If you’re in sales ops, finance, or just the unlucky soul stuck wrangling pipeline reports, you’ve probably heard Anaplan pitched as a magic fix. Here’s the truth: it’s powerful, but only if you set up dashboards that show you what matters—and ignore the noise. This guide walks you through tracking your sales pipeline with Anaplan dashboards, minus the hype and with a focus on what actually helps you hit targets or spot issues before they become fires.
1. Know What You’re Measuring (and Why)
Before you open Anaplan, stop and ask: what do you really need from your pipeline dashboard? You’re not building it for the C-suite’s amusement—you want to spot bottlenecks, understand conversion rates, and see if you’ll hit your number (or not).
Core metrics that matter: - Pipeline by stage: How much is sitting at each step (lead, qualified, proposal, etc.). - Conversion rates: Percentage moving from one stage to the next. - Sales velocity: How fast deals move through the pipeline. - Weighted pipeline: Pipeline value, factoring in probability. - Win/loss rates: Straightforward, but often buried. - Aging: How long deals linger in each stage.
Skip the fluff: - Vanity charts (“deals by rep’s favorite color”) are a waste. - Metrics you can’t act on aren’t worth tracking.
Pro tip: Start with fewer metrics. Add more only if you find yourself asking for them.
2. Prep Your Data (Don’t Skip This)
Your dashboard won’t save you if your data’s a mess. Garbage in, garbage out—no exceptions.
What to check before importing into Anaplan: - Consistent stage names: “Demo Complete” vs. “Completed Demo” will break your numbers. - Dates are clean: No text in your date columns. Missing close dates cause havoc. - Probability fields: Make sure these are percentages, not vague “high/medium/low” words. - Deal ownership: Every deal should have an owner, or you’ll never trace gaps.
Data sources: Most folks pull from CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.). Do a one-time cleanup and set up regular imports. If IT controls this, befriend them (bribery works—think coffee).
Pro tip: Run a spot check on 10 random deals. If you find errors, fix your source data before building anything fancy.
3. Build the Right Dashboard in Anaplan
Once your data’s solid, it’s time to set up the dashboard. Anaplan is flexible, but that’s a double-edged sword: you can create almost anything, including dashboards nobody uses.
Step 3.1: Sketch Before You Build
Grab paper or a whiteboard. What decisions should your dashboard support? For pipeline, you probably want: - A top-line view: Are we on track? - A breakdown by stage, team, or region. - Quick filters (date, team, product). - Easy drill-downs for reps or deals that need attention.
Don’t get cute with colors or charts. If it takes more than 5 seconds to find the bottleneck, it’s too complicated.
Step 3.2: Create Modules for Each Metric
In Anaplan, modules are where your calculations live. Set up modules for: - Pipeline by stage: Sum deal values by current stage. - Conversion rates: # of deals moving forward ÷ total at each stage. - Weighted pipeline: Deal value × probability. - Aging: Days since stage entry.
Keep formulas simple and label everything clearly. If you can’t explain it to a new hire in under a minute, redo it.
Step 3.3: Build Your Dashboard Page
Use Anaplan’s UX to drop in grids, charts, and filters. A good pipeline dashboard has: - A summary KPI bar (pipeline, weighted pipeline, win rate). - A simple bar or funnel chart by stage. - A table of deals stuck in the same stage >30 days. - Filters for time period, team, and rep.
What to avoid: - Pie charts. Just don’t. - Overly nested dashboards (“click 5 times to find your deal”). - Fancy graphics nobody understands.
Pro tip: Build with your end user in mind. If they can’t find what they need in 2 clicks, it’s not working.
4. Make It Actionable
Dashboards are for doing, not just looking. A good pipeline dashboard should help you answer: - Where are deals stalling? - Which reps need help? - Are we likely to hit quota this month/quarter? - Which deals are at risk?
How to make it actionable: - Highlight deals with no activity in 14+ days. - Flag deals with close dates in the past (sloppy pipeline management). - Show conversion rates by rep—call out the outliers. - List top 10 biggest deals by stage.
Build in simple callouts or color highlights for these. Don’t make users do mental gymnastics to spot what matters.
5. Keep It Up to Date
This is where a lot of dashboards die. If your data isn’t updating—or nobody trusts it—people stop looking.
Set up regular imports: - At least daily. Hourly if you’re high-velocity. - Use Anaplan’s integration tools (or APIs) to automate. - Set up alerts if imports fail.
Audit your dashboard: - Once a month, sit down with sales ops or a frontline manager. What’s missing? What’s not being used? - Remove dead weight. Add only what’s needed.
Pro tip: If you notice people exporting your dashboard to Excel to “fix it,” that’s a sign your dashboard isn’t working.
6. Honest Pros and Cons (and What to Ignore)
What works: - Anaplan’s flexibility: You can model almost any sales process, even weird ones. - Real-time scenario planning: If you want to see what happens if you lose a deal, it’s easy to model. - Shared visibility: Everyone sees the same numbers—no more dueling spreadsheets.
What doesn’t: - Setup isn’t “plug and play.” If you expect Salesforce dashboards with prettier charts, you’ll be disappointed. - Requires maintenance. Data quality and business process changes need updates. - Too much customization = dashboard bloat. Keep it tight.
Ignore: - Overly complex “AI-powered” forecasting unless you have great data and a team who will maintain it. - Dashboards nobody looks at. If it’s not driving action, cut it.
7. Iterate and Keep It Simple
You won’t get the perfect dashboard on your first try, and that’s fine. Start simple, focus on the questions you need answered right now, and improve from there. Don’t get sucked into dashboard perfectionism—the only “best” dashboard is the one your team actually uses.
Quick checklist: - [ ] Clear metrics that matter - [ ] Clean, up-to-date data - [ ] Easy to read and navigate - [ ] Drives action, not just reporting
That’s it. Keep it straightforward, review what’s working every month or so, and don’t be afraid to cut features nobody uses. The real win isn’t a pretty dashboard—it’s knowing where you stand, and what to do next.