The fiscal year can be changed after implementation with the prior fiscal year configuration staying intact for historical purposes
The fiscal year is configurable to fit our fiscal calendar
The forecast can be slimmed down and more summarized than the budget
The forecast can use different accounts from the budget, or summarize accounts differently for the sake of forecasting
The implementation takes place on a timeline acceptable to us
The implementation team has a manageable workload such that they can pay sufficient attention to our project
The implementation team has extensive experience with the product
The implementation team has real world finance and accounting experience
The license model that the vendor offers does not expose us to undue risk as our usage grows
The product roadmap is well thought out and addresses our potential future needs
The product should have a dedicated process to model tax liabilities
The skill level required to build a report is within our team's capabilities
The system is sufficiently flexible that users can modify as the business model changes over time
The system will support as many budget versions as we need
The user interface appears easy to learn
The vendor has a mechanism for us to submit product enhancements and appears willing to listen
The vendor has the resources to run our implementation themselves
The vendor will provide us with a dedicated Customer Service representative
There is a pre-built starter implementation for our industry
There is a robust network of partners who can run our implementation and provide post go-live support
There is no limit on the amount of versions that can be maintained in the system
Thorough, written documentation is available in the application
Tie to Professional Service Automation tools (PSA) to forecast labor hours and future hiring needs
Time granularity for the forecast can go down to the day
Time may be expanded or collapsed on sheets for the sake of screen size
Track and report on encumbrances by any dimension in the system
Track source of funds for specific projects (restricted and non-restricted grants)
Transaction level detail can be imported and used for forecasting or reporting
Triggers can be created to email or otherwise notify users of a specific threshold being met
Unit forecasts can be auto-populated using predictive methods based on a granular view of past performance
Unit forecasts can be easily exported to an order management system such as an ERP
Units of Production depreciation is supported for Capital Asset Planning
Upgrades to the application are provided to the customer with no action required on their part
Upgrades to the product can be deferred should it fall at an inconvenient time
Use multiple currencies for all functions
User can create an independent model for specific portions of the plan, e.g. just revenue, on demand
User can create independent financial models in the product without technical support
User licenses for once-a-year users are free of charge
Users can be assigned to groups with similar access rules for ease of administration
Users can be disabled, but their data maintained, without consuming a user license
Users can build asset depreciation schedules without consultant involvement
Users can create separate, long term plans that are more summarized and span many years
Users can see what made up the actuals from prior months
Users may upload data via a flat-file for their portion of the model without administrator assistance
Values can be entered in a top-down manner with values cascading through the model in a methodology of our choosing
Vendor is willing to use our data and requirements to create a PoC (Proof of Concept) for an area we're concerned about
Vendor offers global support
Vendor provides a live phone number for support
Vendor spend broken down by any dimension or attribute
Version of the budget can be created that shares some data with other versions, but not all
Versions can be locked by an administrator and re-opened if necessary
View resolved allocation calculations via a click-through path (drill through)
What-if scenarios can be shared with a subset of users with specific data excluded
When a new dimension must be added, consultants do not have to get involved
When new accounts or other dimensions are added to the source system they are also loaded into the CPM product
When pulling in data from other systems, provides an internmediate layer where data can be inspected and modified before committing
When uploading new source data the system will alert the user to new accounts or other dimensional data and allow it to be mapped
Workflow dashboard interface showing progress to completion
Workflow tool alerts the users to bottlenecks in the process e.g. users that are late or have not logged in
Workflow tool that steps the non-finance user through the tasks they must complete, in order with a visual guide
Workforce Model includes a tax model for different payroll tax obligations by country, state or province
Write notes in reports where variances are shown to explain the variance
Written documentation is released for every new release of the software
Zero based budgeting can be used as the primary or alternative budget version
