We are looking at implementing ZBB and looking for anyone who has done this and any tips/trick and or rules of the road you learned along the way

We are looking at implementing ZBB and looking for anyone who has done this and any tips/trick and or rules of the road you learned along the way

Similar question here!  It would be great to get some best practices around using Planning (ITP) for ZBB.  

Some questions we have on this would include:

• Do folks have their teams enter data directly into Apptio Planning ?
• Do you have the team use templates (excel based) for the teams to use, then have them upload the plan data to Apptio?
• Benefits / Issues with either of these processes?
• Generally what has worked and what has not worked well, are there things we should definitely do?  or definitely avoid?

Not sure if there are previous posts, or uploaded related to this (I will search more) but hopefully someone in the community has some thoughts, tips, tricks and best practices that might help our team set up for success as we move into the budget season! 

Thanks in advance!

We are looking at implementing ZBB and looking for anyone who has done this and any tips/trick and or rules of the road you learned along the way

Yes, teams enter directly into Apptio for just their departments.  The users end up appreciating this method. It is much easier to maintain rather than having to provide us with a lot of excel spreadsheets. 

I did provide templates to some of my users that were interested in uploading files. I do not promote using this method. I push having them enter directly into Apptio. It reduces the risk of changing things that you don't want changed.  Initially, more people wanted to upload data because they were used to that process. At that time, we were not utilizing Planning detail tabs. All of our data was in the other tab since we were not using Labor, Assets, or Contracts. That means that they only have to upload one file. Once we started using the detail tabs, they have to upload data separately to each of the 4 tabs since they have different formats. When you upload you have to choose update or replace.  I do not want them to replace things they shouldn't. They can replace anything they have access to. 

The tradeoff is that you need to take more time to seed the budget/forecast. I seed the budget with very detailed data, so it is easier for them to make changes directly to what is already in their budget/forecast.  I provide them with employees by person in Labor based on HR data. We upload all of our existing assets from our asset system. We maintain a detailed list of our contracts. This list took us a year to develop complete data. We actually use this as our current list of contracts data source for everything since we don't have a separate system to track contracts. We maintain this now based on POs and new expenses that are posted to the GL for our departments.  For the Other tab, it was initially seeded based on actuals for all accounts that are not in the other three sections. It is updated for labor related accounts such as payroll taxes and health insurance based on direction from finance. Then the users update the remaining accounts directly.  Once you budget at this detailed level then you can create the next forecast based on the budget data. This makes it easier to maintain because you are updating it each month instead of once a year. We have a plan open at all times. It is either the budget, the forecast, or a preliminary version of the forecast in between when the official forecast is open. 

When you seed the first plan, it requires more work on the administrators of Apptio. You might have some resistance to the change especially if they are currently used to uploading. I found that once you provided them with more detailed data, it was easier for them to maintain. It is a different thought process to update labor based on your actually positions rather than to calculate one line in budget. The same goes for depreciation, software licenses/maintenance and other contacts accounts. They have to put less effort into forecasting because it takes less time to update the current data at that level. 

I would utilize all of the tabs not just seed data based on actuals at a summary level.  I would suggest limiting the access to sensitive data in labor. Not everyone who updates our budget has access to see that data only managers.  As administrators of the budget, I would plan on putting in the work each month to keep the data based on other systems updated such as making sure all new assets are loaded each month. We took on more of the responsibility of maintaining contracts which reduces the budget owner's work.  It is a large benefit for us to have this list for reporting and notifying of upcoming contract renewals. 

Expect resistance of course from the users to changing their process.  We had to work individually with the users and show them that it makes their work life easier.   

My approach has to be involved and available for one-on-one help at all times especially in the beginning. It helps, if you push this data back to cost transparency so that you provide them with reports that help them make decisions easier.  It takes work to implement this but once you do, I think that it is worth it.  

You do have to make sure that there are not duplicate data. You have to make sure that they are not budgeting for items at that summary level that are also being budgeted for in the labor/asset/contract tabs. This means that you have to delete the budget/forecast for these accounts from the other tab. Our biggest difficulty is removing budgeted assets/capital plan once they are live existing assets.  In general, if you bring in new data each month you have to remove the lines where they were budgeted.  Our method is to meet with each group of users each month to help them maintain this.

Provide them with a detailed procedures with a lot of screen shots to support the new process. It helps make them feel more confident in what they are doing if you have step by step procedures. 

We also had an implementation presentation to everyone and presented the application and process in great detail.  We took 4 hours for this presentation, but we implemented cost transparency reporting at the same time. 

Having scheduled office hours for help worked well. Open hours that anyone can show up to in order to get questions answered or one on one help.  If you utilize teams or some other virtual meeting application, I would have this virtually also. 

Similar question here!  It would be great to get some best practices around using Planning (ITP) for ZBB.  

Some questions we have on this would include:

• Do folks have their teams enter data directly into Apptio Planning ?
• Do you have the team use templates (excel based) for the teams to use, then have them upload the plan data to Apptio?
• Benefits / Issues with either of these processes?
• Generally what has worked and what has not worked well, are there things we should definitely do?  or definitely avoid?

