Time may be expanded or collapsed on sheets for the sake of screen size

Description

Time granularity in Corporate Performance Management (CPM) Software refers to the level of detail at which time is represented in budgeting, financial planning, and forecasting processes. It allows users to expand or collapse timelines based on their needs - from detailed views (e.g., daily or hourly) to higher level aggregate views (e.g., monthly, quarterly or annually). This feature is particularly valuable in the context of limited screen space, allowing users to tailor their view of data to their specific needs.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A multinational retail company uses CPM software for their financial planning. The firm operates on different timelines - daily for store operations, weekly for inventory planning, quarterly for performance reviews, and annually for strategic planning. With limited screen size, viewing all these timelines simultaneously can be challenging.

Solution: By using the time granularity feature of the software, users can easily collapse and expand timeframes. They can switch from a daily view during operational hours to a weekly view for inventory planning and to quarterly or annual views for strategic planning sessions. This allows for more efficient and targeted use of screen space and maintains clarity in data analysis.

Considerations

This should be as easy as a single click to collapse time. Some systems take it a step further, bringing up a menu that allows the user to select how time is displayed for months, quarters, years for as far as the budget version goes. That is a very quick way to get the view you need, and allowing the view to be saved makes it very convenient the next time you login. There is nothing worse than building out a view only for it to disappear when you logout and log back in.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• Ease of Use: How easy is it to change the time granularity in your software? Is it a simple expand / collapse function?
• Changing View: Is there a capability to change the view all at once by selecting time granularities for each year in the past, present and future?