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9 Create Merch Plan Task
The Planner role is usually associated with the merchandise planner in the merchandise planning organization. During the pre-season, the Planner receives department targets from the Planning Manager. The Planner references those targets when creating the subclass merch plans.
The Planner will start pre-season activity with the Create Merch Plan task. This task belongs only to the merch Planner role. It includes the following steps:
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Create Plan Step
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Review and Reconcile Step
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Review and Submit Plan Step
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In-Season Review and Reforecast Step
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In-Season Review and Reconcile Step
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In-Season Review and Submit Plan Step
The Planner must complete the first three steps in the Create Merch Plan task for all subclasses in the department in order to create plans and submit them for approval to the Planning Manager. The fourth and fifth steps are used during in-season planning.
The available tasks depend on your user role.
Create Plan Step
To create the plan, the basic approach is to complete the following steps within the views provided in the Create Plan step:
1. The first time you begin the Create Plan step for a particular season, department, and channel, you will want to first review the Targets to understand the department totals you need to produce. The Targets are easily reviewed in the Review and Reconcile step > Review with Target sub-step.
Because you have not seeded any plans, the Wp versions of the plan will be irrelevant in the Target review. Another option you may prefer is to initially seed the entire department to generate the base Wp version for initial comparison against Targets.
2. Select the VAT rate and/or local currency rate for planning.
3. Seed the plan using Last Year (LY), Forecast (Fcst), or Portfolio Optimization data to create a base plan.
4. In Sales/Markdowns, plan the sales, markdowns, returns, and so on, you are projecting. Use forecasted sales and Ly as a guide.
5. Plan the required inventory and receipts.
6. Review the Gross Margin results.
Tip
As you build your plan, click Commit when you are satisfied with the intermediate state. This creates a permanent snapshot of the as-is state. This creates a restore point you can revert to if you go down a path that is unsatisfactory.
At any point during planning a Brick and Mortar or Direct channel, you can click Refresh Fulfillment to get the updated cross-channel plan values. These updates will show cross-channel fulfillment and returns impacts such as buy-online, pickup in store; buy online, return to store, and so on.
Seed Plan Sub-Step
The first action that the Merch Plan users complete when creating a new plan is to seed the plan with the Initialize view.
Initialize View
With this view, you can choose to seed your plan with Last Year (LY), Forecast (Fcst), or Portfolio Optimization data to create a demand curve on which to spread the new plan’s initial targets. Or, you can instead choose to not seed the plan, which allows you to create a plan that is not influenced by last year’s performance, forecast (plus last year’s performance), or Portfolio Optimization results.
When seeding the plan, you can choose which information is seeded. For instance, you can seed just one half or all halves in the task. You can also choose what locations and products to seed.
Table 9-1 Merch Plan Measures
| Measure | Description |
|---|---|
| Seed Source | The seed source used to seed the working plan. Use this option to seed or not seed the working plan. You can seed with Last Year (LY), Forecast (Fcst), or Portfolio Optimization data. Alternatively, choose the Blank option if you do not want to seed the working plan. |
| Seed Info | Includes a few pertinent facts about the last time that the Seed custom menu was executed: last seed source concatenated with last seeded date and the last user to seed. If blank, then the given intersection has never been seeded. |
| Seed Returns Setup | Use this option to seed the working plan returns. You can seed the returns values with Last Year’s (LY) or Forecast (Fcst) data. You can also choose the blank option if you do not want to seed the working plan returns. |
There are two ways you can seed. You can seed each level individually, or you can seed several levels at once by changing the dimension level shown in the view.
Seeding One Level at a Time
To seed one target at a time, you set the seed source information. Then, to seed the next department in the Product hierarchy within the current channel, complete the following steps:
1. Click the dimension whose value (position) you want to change.
The measures in this profile display and capture sales and returns figures by type of sale: Regular + Promotional, and clearance. Regular + Promo, and Clearance added together equate to the total sale or total return.
Start by planning the regular sales. Then, using your marketing calendar as a guide, align the promotional sales to the calendar. Refer to the calendar again for the exit weeks for the products, and plan the clearance sales for those weeks.
The planned figures for these sales types populates the Wp Sales R measure.
•
Markdowns by Type
Markdown is the difference between the original retail price and the actual selling price. The measures in this profile display and capture markdown figures as a total as well as by sales type: Regular + Promotional, and Clearance. The markdown types added together equate to the markdown (Wp Markdown POS R).
