongside leading IBM partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The planning landscape is shifting. FP&A teams are under pressure to deliver AI-powered, cross-functional planning \u2014 what the industry calls xP&A \u2014 connecting financial planning with supply chain, sales, workforce, and operational planning in a single environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IBM Planning Analytics is built for exactly this. But realizing that vision requires more than just buying the software. It requires implementation expertise, proven model frameworks, and modern connectivity tools that meet users where they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s what ForQuest Solutions delivers. After 10 years and hundreds of engagements, we’ve distilled our expertise into products and services that help organizations plan smarter, deploy faster, and deliver value sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you’re evaluating IBM Planning Analytics for the first time, struggling with an underperforming TM1 environment, or looking for a better way to connect your team to planning data \u2014 we’d welcome the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Problem with Starting from Scratch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A Different Approach: Products + Expertise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
ProfitCy\u00ae \u2014 Pre-Built Planning Models<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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PAXcel\u2122 \u2014 Web Excel Add-in for IBM Planning Analytics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Consulting Services \u2014 Full Planning Analytics Lifecycle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Why It Matters Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ready to Talk?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n