PwC France and Maghreb, a renowned consultancy, audit, legal, and tax firm with approximately 7,000 employees, operates in a market where operational efficiency is imperative. The company partnered with Beyond Plans to modernize its budgeting processes, optimize profitability, and manage payroll through Anaplan.
At PwC France and Maghreb, the need to transform budget planning was becoming increasingly urgent, as the previous tool no longer met expectations. Its technical limitations were impacting the reliability and agility of processes. To address this, the Anaplan platform was chosen for its ability to break down silos between various budgetary functions, particularly between human resources management and finance, as the service company’s business model inherently demands strong synergy between these two departments.
Anaplan provides an integrated view of budget planning, consolidating data on headcount (FTEs), fixed salaries, bonuses, and ancillary expenses to deliver a coherent perspective on direct costs and gross margin. This is crucial for enhancing the transparency, efficiency, and accuracy of budgetary processes.
Dual modeling approach
With its deep expertise in the Anaplan platform and after conducting a thorough analysis of PwC France and Maghreb’s needs, Beyond Plans played a crucial role throughout the project, adapting to the company’s specific requirements. This included the need to manage distinct budget processes for its five service lines, each with unique planning needs. To address this, Beyond Plans adopted a dual approach: aggregate HR process modeling for some service lines and detailed, individual modeling for others. This method allowed for the integration of these specificities without complicating the solution.
The project also highlighted the importance of effective change management, proactively involving the various stakeholders through regular collaborative workshops and dedicated training. These initiatives enabled the teams to quickly adopt the new processes and tools. Anaplan was jointly used by the HR teams and the management controllers, fostering collaboration between these two departments and, as a result, leading to greater efficiency and agility in producing forecasts regarding headcount, production capacity, payroll, and, consequently, gross margin.
Moving towards connected budget planning
The first element of the solution to be deployed, the model codenamed “Phoenix,” addresses the need for the standardization and organization of social data (attendance, absences, grade changes, etc.). This information is fed into a forecasting model that automatically calculates various indicators, such as the number of FTEs and projected payroll costs, with a projection starting at the beginning of each financial year. For PwC France and Maghreb, this has resulted in unprecedented agility in managing headcount and salary costs.
In the end, the results exceeded PwC France and Maghreb’s initial expectations. The Anaplan solution now provides greater accuracy in budget projections and enhanced responsiveness in adjustment processes. Thanks to connected planning, teams can now simulate different scenarios, taking into account variations in headcount and salary scale assumptions. This key feature enables HR and finance managers to make strategic decisions based on reliable, up-to-date data.
HR-Finance integration: a virtuous strategy for service companies
If this project is a success for PwC, it also demonstrates that integrating HR and finance functions is a real asset for all consulting and service companies that need to manage large workforces and quickly adapt to market changes. Unifying these functions provides better cost visibility, enhanced forecasting ability, and continuous optimization of profitability.
Beyond Plans’ technical and organizational support proved crucial in achieving optimal results. Beyond Plans was able to address PwC’s specific needs with a flexible, tailor-made solution, ensuring the success of the project. Additionally, the exclusive Anaplan integration partner ensured the sustainable adoption of the new tools by internal teams.
30% Reduction in Budget Validation Time
Beyond Plans has not only helped PwC France and Maghreb optimize its budget planning but has also demonstrated how the integration of finance and human resources can be a powerful lever for value creation for service companies striving for operational excellence. For instance, the integration of these two functions led to a 30% reduction in budget validation times, resulting in increased responsiveness and more confident strategic decisions.
Beyond this initial deployment, the project is part of a continuous improvement journey. Future plans include integrating new modules and updating existing features to meet PwC’s evolving needs.
«A successful project means selecting the right technical solution, having a committed project team on the client’s side, and choosing an integrator partner who understands and supports the strategic objectives.»
Brigitte Albrand,
Chief Financial Officer
PwC France and Maghreb
This use case was the subject of a webinar organized by the DFCG.
To watch the replay, click here.