In the cost method of planning, many companies do not plan markdowns, but planning both promotional and markdowns offers a guide to make decisions and keep aging inventory from becoming an issue.
Units
Some lines of businesses may prefer to build the plan, or at least closely couple the financial plan, by sales in terms of units. You use this view to review sales units, Average Unit Retail (AUR), and the Average Unit Cost (AUC).
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Direct
This measure profile contains the KPIs for direct-to-consumer channels.
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Fulfillment Planning
This measure profile is focused on planning returns which result from Online purchases which are returned to the store. Often a significant portion of those returns are then sent back to the Online Fulfillment warehouses. These returns are rightfully attributed to the Direct channel and impact the net sales.
The restocking costs associated with such returns are reflected in the net gross margin of the Direct channel.
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Fulfillment Ly
This measure profile is used to review last year’s financials for sales returns and returns back to online.
| 1. Sales | and Markdowns | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vy £6 | Glendar & | GA | Product | |||
| (0_ | Measure(1.Sale | sandMar…»2 | [<]Brick | &Mortara© > | [x30018ShortSlee | |
Measure | Calendar | 2/11/2023 tT | 2/18/2023 + | 2/25/2023 tT | 3/4/2025 3/ T | 11/2023 3/18/2025 ¢ tT |
| Wp Sales R | 63,495.63 | 126,997.90 | 126,954.22 | 126,958.33 | 126,945.73 127,073.16 | |
| Fest SalesR | 76,316.91 | 152,634.48 | 152,580.38 | 152,586.01 | 152,567.62 152,723.10 | |
| WpSalesRva | r Fest% | -16.8% | -16.8% | -16.8% | -16.8% | -16.8% -16.8% |
| LySalesR | 57,723.30 | 115,452.64 | 115,412.93 | 115,416.66 | 115,405.21 115,521.05 | |
| Wp Sales R v | ar Ly % | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% 10.0% |
| MPWp Sales | R contrib Prod% | 3.1% | 5.8% | 5.3% | 48% | 5.8% 6.0% |
| MP Ly Sales | R contrib Prod % | 2.9% | 5.3% | 48% | 44% | 5.3% 5.5% |
| MPWp Sales | R contrib Time % | 1.0% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% 1.9% |
| MPLySales | RcontribTime% | 0.9% | 18% | 18% | 18% | 18% 18% |
| :} W/F-SalesandMarkdown | s | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vy £€f | Calendar& | 0 | Location #&f Product ~ | |
(0 | Measure(Default) | wa | [<Brick&Mortar | © > ie30018Short SleeveTees |
Calendar | 2/11/2025 | 2/18/2023 | 2/25/2025a 3/4/2023 | 3/11/2023 |
| Measure | T | T | ‘i T | sp |
| Wp W/F Sales R | 38,426.06 | 74,264.47 | 74,103.24 74,134.21 | 74,170.03 |
| LyW/F Sales R | 34,932.78 | 67,513.15 | 67,366.58 67,394.74 | 67,427.30 |
| WpW/F SalesRvar Ly% | 10.0 % | 10.0 % | 10.0 % 10.0% | 10.0% |
| Wp W/F Net Sales R | 38,426.06 | 74,264.47 | 74,103.24 74,134.21 | 74,170.03 |
| WpW/F NetSales R% | 100.0 % | 100.0 % | 100.0 % 100.0% | 100.0% |
| LyW/F NetSalesR | 34,932.78 | 67,513.15 | 67,366.58 67,394.74 | 67,427.30 |
| LyW/FNetSalesR% | 100.0 % | 100.0 % | 100.0 % 100.0 % | 100.0% |
| WpW/FNetSalesRvarLy% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% 10.0% | 10.0% |
| > Local -SalesandMarkdow | ns [< Brick&Mor | tar > [< | 3018Short SleeveTe | es > | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar | 2/12/2022 | 2/19/2022 | 2/26/2022 | 3/5/2022 | |
| Measure | |||||
| Wp Sales LR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| LySalesLR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Wp Sales LR var Ly% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| WpNetSales LR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Ly NetSalesLR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Wp NetSales LR var Ly% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Wp Markdown POS LR% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| WpMarkdown POSLR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| LyMarkdown POSLR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Wp Markdown POS LR var Ly ov | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| WpMarkdown Perm LR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| LyMarkdownPermLR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Note
The adjustments you made to the Sales and Markdowns view are visible in this view if you have clicked Calculate.
