Automation, analytics help companies anticipate change, coordinate decision-making across departments, new research says

A growing number of companies are using dedicated business planning software to integrate their planning activities and align them with enterprise strategy and objectives, according to new research from global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III).

The ISG Buyers Guide™ for Business Planning, produced by ISG Software Research, provides the rankings and ratings of 17 software providers and their products to support connected, coordinated planning. The research finds that many enterprises are augmenting traditional budget processes, focused on financial safety and control, with business planning practices that identify opportunities and paths to improvement. Software platforms for carrying out these practices are becoming more powerful as they integrate AI features. The Buyers Guide for Financial Planning Emerging Providers ranks and rates 10 innovative providers of software that supports traditional financial management while reducing complexity.

“Companies need continuous planning with input from all departments to anticipate change, manage resources and pursue growth,” said Robert Kugel, executive director, Business Research, ISG Software Research. “Enterprises adopting business planning tools are using technology to overcome the limitations of siloed planning.”

Dedicated software platforms can refine an organization’s forecasting, planning, analysis and decision-making cycles while improving the performance of executives, managers and financial planning and analysis (FP&A) teams, the research finds. With emerging generative AI and agentic AI features, these platforms can make planning cycles even faster and more agile while increasing participation in the process. By 2028, one-fourth of FP&A organizations will implement this form of integrated business planning, ISG predicts.

Business planning software addresses the complexity of modern business, which operates in multiple dimensions, including those of products, customers, currencies and business units, rather than the two or three dimensions of traditional financial planning, ISG finds. Multidimensional modeling with business planning software lets companies adjust assumptions globally and calculate the effects instantly so leaders can explore scenarios interactively in meetings.

AI is creating new ways to carry out these activities, available in applications already on the market or coming soon, the research finds. Benefits include faster forecasting, reduced bias and simplified budgeting, with automated analytics, decision recommendations and report commentaries. With GenAI and natural language processing, self-service reporting is becoming widely available.

The addition of advanced data management features is another key trend in the evolution of business planning platforms, ISG finds. There are rapidly maturing technologies for managing data flows between these platforms and source systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management. The platforms increasingly use application programming interfaces (APIs) for automatic data extraction, transformation and loading, reducing manual effort and allowing planners to focus on strategy.

For its 2025 Buyers Guide for Business Planning, ISG evaluated software providers across four platform categories: Business Planning, Financial Planning, Revenue Planning and Workforce Planning. A total of 17 providers were assessed: Anaplan, Board, IBM, Infor, insightsoftware, Jedox, Lucanet, OneStream, Oracle, Pigment, Planful, Prophix, SAP, Unit4, Vena Solutions, Wolters Kluwer and Workday.

ISG Software Research rates software providers in five evaluation categories: Overall, Product Experience (incorporating Capability and Platform) and Customer Experience. Providers ranked in the top three for each evaluation category are named as Leaders. Within each platform category, those with the most Leader rankings are named as Overall Leaders.

The Overall Leaders of the 2025 Buyers Guide for Business Planning were the following:

Business Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board, Prophix, SAP and Workday. IBM and Planful were rated Innovative.

Financial Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board, Prophix, SAP and Workday. IBM and Jedox were rated Innovative.

Revenue Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board and Workday. IBM, Jedox and SAP were rated Innovative.

Workforce Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board, Prophix and Workday. IBM and SAP were rated Innovative.

For its 2025 Buyers Guide for Financial Planning Emerging Providers, ISG evaluated 10 providers: Abacum, Centage, Cube, Datarails, Drivetrain, insightsoftware, Jirav, Phocas Software, Sage and Solver.

The Overall Leaders of the 2025 Buyers Guide for Financial Planning Emerging Providers were the following:

Financial Planning Emerging Providers: Sage was the top Overall Leader, followed by Abacum and insightsoftware. Sage was designated a Leader in four evaluation categories, Abacum in five and insightsoftware in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Cube. Drivetrain, Phocas Software and Cube were rated Innovative.

“Rapid advances in software, especially with AI, are turning business planning from an operational burden into an asset for decision-making and action that lets executives and managers anticipate change rather than react to it,” said Mark Smith, partner and chief software analyst, ISG Software Research. “This comprehensive research rates and ranks business planning software so enterprises can assess each option and determine which products best serve their general and specific business needs.”

The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Business Planning and Financial Planning Emerging Providers are the distillation of more than a year of market and product research efforts. The research is not sponsored nor influenced by software providers and is conducted solely to help enterprises optimize their business and IT software investments.

Visit this webpage to learn more about the ISG Buyers Guides™ for Business Planning and Financial Planning Emerging Providers and read executive summaries of each of the reports. The complete reports, including provider rankings across seven product and customer experience dimensions and detailed research findings on each provider, are available by contacting ISG Software Research.

About ISG Software Research

ISG Software Research provides authoritative coverage and analysis of the business and IT software industry. It distributes research and insights daily through its user community, and provides a portfolio of consulting, advisory, research and education services for enterprises, software and service providers, and investment firms. Its ISG Buyers Guides™ help enterprises evaluate and select software providers through tailored assessments powered by ISG’s proprietary methodology. Visit http://research.isg-one.com/ for more information and to sign up for free community membership.

About ISG

ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data, in-depth knowledge of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,600 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.

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Companies need continuous planning with input from all departments to anticipate change, manage resources and pursue growth. Enterprises adopting business planning tools are using technology to overcome the limitations of siloed planning.