Modern business planning solutions are evolving fast. But even the most advanced technology fails without a deep understanding of your industry-specific planning needs. That is why, vertical analytics is becoming the foundation for meaningful insights and reliable forecasts. In this article, we explore why domain expertise in analytics is critical, how generic planning solutions fall short, and when bringing in external consultants for data planning makes sense.
What is industry-specific planning?
Industry-specific planning means building forecasts, models, and workflows based on the unique realities of your sector – whether it’s retail, manufacturing, energy, or financial services.
These realities include:
– The timing and drivers of revenue and cost (e.g., seasonality in retail vs. project cycles in construction).
– Regulatory reporting and compliance factors.
– Asset utilization and working capital structures.
– Unique customer behaviors and channel strategies
Generic planning tools assume a flat world. But in practice, the margins in healthcare are managed differently than in logistics. A planning solution that ignores this nuance will fail to deliver meaningful guidance.
Why tools alone are not enough
Modern platforms, like Anaplan, Workday or Oracle, can be customized for almost any use case. But the keyword here is customized. Without someone on the team who understands the business logic, you’re just dragging charts around.
Best tools won’t help unless they’re guided by the right assumptions:
– What should be forecasted?
– Which drivers matter most?
– When do decisions need to happen?
This is where domain knowledge becomes a critical asset. A tool that fits the industry reality out of the box will always deliver faster and more reliable insights than one built from generic assumptions.
Why industry expertise accelerates outcomes
Having someone on the team who understands your vertical can:
– Shorten implementation timelines (less back and forth on logic).
– Improve adoption (because outputs make sense to users).
– Reduce the risk of garbage-in/garbage-out models.
For example, a consultant who has delivered demand forecasts for a beverage manufacturer will already know how to model seasonal peaks, manage SKU churn, and factor in promotions. You don’t need to teach them why Easter matters for inventory planning. That saves weeks, if not months, of onboarding and iteration.
When to bring in external consultants
If your internal teams are stretched thin or if you’re adopting a new platform, bringing in outside help is often necessary.
Here’s when it makes sense to bring in consultants:
– You’re rolling out a new planning platform or writeback solution.
– Your team is focused on operations, not model building.
– You need to show quick wins to build internal support.
– You lack specialized knowledge in planning or analytics.
The best consultants don’t just “build reports.” They transfer expertise to your internal team, document everything clearly, and create solutions that you can own after handover.
Design for Reality
Planning models must reflect how decisions are made in your business. That means aligning:
– Metrics with operational language (e.g., picking efficiency, patient flow, loan approval cycle).
– Reports with user roles (finance, sales, supply chain).
– Scenarios with strategic priorities (growth, margin control, risk mitigation).
Too often, companies build slick dashboards that no one trusts, because the logic behind them doesn’t align with how people actually work. This isn’t a technoogy issue, it’s a design failure caused by lack of business context.
Leadership Takeaway: Strategy First, Tools Second
Before choosing a planning tool, ask yourself:
– Does your team fully understand your industry dynamics?
– Do they know what good planning looks like in your space?
– Are your metrics grounded in operational reality?
If the answer is no, solve that first. A great tool in the wrong hands still leads to bad planning. But when expertise leads and tools follow, you get systems that produce clarity, not confusion.
Final Thoughts
Modern planning solutions are powerful. But power without direction is dangerous. As tools become more capable, the cost of misusing them increases. That’s why industry expertise isn’t a bonus, it’s a requirement.
Invest in people who know your business. Design processes around the decisions you actually make. Only then should you worry about dashboards and AI.
Great planning starts with knowing what matters.