50 SAC Planning Use Cases
Documented use cases across Financial Planning, Sales Planning, Supply Chain Planning, and Enterprise Planning — each with typical model requirements and implementation considerations.
Annual Revenue Planning
Top-down revenue target setting with bottom-up sales input, reconciliation, and approval workflow.
Expense Planning by Cost Centre
Departmental expense planning with budget pack distribution, variance tracking, and consolidation.
Headcount and Personnel Cost Planning
Position-level headcount planning with salary, bonus, and benefits cost derivation.
Rolling 12-Month P&L Forecast
Continuous P&L forecast updated monthly with actuals lock and forward-looking assumptions.
Cash Flow Forecasting
Indirect cash flow forecast derived from P&L plan with working capital adjustments.
Balance Sheet Planning
Integrated balance sheet plan connected to P&L and cash flow with key ratio tracking.
Capital Expenditure Planning
Project-level capex planning with depreciation scheduling and asset register integration.
Profit Centre Profitability Planning
Profitability planning at profit centre level with cost allocation and transfer pricing.
Multi-Entity Consolidated Planning
Group-level planning with entity submissions, intercompany elimination, and currency translation.
Budget vs Actual Variance Analysis
Automated variance reporting with drill-through from summary to transaction level.
Zero-Based Budgeting Model
Activity-based budgeting model requiring justification of all cost lines from zero.
Financial Scenario Simulation
Side-by-side scenario comparison for base case, upside, and downside financial plans.
Sales Quota Setting and Distribution
Top-down quota setting by region and product with bottom-up sales rep assignment.
Pipeline-Based Revenue Forecast
CRM pipeline data integrated into SAC for probability-weighted revenue forecasting.
Territory Planning and Coverage Model
Sales territory design with revenue potential analysis and rep capacity planning.
Product Mix and Pricing Planning
Revenue planning by product line with price assumption management and mix analysis.
Sales Incentive Compensation Planning
Commission and bonus plan modelling connected to sales quota and achievement data.
Demand Forecasting for Sales Operations
Statistical and judgement-based demand forecast for sales operations and supply alignment.
Customer Segment Revenue Planning
Revenue planning segmented by customer tier, channel, and geography.
New Product Launch Financial Planning
Revenue and cost planning for new product launches with ramp-up assumptions.
Sales and Operations Planning Alignment
Connecting sales volume plans to operational capacity and financial targets.
Account-Level Revenue Planning
Key account planning with individual account revenue targets and growth assumptions.
Statistical Demand Planning
Baseline demand forecast using historical data with statistical smoothing and seasonal adjustment.
Inventory Level Planning
Safety stock, reorder point, and inventory investment planning by product and location.
Procurement Budget Planning
Category-level procurement budget with supplier pricing assumptions and volume drivers.
Production Capacity Planning
Production line capacity planning with utilisation analysis and bottleneck identification.
Raw Material Requirements Planning
Material requirements planning connected to production forecasts and inventory positions.
Logistics Cost Planning
Freight and logistics cost planning by lane, mode, and volume driver.
Supplier Performance and Cost Planning
Supplier cost benchmarking and variance planning for procurement negotiations.
Distribution Network Planning
Warehouse and distribution cost planning with network optimisation scenarios.
Manufacturing Cost Planning
Standard cost planning for manufactured products including direct and overhead costs.
Supply Chain Risk Scenario Planning
Scenario modelling for supply disruption, price volatility, and lead time changes.
COGS Planning and Gross Margin Analysis
Cost of goods sold planning connected to sales volume and production cost drivers.
Integrated Business Planning (IBP)
Connecting financial, sales, and supply chain plans in a single planning process.
Strategic Plan Modelling (3–5 Year)
Long-range financial modelling with strategic driver assumptions and scenario analysis.
Executive Dashboard for Planning
C-suite planning dashboard with P&L, cash, and KPI summary across all planning dimensions.
Driver-Based Corporate Planning Model
Enterprise planning model driven by volume, price, productivity, and headcount assumptions.
Mergers and Acquisitions Planning
M&A financial modelling with acquisition impact on P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow.
ESG and Sustainability Planning
Carbon emission and sustainability KPI planning integrated with financial planning.
IT Cost Planning and Allocation
IT department cost planning with service-based allocation to business units.
Real Estate and Facilities Planning
Property cost planning with lease management and space utilisation drivers.
R&D Investment Planning
Research and development budget planning with project-level tracking and capitalisation rules.
Marketing Budget Planning
Campaign-level marketing budget with ROI tracking and channel allocation.
Workforce Planning and Organisational Design
Headcount planning across organisational layers with span of control and cost modelling.
Shared Services Cost Allocation Planning
Shared services cost planning with allocation methodology design and business unit charging.
Tax Planning Integration
Effective tax rate planning integrated with pre-tax P&L and deferred tax modelling.
Business Unit P&L Planning
Divisional P&L planning with transfer pricing, shared cost allocation, and consolidation.
Project Portfolio Planning
Portfolio-level investment planning with prioritisation, phasing, and benefit tracking.
Board Reporting Pack Automation
Automated board reporting driven by the planning model with narrative and commentary.
Planning Model Migration from SAP BPC
Migration planning and execution from SAP BPC (NetWeaver or Standard) to SAC Planning.
Understand the framework behind these use cases
The 7-Layer SAC Planning Architecture applies to every use case listed here.