Not sure if there are previous posts, or uploaded related to this (I will search more) but hopefully someone in the community has some thoughts, tips, tricks and best practices that might help our team set up for success as we move into the budget season! 

Thanks in advance!

We are looking at implementing ZBB and looking for anyone who has done this and any tips/trick and or rules of the road you learned along the way

Kristine - Thank you so much for your reply here.  Great information and insight!

Yes, teams enter directly into Apptio for just their departments.  The users end up appreciating this method. It is much easier to maintain rather than having to provide us with a lot of excel spreadsheets. 

I did provide templates to some of my users that were interested in uploading files. I do not promote using this method. I push having them enter directly into Apptio. It reduces the risk of changing things that you don't want changed.  Initially, more people wanted to upload data because they were used to that process. At that time, we were not utilizing Planning detail tabs. All of our data was in the other tab since we were not using Labor, Assets, or Contracts. That means that they only have to upload one file. Once we started using the detail tabs, they have to upload data separately to each of the 4 tabs since they have different formats. When you upload you have to choose update or replace.  I do not want them to replace things they shouldn't. They can replace anything they have access to. 

The tradeoff is that you need to take more time to seed the budget/forecast. I seed the budget with very detailed data, so it is easier for them to make changes directly to what is already in their budget/forecast.  I provide them with employees by person in Labor based on HR data. We upload all of our existing assets from our asset system. We maintain a detailed list of our contracts. This list took us a year to develop complete data. We actually use this as our current list of contracts data source for everything since we don't have a separate system to track contracts. We maintain this now based on POs and new expenses that are posted to the GL for our departments.  For the Other tab, it was initially seeded based on actuals for all accounts that are not in the other three sections. It is updated for labor related accounts such as payroll taxes and health insurance based on direction from finance. Then the users update the remaining accounts directly.  Once you budget at this detailed level then you can create the next forecast based on the budget data. This makes it easier to maintain because you are updating it each month instead of once a year. We have a plan open at all times. It is either the budget, the forecast, or a preliminary version of the forecast in between when the official forecast is open. 

When you seed the first plan, it requires more work on the administrators of Apptio. You might have some resistance to the change especially if they are currently used to uploading. I found that once you provided them with more detailed data, it was easier for them to maintain. It is a different thought process to update labor based on your actually positions rather than to calculate one line in budget. The same goes for depreciation, software licenses/maintenance and other contacts accounts. They have to put less effort into forecasting because it takes less time to update the current data at that level. 

I would utilize all of the tabs not just seed data based on actuals at a summary level.  I would suggest limiting the access to sensitive data in labor. Not everyone who updates our budget has access to see that data only managers.  As administrators of the budget, I would plan on putting in the work each month to keep the data based on other systems updated such as making sure all new assets are loaded each month. We took on more of the responsibility of maintaining contracts which reduces the budget owner's work.  It is a large benefit for us to have this list for reporting and notifying of upcoming contract renewals. 

Expect resistance of course from the users to changing their process.  We had to work individually with the users and show them that it makes their work life easier.   

My approach has to be involved and available for one-on-one help at all times especially in the beginning. It helps, if you push this data back to cost transparency so that you provide them with reports that help them make decisions easier.  It takes work to implement this but once you do, I think that it is worth it.  

You do have to make sure that there are not duplicate data. You have to make sure that they are not budgeting for items at that summary level that are also being budgeted for in the labor/asset/contract tabs. This means that you have to delete the budget/forecast for these accounts from the other tab. Our biggest difficulty is removing budgeted assets/capital plan once they are live existing assets.  In general, if you bring in new data each month you have to remove the lines where they were budgeted.  Our method is to meet with each group of users each month to help them maintain this.

Provide them with a detailed procedures with a lot of screen shots to support the new process. It helps make them feel more confident in what they are doing if you have step by step procedures. 

We also had an implementation presentation to everyone and presented the application and process in great detail.  We took 4 hours for this presentation, but we implemented cost transparency reporting at the same time. 

Having scheduled office hours for help worked well. Open hours that anyone can show up to in order to get questions answered or one on one help.  If you utilize teams or some other virtual meeting application, I would have this virtually also. 

Similar question here!  It would be great to get some best practices around using Planning (ITP) for ZBB.  

Some questions we have on this would include:

• Do folks have their teams enter data directly into Apptio Planning ?
• Do you have the team use templates (excel based) for the teams to use, then have them upload the plan data to Apptio?
• Benefits / Issues with either of these processes?
• Generally what has worked and what has not worked well, are there things we should definitely do?  or definitely avoid?

Not sure if there are previous posts, or uploaded related to this (I will search more) but hopefully someone in the community has some thoughts, tips, tricks and best practices that might help our team set up for success as we move into the budget season! 

Thanks in advance!

We are looking at implementing ZBB and looking for anyone who has done this and any tips/trick and or rules of the road you learned along the way

We are looking at implementing ZBB and looking for anyone who has done this and any tips/trick and or rules of the road you learned along the way