There are several measure profiles available to guide you through various approaches to planning inventory and receipts:
- Cost (Default)
The Cost profile is the default profile. The planning is focused on total retail rather than units, and sale type . This profile is the most comprehensive view of variables impacting inventory.
• Inventory by Type
In this profile, you can review and maintain a breakdown of inventory by sales type: Regular + Promo, and clearance.
• Units
The most important asset metrics are inventory units and inventory cost because these metrics impacts cash flow. In this view, you can directly maintain EOP inventory, Average Unit Cost, plus shrink, Mark Out of Stock (MOS), and Move to Clearance (MOC) in terms of units.
- Fulfillment Planning
This measure profile focuses on planning the impacts of Buy Online, Pickup in Store and Buy in Store, and Ship to Customer. These fulfillment methods are relevant because inventory is planned for a channel based on its projected sales. When the sales are attributed to one channel but fulfilled by another, the fulfillment channel’s inventory must reflect the increased inventory need (increased OTB).
- Fulfillment Ly
This measure profile is used to review last year’s fulfillment metrics in relation to planning the correct placement of inventory by channel.
| :} 1.Receip | tsand Inve | ntory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vy £€ | Glenda | &3 | Location gy2 | |||
| (0 | Measure(1 | .Retail) + 2 | < Brick&Mortar | © > | ||
| Measure | Cal | endar 2/11/2023 T | 2/18/2023 ‘i | 2/25/2023 a T | 3/4/2025 T | 3/11/2025 T |
| WpBOP R | 4,329,510.68 | 4,285,696.27 | 4,197,158.00 | 4,538,224.60 | 4,450,132.20 | |
| LyBOPR | 3,810,227.45 | 3,730,575.83 | 3,577,772.96 | 4,265,484.19 | 4,105,086.84 | |
| Wp Receipts | R | 0.00 | 0.00 | 429,446.47 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Wp Receipts | MU % | 0.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Ly Receipts R | 0.00 | 0.00 | 429,446.47 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Ly Receipts M | U % | 0.0% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Wp Receipts | R var Ly% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Wp Net Sales | R | 38,426.06 | 74,264.47 | 74,103.24 | 74,134.21 | 74,170.05 |
| LyNetSales | R | 34,932.78 | 67,513.15 | 67,366.58 | 67,394.74 | 67,427.30 |
| 1. Gross | Margin | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vy 6 | Calendar & ———SE———_——————————E | BG | AllDimensions | — | ||
| oo | Measure(Default | ) + # | «Brick&Mortar | |||
| Measure | Calendar | 2/11/2025 T | 2/18/2025 T | 2/25/2023 t | 3/4/2023 tT | 3/11/2025 qt |
| WpGMR | 16,907.04 | 32,187.25 | 32,014.54 | 31,814.65 | 31,823.61 | |
| WpGM R% | 44.0% | 43.3% | 43.2% | 42.9% | 42.9% | |
| LyGMR | 15,370.03 | 29,261.12 | 29,104.13 | 28,922.41 | 28,930.55 | |
| LyGMR% | 44.0% | 43.3% | 43.2% | 42.9% | 42.9% | |
| WpGMR var | Ly% | 10.0 % | 10.0 % | 10.0 % | 10.0% | 10.0% |
| WpVendorF | undsR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
LyVendor Fu | nds R | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Wp Royalties | R | 2,254.42 | 4,402.97 | 4,460.89 | 4,522.94 | 4,509.48 |
| LyRoyalties | R | 2,049.47 | 4,002.70 | 4,055.35 | 4,111.76 | 4,099.53 |
|o
Calendar|||<Bno|ce
@>)||<S|OMBOTSKE|TTES
@>||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|we|2/11/2023|,|2/18/2023
.|
2/25/2023|
‘|
3/4/2023
ui|
3/11/2023|*|
||
WpGM LR
|||||||||
||WpGMLR%|||||||||
|| WpGMLRvarLy%|||||||||
|WpNetGM LR
|||||||||
||WpNetGMLR%|||||||||
|| WpNet GM LR varLy%|||||||||
|WpNetSalesLR|||||||||
| ~ Reviewwith Target | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Calendar #& OG ——_TO | AllDimen — | sions Locat | ion | # | Produc | t wf |
(U0 | Measure(Default) + | # | < Brick | &Mortar © | > | |
| Calendar | 1/7/2023 1/1 | 4/2023 | 1/2 | 1/2023 1/2 | 8/2023 | 2/4/2023 |
| Measure | ||||||
| Wp Sales R | 176,922.48 | 159,215.19 | 212,860.69 | 230,046.50 | 244,784.52 | |
| TgtSales R | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Wp Sales RvarTgt% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| Wp NetSalesR | 157,981.66 | 93,966.34 | 125,927.83 | 136,369.17 | 144,390.01 | |
| Tgt NetSalesR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Wp NetSalesR var Tgt% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| WpMarkdownPOSR | 66,143.00 | 65,120.00 | 68,200.00 | 76,100.00 | 69,125.00 | |
| WpMarkdown POSR% | 41.9% | 69.3% | 54.2% | 55.8% | 47.9% | |
| TgtMarkdownPOSR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
If targets are not published yet, the Tgt measures have no values. If targets have been published or republished by the Merch Planning Manager since you last reviewed them, click the refresh button to reload the latest values. A refresh will reload all data in the workspace to the last committed version, so you must commit all of your plan work first, or it will be reverted to the last point of commit.
