Create Your First Planning Model

This guide creates a reviewable model under Scenario planning. Start with one business question and one accountable owner. Do not begin by recreating every spreadsheet that the company uses.

Before You Start

• Use a workspace role that can create and edit planning models.
• Identify the decision that the model must support.
• Choose the source records and time range that the decision needs.
• Decide who owns the model and who reviews it.
• Use a template only when its structure matches the question.

Examples of a focused first question are:

• How much cash will we have over the next 13 weeks?
• What is the monthly cost of the hiring plan?
• How does a collections delay affect cash?
• How does budget compare with actuals?

1. Open Models

1. Select Scenario planning.
2. Select Models.
3. Review the available folders, favorites, and models.
4. Select New model.

Use search when the workspace already has many models. Confirm that an equivalent model does not exist before you create another one.

2. Choose a Starting Point

Choose one of these paths:

Blank model

Select New model when you need a small custom structure and you understand the variables and formulas that you will add.

A blank model starts with minimal formula-ready structure. It does not import financial data automatically.

Template

Choose a template that matches the decision. Common starting points include:

• 13-Week Cash Flow
• P&L and Runway
• Headcount plan
• Three Statement Model
• Receivables & DSO
• Budget vs Actuals Variance
• Cash Flow Stress Test

Read the description before you create it. A card marked unavailable cannot be launched yet.

3. Name and Own the Model

Give the model a name that states the subject and period, such as:

• FY27 Operating Plan
• Q4 Collections Stress
• 13-Week Cash, August Start

Avoid names such as New model, Latest, or Final. Use version history and scenarios instead of version words in the title.

Create a folder when the workspace needs a stable grouping such as Annual Planning, Board Cases, or Working Capital.

4. Confirm Time Settings

Open model settings and confirm:

• the first period
• monthly, weekly, or other supported frequency
• the actuals boundary
• the forecast horizon
• the display format

The first forecast period should begin where observed actuals end. Overlapping or missing periods can make a correct formula appear wrong.

5. Import or Link Actuals

When the model needs workspace records:

1. Select Import actuals.
2. Wait for the import result.
3. Open the model source controls.
4. Link the required transaction-category or invoice source when the template needs it.
5. Refresh the source.
6. Compare one known source period with the grid.

If no supported planning source exists, use explicit inputs and document where the values came from. Do not describe a manual assumption as an imported actual.

6. Review the Template Before Editing

Read the variable names, formulas, dimensions, and output rows.

Confirm:

• the units and currency
• which rows are inputs
• which rows are formulas
• which periods contain actuals
• whether the model uses dimensions
• whether any formula has an error
• whether a scenario is active

Remove or rename a template row only after you understand what depends on it.

7. Add the First Assumptions

Add only the assumptions necessary to answer the first question.

For each assumption:

1. Use a clear variable name.
2. Enter the value in the correct period.
3. Apply the correct number format.
4. Add a formula rather than copied values when the relationship should continue.
5. Use a comment to record the owner or rationale when the assumption needs review.

Keep imported actuals, inputs, and outputs visually distinguishable through labels and formats.

8. Create a Scenario

Create one alternative case, such as:

• slower collections
• lower revenue
• delayed hiring
• higher costs
• a selected customer loss

Change only the assumptions that define the case. Then compare it with the base.

Do not promote the scenario to the base during the first review. Promotion rewrites the base and needs owner authority.

9. Check the Model

A first model is ready for review when:

• the date range matches the decision
• imported actuals agree with a known source period
• every input has an owner or rationale
• formulas have no unresolved errors
• the base case and scenario are clearly named
• outputs respond when an assumption changes
• currency and units are consistent
• the model owner can explain the key calculation path

Use version history before a large structural change.

10. Save a Review View

Create a saved view with only the rows and periods that the reviewer needs.

1. Select the intended scenario.
2. Arrange the variables and periods.
3. Save the view with a specific label.
4. Share it as Can view, Can comment, or Can edit.
5. Copy the link.
6. Open the link once to confirm the correct view.

Share the saved view instead of the full working model when the reviewer needs a focused answer.

Troubleshoot

The model has no actuals

Confirm that the template expects actuals, that a supported source exists, and that you selected Import actuals or linked the required source.

Formulas show errors

Check variable names, time references, dimensions, and missing inputs. Correct the first upstream error before you edit every dependent row.

A template feels too complex

Return to Models and create a blank model or a smaller template. A simple model that the team can audit is better than a large model that no one can explain.

The scenario does not change the output

Confirm that the override applies to a variable used by the output formula and to the period that you are reviewing.

Next Steps

• Build a Driver-Based Planning Model
• Configure Planning Time and Actuals
• Connect Planning Data and Actuals
• Compare and Share Planning Scenarios
• Run Planning Uncertainty Analysis
• Scenario Planning