Writing Your Project Manifesto

What is a manifesto?

The manifesto is your chance to get your team in alignment and focused on the goal of your Anaplan deployment. You will write a few short paragraphs that will define your project goal. The manifesto should be clear, concise, and focused on the overall deployment goal. Creating a manifesto early in the project ensures that you have agreement and buy in among your team.

Why do I need a manifesto?

A manifesto acts as a guiding light on your first Anaplan deployment to ensure the project remains on track.

How to get started writing your manifesto?

1. Brainstorm

To get your team thinking about the manifesto, ask: What are we trying to accomplish? and/or How do we achieve success for this project? How will the team know the project has been a success?

2. Write your Manifesto

• Gather your team in a room
• Have each team member write down his or her thoughts
• Have your team craft a paragraph or two that describes exactly what the implementation team will build.

3. Refine a Manifesto

When you finish your deployment, you should be able to read your manifesto and say, “Yes, the model we built aligns completely with the manifesto.”

Remember, the manifesto acts not only as a checkpoint at the end but also as document referred to regularly throughout your project. Use the manifesto as a checkpoint to ensure the project is going in the right direction. Return to the manifesto and determine if current work achieves the manifesto. If not, determine what needs to be done to get the project back on track.

Furthering your Anaplan Learning (Advanced Learning)

The Anaplan platform is constantly evolving and new functionalities are constantly coming out.  Make sure your model is adapting and constantly optimized. 

After your first deployment with Anaplan, you should check back on Community to review the training class directory. Here is where we offer our Instructor-Led courses.  We are always creating new offerings.

In the meantime, take advantage of our onDemand courses to improve your skills in model performance, and maintaining user permissions.

As the platform evolves, you should also stay up-to-date with the releases and incorporate new features into your Anaplan environment to continue to optimize your model and improve usability. Check here for the latest platform releases.