Key Features
The platform provides a full array of capabilities to enable powerful, yet flexible, tools and analysis.
|
|
For Tool Users and Decision-Makers
|
For Tool Publishers/Administrators
|
|
Key Features
|
Strong privacy and security protections
Very easy to use
Collaborate with coworkers or vendors
Multi-language/multi-currency
Change tracking
Online or offline flexibility
Flexible scenario analysis
Dynamic & customizable Word and PowerPoint reports (business cases)
|
Protect IP
Limit access, if desired
Usage tracking
Centralized consolidation of user inputs and tool results (privacy-dependent)
Tool version control
Easy to build and maintain tools and reports
Highly flexible Excel-based platform
Access to a potentially large tool user base
|
|
Key Benefits
|
Enables rapid or detailed analysis
Highly credible customizable business cases can be created quickly
Objectively evaluate, quantify and prioritize investments
|
Most existing spreadsheets are very easy to convert, upgrade, and manage
Credibly quantify and articulate product/service business case (increasingly required by decision-makers)
Can dramatically improve sales close rates
Cost-effective (qualified vendor-neutral tools published free)
|
See Features and Capabilities for more details
Sample Business Case Results Report
Three Tool Access Models
We offer three tool publishing models: free tools; “premium” tools; and “private” restricted access (e.g. to employees only) tools. Some tools are authored/published by the AnalysisPlace.com team; others are developed and published by independent analysts, product vendors, or service providers.
|
Model
|
Free*
|
Premium*
|
Private
|
|
User costs
|
No cost
|
Requires purchase**
Some tools provide demo or trial
|
Normally no cost
|
|
Usage access restrictions
|
No restrictions
|
Typically no restrictions
|
Controlled by publisher
|
|
Author / publisher costs
|
Qualified tools are converted and hosted at no cost
Author may have usage, user input, and results access rights (dependent on privacy restrictions)
|
Fixed+variable costs OR
Commission-based (AnalysisPlace receives % of revenue)
|
Fixed and/or variable costs
|
|
Example tools
|
General-purpose tools
Broad interest
Vendor neutral
|
Specialized tools (e.g. product-specific ROI calculator)
May require publisher support
Might not be vendor-neutral
|
Sales tools restricted to sales team and/or specific prospects
Surveys (pre-selected participants)
Analysis tool (limit access to clients by consulting firm)
|
*Free and Premium tools are available in the tool directory.
**Some premium tools may allow free downloading and viewing, but restrict user from modifying most inputs and creating reports.
Key Components (See How it Works, for more details)
Typical Uses
The table below shows the breadth of types of tools that can be hosted on the AnalysisPlace.com platform. Note that due to the flexibility of Excel, any combination of the tool types below can be created.
|
Type
|
Description
|
Objective
|
Examples
|
|
Value-based selling tools
|
Articulate the business case of a product/service to a prospective buyer
Often funded by product vendors
|
Lead generation
Accelerate sales cycle
Justify investments
|
Product ROI/TCO calculators
Product business value tools
Proposal generator
|
|
ROI tools and calculators
|
Combines diagnostic, solution selection, cost, benefit, and financial analysis
Results in business case
|
Cost-benefit analysis (CBA)
Enhance decision-making effectiveness
|
Product ROI tool
Solution business value tool
Product value analysis
|
|
Product evaluation and selection tools
|
Vendor-neutral comparison of solution options
Analysis of product features and capabilities compared to needs
|
Selection of product that best meets the needs of the buyer
|
ERP/CRM product evaluation and selection
|
|
Cost calculators
|
Estimate costs based on a diagnostic and lookup tables
|
Estimate product or initiative costs
|
Construction cost estimator
Savings calculator
|
|
Financial analysis
|
Analyze and compare current and projected financials
|
Analyze financial impacts of various options
|
Real options valuation (Black-Scholes)
M&A analysis
Company comparison analysis
|
|
Calculation-intensive surveys
|
Surveys that require extensive logic or calculations based on inputs
|
Collect and consolidate data from multiple users or organizations
|
Cost and benefit analysis surveys
Product feature usage analysis surveys
|
|
Project portfolio assessments
|
Analyze how current business needs align with capabilities of potential investments
|
Prioritize and optimize current and potential initiatives
|
Application rationalization
|
|
Maturity models & benchmarking
|
Assesses adoption of best practices
Benchmarking of (KPIs) key performance indicators
|
Maturity models are often incorporated into larger ROI tools
|
Infrastructure optimization maturity models
Business intelligence maturity model
Balanced scorecards
|
|
Capacity/sizing tools and Configurators
|
Designs solution based on needs
|
Optimize product configuration based on needs
|
Server capacity analysis and selection
|
|
Simulators
|
Simulates a process based on inputs
|
Understand relationship between inputs, processes, and outputs
|
Business process simulators
|
|
Scientific and engineering
|
Wide variety of assessments and calculators
|
Perform complex technical computations and analysis
|
Equipment design
Chemical & physical properties analysis
|
Sample Finacial Analysis