Next Steps
If you are reviewing your plans completed thus far but have not completed all subclasses in the department, you must repeat the Create Plan step until the plans for all subclasses within the department/channel are fully built out.
If you have just completed a pre-season plan for the first time:
1. No Location Plans exist yet, so you skip the Review with Location Plan sub-step.
2. Expand the list of steps and select Review and Submit Plan, then choose the sub-step: Submit and Copy Approved Plan.
Follow the necessary actions to submit your plan to the Planning Manager for approval. You may wish to now get started on Location Plan creation however, if the Planning Manager requires the plan to be adjusted, this may impact the work you started on your Location Plans.
If you are adjusting a pre-season plan that has already been submitted for approval:
1. If location plans are created, perform the Review with Location Plan sub-step to understand the implications to Location Plans.
2. Expand the list of steps and select Review and Submit Plan, then choose the sub-step: Submit and Copy Approved Plan.
Follow the necessary actions to submit your plan to the Planning Manager for approval.
3. Perform the Create Location Plan task to make adjustments to any Location Plans that have been started.
Review with Location Plan Sub-Step
This sub-step is performed anytime you make adjustments to the merch Plan after location plans have been created.
Review with Location Plan View
In the Review with Location Plan view, you directly compare Wp (working merch plan) to the current location plan. By comparing the merch plan to the location plan metrics, you can better understand where there are misalignments that need to be corrected. There are several variance measures that quickly guide you to areas of difference.
| » Reviewwith Location Plan | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Calendar 0 | L | ocation # G | ||
| oO | Measure(1.Wp/LPCp) | 0 | [ | < Brick&Mortar | © > [< 500W |
| Calendar | 1/7/2023 | 1/14/2023 | 1/21/2023 | 1/28/2023 2/4/2023 | 2/11/2023 |
| Measure | |||||
| WpSalesR | 176,922.48 | 159,215.19 | 212,860.69 | 230,046.50 244,784.52 | 204,263.47 |
| LPCpSalesR | 194,610.62 | 175,359.29 | 234,857.78 | 254,136.25 270,251.31 | 202,654.67 |
| Wp Sales RvarLPCp% | -9.1% | -9.2% | 9.4% | -9.5% 94% | 08% |
| WpNetSalesR | 157,981.66 | 93,966.34 | 125,927.83 | 136,369.17 144,390.01 | 121,407.33 |
| LPCp Net Sales R | 173,632.37 | 103,495.60 | 138,923.01 | 150,639.37 159,411.47 | 120,448.38 |
| WpNet Sales R var LPCp% | -9.0% | -9.2% | 9.4% | -9.5% -9.4% | 08% |
| WpMarkdownPOSR | 66,143.00 | 65,120.00 | 68,200.00 | 76,100.00 69,125.00 | 0.00 |
| WpMarkdown POSR% | 41.9% | 69.3% | 54.2% | 55.8% 47.9% | 0.0% |
| LPCpMarkdownR | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 0.00 | 0.00 |
| LPCp Markdown R% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% 0.0% | 0.0% |
| WpMarkdown POSRvarLP | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% 0.0% | 0.0% |
There are several measure profiles in this view to quickly guide you to the plans you wish to review:
- Wp/LPCp
This measure profile shows the key Working Plan metrics for comparison with Location Plan, Current Plan metrics. Current Plan is a version of the plan that is approved in-season (and is actualized for elapsed/historical periods).
