Summary 

Planning is a new module that is being rolled out for PMI departments. It initially supports

• the GoGreen cockpits with financial elements for environmental targets
• Room Revenue monthly forecasts and budgets

PMI prepopulates this plan using the latest Live Forecast and estimates based on historic financial (P&L) data. 

This article covers how to create a pre-populated new plan (Budget or Forecast) by answering a series of questions. The process will create GoGreen and Revenue Forecasts each time, if you have the modules enabled. 

For details of how to review and edit a plan see the Knowledge base article. 

Step 1. What? Basic setup 

Step 2. How? Numbers 

Step 3. Go live? initiate 

Intended Users 

Controller, Admin user 

Requirements 

Access to PMI Planning and GoGreen Role or Controller Role or higher

Set up steps 

From the main menu, under ‘Administration’ select ‘Planning setup’ to enter this screen. 

Here you should complete each of the numbered questions and then the ‘next’ button will be enabled.  You can also move between the different tabs by selecting the header. 

Step 1. What? Basic setup 

This sets up the basics of naming and period and is needed before you can save your progress. 

1. What is this plan called? 

• Select whether you are creating a Forecast or budget (or target depending on your settings). This type will be displayed later in the name of this version. 
• Provide free text for the name as required.  This is the name used for this version on various menus so make sure it is clear and easily recognisable. For example, by including year and month if you prepare monthly forecasts. 

2. What period will it cover?

• Choose the start and end month to include in this plan.  Maximum allowed is 18 months and we advise 12 months as minimum.  When creating a forecast, we suggest setting the start month at start of the year.  Past months will automatically display actual historic data and be read-only. 
• If the period selected includes last month you will get an extra question as in the example above. Tick the box only if you are happy that all of PMI including P&L is updated for the period in question. It is assumed that actual historic data will always be complete for earlier periods. 

3. What data should be a comparative source for comparative data and automation? 

• This step is important because it controls the source used to prepopulate any data not available from Live forecast. For example, information from the data sources chosen here will be used to pre-populate prices for energy, estimated overhead costs, the split between different financial accounts, expected Commission based on a % of Sales etc.
• These figures can be overwritten in the main plan view but this starting point is likely to influence the final plan submitted. 

• With that in mind use the timeline to set a data source chronologically for your plan. In this example we have selected an existing forecast and the timeline is now shaded dark blue for all the months available from that source.
• You can reduce the months taken from a particular source by moving the mouse onto the timeline. Click when the blue split indicator is on the correct place and you will be able to select a new plan from that point. 
• In this example the initial version selected ends on April 2022, and there is a new selector showing on May 2022. You would need to select a separate data source from this month onwards.
• Note there is also a ‘Reset’ option if you need to start again. 
• There is also a background rule preventing selection of actual data from the current month or the last complete month. 
• Only when the whole period to be created has a valid source in the timeline is it possible to proceed to the next page. 

Step 2. How? Numbers 

This sets up any other general parameters for the whole plan and will expand as functionality increases. 

1. Cost inflation

• Estimates for unit prices and general overheads will be based on a prior period (the comparative sources chosen in step 1, question 3).  The % here will adjust the source amounts up for inflation or down (use minus sign) for cost savings. 
• The level included in the prepopulated plan will be clear to users and they will be able to overwrite the individual values if needed. 

2. Sense check threshold

• PMI will run a set of checks to see if the values make sense in context.  Some checks compare each month with other months in the same year and other checks compare each month with the same month in other years.
• Sense check will ignore any variance within the threshold set here.  Eg. 10% threshold means that the Sense Check will ignore any value that is less than 10% variance from the months or years it is comparing it to.
• Where PMI is comparing to other years it uses the years selected in the Comparative data section.  Users will be able to select other options in the data table for the Sense Check to compare with.
• Further information about the Sense Check mode is found in the Knowledge Base Article

3. Segment level (Room revenue planning)

• Where room revenue is forecast at segment level, you can choose whether or not to show this level of detail in this version.   Selecting ‘Yes’ here will add a 2^nd screen to the planning page.  This displays Room revenue, room nights and ARR for each segment.
• Selecting ‘Yes’ to view will open a 2^nd question: do you want to edit room revenue at segment level.
  • If select ‘No’ to edit at segment level, then the values for Room nights and ARR can only be edited in the main Revenue page.  These values are then split between the segments on the segment page.  This allocation is based on the same proportions found in the months selected in Step 1 Question 3 for the Comparative data.
  • If editing is selected as ‘Yes’ at segment level, Room nights and ARR can only be edited in the Segment page (at each segment level) and not in the main Revenue summary page. The data from the Segment page will update the totals in the Revenue page automatically.
• We make the following recommendations if you forecast at Segment level:
  • For a budget (eg annual budget) select ‘No’ to view at segment level as these details are less relevant to the longer period.
  • For a forecast (eg monthly update) select ‘Yes’ to view AND edit so that changes are made at the detailed segment level.

Step 3. Go live? initiate 

The final step in the process is the confirmation.

• On the left there is a summary of your selections, so you can check the name and period are correct. 
• On the right is a basic status panel for this version. 

• The ‘Save’ option on this page is the trigger that creates a new automated plan version with the details you have specified and cannot be reversed.
• Once the creation process is complete you will be redirected to the new plan you have created. It will also be available to all other users with the correct access rights. 

Tutorial video can be found below

PMI NextGen Planning How to set up a plan