Host Analytics, a provider of cloud-based enterprise performance management (EPM) solutions, has introduced Project Orion, an EPM product specifically designed for business users, as opposed to finance professionals.
According to the company, for decades, EPM vendors have seen the end user interface as a configuration problem – designing the system for the finance professional and then re-configuring it for the business user. This approach has failed in the marketplace and is one reason why many business users still build plans and budgets in Microsoft Excel and then mail them to finance, creating data quality and security issues.
Bringing forth a new paradigm for EPM designed to address the needs of business users, Project Orion features a consumer-grade user interface built for, and extensively tested with, business users; a task-oriented design that guides business users through the most mission-critical EPM tasks; and a design that balances end-user autonomy with finance control.
Project Orion provides finance with the ability to customize the interface with business drivers and assumptions that govern the options presented to business users. For example, Project Orion can be set up to automatically include employer benefit expenses, employer taxes, and office expense allocations for new hires or terminated employees. In this way, Project Orion enables users to build budgets and forecasts in a manner that is guided by central finance rules.
The goal with Project Orion, is to provide the finance side with higher engagement, collaboration, and accountability in planning and budgeting, while maintaining control over the budgeting process. And for business users, it enables real-time visibility into their budgets, as well as more effective and efficient use of resources.
Project Orion is now available in beta and expected to be generally available in 2Q18.
More information is available from Host Analytics.