- Wp/LPOp
This measure profile shows the key Working Plan metrics for comparison with Location Plan, Original Plan metrics. Original Plan is the plan as it was initially approved-typically it got approved pre-season and stays fixed when the period becomes in-season.
Review and Submit Plan Step
This step is performed when you are ready to submit your working plan to the Planning Manager for approval.
Review Plan Sub-Step
When you believe you are ready to submit your working plan to the Planning Manager for approval, first use the Review Plan view to make sure the plan meets expectations.
There are several measure profiles in this view to quickly guide you to the plans you wish to review:
- Wp/Ly (Default)
This measure profile shows the main Working Plan metrics for comparison with last year metrics. This is the profile you will use after initially performing the Create Plan step.
- Wp/Cp
This measure profile shows the main Working Plan metrics for comparison with Current Plan metrics. Current Plan is a version of the plan that is approved in-season (and is actualized for elapsed/historical periods).
- Wp/Op
This measure profile shows the main Working Plan metrics for comparison with Original Plan metrics. Original Plan is the plan as it was initially approved. Typically, it got approved pre-season and stays fixed when the period becomes in-season.
Submit Plan Sub-Step
This sub-step is performed when you have built a pre-season Merch Plan for all subclasses in a department for a given channel and period. Submitting a plan copies the merch plans you built in the Wp measures to the Waiting Approval (Wa) measures, and then commits then to the database.
Once committed, the Planning Manager can retrieve those plans and take action reviewing and approving them in the Create Merch Plan Targets Task. The Wa measures are shown in the Submitted and Approved view. These measures initially have zero values.
After the Merch Plans are submitted in this step, those measures are populated with the Wa information.
As a result of completing submission of the plan, the Wp Submit and Wp Submit Info measures are cleared, the Wp Approval Status is set to Submitted, and the Wa Submit Info measure is populated. In addition, your working plan is copied into a Waiting for Approval (Wa) plan.
Submitted and Approved Plan View
In this view, you can verify the plan that is awaiting approval.
In-Season Review and Reforecast Step
The Planner uses the Create Merch Plan task during the In-season to review plans and compares those plans to the season actuals. Planners can make adjustments in the views within the In-season Review and Reforecast step. .
One of the key steps of In-season management is reviewing Open to Buy (OTB). OTB is the amount of money budgeted during the In-season to purchase goods that have not yet been received or ordered. The Planner decides In-season how to spend this money to reach strategic targets.
Sales and Returns Sub-Step
After the Pre-season plan, review the Sales Return plan during the In-season process for those departments against targets. This has similar views and measures as Sales and Returns steps from the Pre-season step..
-
Sales and Markdown
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Local – Sales and Markdown
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Returns Maintenance Setup
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W/F Sales and Markdown
Gross / Net Margin Sub-Step
The Planner can use this sub-step to review the margins against the target during the Inseason process. This step has similar views and measures as the Gross / Net Margin sub-step from the Pre-season step.
-
Gross margin
-
Local – Gross Margin
-
W/F Gross Margin
Inventory / Receipts / OTB Sub-step
This step can be used to review the inventory and receipts during the In-season planning. This step has similar views and measures as Inventory / Receipts from pre-season step. Additionally, this sub-steps also has OTB view and projection view.
-
Receipts and Inventory
-
Move to Clearance
-
Open to Buy
-
Weekly In-season Projection
| ¥ OpentoBuy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Calendar BG | Location | # Z | |
| o | Measure(Default) | [< _ | Brick&Mortar > | [< 3018Sh |
| Calendar 1/21/2023 | 1/28/2023 2/4 | /2023 | 2/11/2023 2/18/2023 2 | /25/2023 |
| Measure | ||||
| WpBOP R 1,224,800.71 | 1,197,661.68 | 1,408,828.49 | 1,381,660.30 1,359,726.27 | 1,316,681.88 |
| Wp Net Sales R 9,490.55 | 9,465.56 | 9,435.91 | 10,548.41 20,734.58 | 20,690.53 |
| WpMarkdown POS R 5,246.15 | 5,853.85 | 5,317.31 | 0.00 0.00 | 0.00 |
| WpMarkdown POS R% 55.3% | 618% | 56.4% | 00% 0.0% | 0.0% |
| WpMarkdown Perm R 1,594.64 | 1,562.59 | 1,606.05 | 953.91 2,235.68 | 2,298.29 |
| WpMarkdown Perm R% 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Wp Receipts R 0.00 | 118,246.84 | 0.00 | 0.00 0.00 | 118,246.84 |
| Wp ReceiptsMU% 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% 0.0% | 50.0% |
| Cp Receipts R 0.00 | 120,442.92 | 0.00 | 0.00 0.00 | 120,105.02 |
| CpReceiptsMU% 0.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% | 00% 0.0% | 50.0% |
Projection View
This view contains three measure profiles for analysis:
- Default
This measure profile displays Reg+Promo, Clearance, and Net Sales and Markdowns and the corresponding inventory.
- Direct
Key metrics for e-commerce are displayed including traffic, transactions, and returns.
- Local Currency
If the Local Currency option is enabled, key metrics are viewed in local currency.
In-Season Review and Reconcile Step
The Planner uses the Create Merch Plan task during the In-season to review and reconcile plans against target and review with location plan.
Review with Target Sub-Step
This sub-step can be performed at any point in the planning process when you wish to get a gauge of how the plans thus far measure up to the targets. This sub-step must be completed before submitting your proposed plan to the Planning Manager.
Review with Target View
The Review with Target view contains the Planning Manager’s Target (Tgt) measures as well as planning (Wp) measures. Use this view to compare the Tgt measures to the corresponding Wp measures. By comparing the targets to the planning metrics, you can better understand what your plan needs to achieve. There are several Tgt-to-Wp variance measures that quickly guide you to areas of difference.
Review with Location Plan Sub-Step
This sub-step is performed anytime you make adjustments to the Merch Plan after location plans have been created.
Review with Location Plan View
In the Review with Location Plan view, you directly compare Wp (working merch plan) to a location plan. By comparing the merch plan to the location plan metrics, you can better understand where there are misalignments that need to be corrected. There are several variance measures that quickly guide you to areas of difference.
There are several measure profiles in this view to quickly guide you to the plans you wish to review:
- Wp/LPCp (Default)
This measure profile shows the key Working Plan metrics for comparison with Location Plan, Current Plan metrics. Current Plan is a version of the plan that is approved In-season (and is actualized for elapsed/historical periods).
- Wp/LPOp
This measure profile shows the key Working Plan metrics for comparison with Location Plan, Original Plan metrics. Original Plan is the plan as it was initially approved. Typically, it got approved pre-season and stays fixed when the period becomes In-season.
In-Season Review and Submit Plan Step
Use this sub-step is to review the core plan and submit the plan.
Review Plan Sub-step
Use the Review Plan sub-step to review your core plan metrics with the current plan, the original plan, and last year’s actuals.
Review Plan View
There are several measure profiles in this view to quickly guide you to the plans you wish to review:
- Wp with Ly (Default)
This measure profile shows the main Working Plan metrics for comparison with last year metrics.
- Wp with Cp
This measure profile shows the main Working Plan metrics for comparison with Current Plan metrics. The Current Plan is a version of the plan that is approved.
In-season (and is actualized for elapsed/historical periods).
- Wp with Op
This measure profile shows the main Working Plan metrics for comparison with Original Plan metrics. Original Plan is the plan as it was initially approved. Typically, it got approved pre-season and stays fixed when the period becomes In-season.
Submit Plan Sub-Step
Use this sub-step is to submit, approve, and verify the plan.
Submit and Approve Plan View
In this view, you can submit the completed merch plans for approval by the Planning Manager. You can also view the approval status of a submitted plan in the Wp Approval measure. If the status is rejected, you need to go back to In Season Review and Re-project to make adjustments. After you have completed your adjustments, you will have to resubmit the plan. This copies the adjusted Wp to Wa for the Planning Manager to approve.
Once approved, perform the following steps to copy the approved plan.
Submit a Plan
To submit a plan for approval by the Planning Manager:
1. Select the check mark in the Wp Submit measure.
2. Optional: Enter information about the working plan in the Wp Submit Notes field.
3. A success message is displayed. Click OK to close it.
Note
The planning manager determines the point when the pre-season planning process has been finalized and will lock down Op. When locked, you will only be able to submit for approval and promotion to Cp.
As a result of completing submission of the plan, the Wp Submit and Wp Submit Info measures are cleared, the Wp Approval Status is set to Submitted, and the Wa Submit Info measure is populated. In addition, your working plan is copied into a Waiting for Approval (Wa) plan.
Submitted and Approved Plan View
In this view, you can verify the plan that is awaiting approval.