What is the BARC Planning Survey?

The BARC Planning Survey is an independent annual user survey of planning, budgeting and forecasting software published by BARC (Business Application Research Center). It collects ratings from real software users and publishes results as a buyer's guide, not analyst opinion. More information at barc.com/reviews.

What KPIs does the BARC Planning Survey measure?

The survey measures user ratings across KPIs including ease of use, planning content, predefined connectors, reporting and analysis, project length, sales experience, product satisfaction, recommendation, and business benefits. Scores reflect what respondents reported, normalised across the survey sample.

How did Phocas perform in the BARC Planning Survey 26?

Phocas achieved 4 top-ranked positions and 16 leading positions across 3 peer groups in the BARC Planning Survey 26. Phocas was top-ranked for ease of use in all three peer groups and top-ranked for predefined connectors in the Integrated Products for Planning and BI & Analytics peer group. It was a leader in reporting and analysis, planning content, project length, and sales experience across all peer groups.

What did Phocas customers report in the BARC Planning Survey 26?

100% achieved a better quality of planning results with Phocas 91% of surveyed users say they would recommend Phocas 100% rate their sales experience with Phocas as very good or good 100% improved the integration of strategic and operational planning with Phocas 100% are satisfied with Phocas 96% are satisfied with the performance of Phocas 95% rate Phocas' project success as very good or good 95% rate Phocas' ease of use for developers as very good or good 96% rate Phocas' ease of use for planners as very good or good 91% rate Phocas' coverage of planning-specific requirements as very good or good 91% improved software user satisfaction with Phocas 96% increased planning frequency with Phocas 91% achieved more precise/detailed planning with Phocas 96% reduced planning complexity with Phocas 100% increased the transparency and traceability of planning with Phocas 91% achieved better integration of planning with BI/analytics with Phocas

How does Phocas support planning, budgeting, and forecasting?

Phocas combines financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting with reporting and business analytics in a single platform connected to your ERP. Finance and operations teams plan from up-to-date data, build forecasts, run variance reports, and share management dashboards without switching tools or relying on IT for data extracts.

What is Phocas designed for?

Phocas is used primarily by finance and business teams at mid-market manufacturers, distributors, and product-centric businesses. It is designed for organizations that need planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting connected to live operational data from their ERP. In the BARC Planning Survey 26, Phocas appeared in the Midsize/Departmental Implementations peer group as well as Integrated Products for Planning and BI & Analytics and Products for Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting.

How can I access the Phocas highlights from the BARC Planning Survey 26?

Download the Phocas Highlights from the BARC Planning Survey 26 using the form on this page. The document includes peer group rankings, KPI results, customer quotes, and satisfaction data from real Phocas users.

BARC Planning Survey 26

Phocas in the BARC Planning Survey 26

BARC surveys planning software users and publishes the results independently. This page provides a summary of what Phocas customers reported on our planning products.

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Results summary Top ranks Business benefits Operational planning BARC KPIs Implementation Excel

Strong rankings. Stronger customer outcomes.

Phocas achieved 4 top-ranked and 16 leading positions across 3 peer groups in BARC The Planning Survey 26 – the world's largest independent annual survey of planning software users.

Here's a snapshot of what Phocas customers reported on our planning software:

100% of surveyed users achieved better quality planning results
100% said they're satisfied with Phocas
96% reduce planning complexity with Phocas
#1 for ease of use across 3 peer groups
#1 for predefined connectors in integrated product for planning and BI/Analytics

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Strong rankings. Stronger customer outcomes.

Ranked #1
for ease of use & connectivity

Phocas customers rated our planning software top-ranked for both ease of use and predefined connectors. What they loved was the empowerment to plan and report without IT dependency and rapid data connections that help them get to insights faster.

When your planning tool is easy to use, finance teams don't need IT to pull data, operations teams can contribute to forecasts without waiting, and decisions get made faster because the right people have direct access to data.

Phocas connects to 200+ data sources – including all the major ERPs – so financial, operational and sales data flows into one place from day one. Respondents ranked Phocas #1 for predefined connectors and a leader for project length. When the connections are already built, teams get to work faster, and that's what makes the experience feel effortless.

The numbers speak for themselves

100%

achieved better quality of planning results with Phocas

100%

improved the integration of strategic and operational planning with Phocas

96%

reduced planning complexity with Phocas

96%

rate Phocas' ease of use for planners as very good or good

100%

increased the transparency and traceability of planning with Phocas

100%

rate the sales experience with Phocas as very good or good

Source: BARC The Planning Survey 26

Customer value within the BARC results

BARC The Planning Survey 26 not only reported on KPIs, but also the business benefits that Phocas customers achieved from using the software. Here are some of their insights:

100% achieved a better quality planning results with Phocas*
100% increased the transparency and traceability of planning with Phocas*
96% reduced planning complexity with Phocas*

*Based on the aggregate of, 'fully,' 'somewhat,' and 'to a large extent.'

"Our monthly management accounts are now far more reliable than they ever were."

— CEO, Agriculture 100 - 2,500 employees at BARC The Planning Survey 26.

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Results that come from your peers

Here's what Phocas customers reported across every KPI.

What BARC found

Top ranked – Ease of use
Across all three peer groups – the highest position for that KPI in the survey
Top ranked – Predefined connectors
Integrated Products peer group for Planning and BI & Analytics peer group. Users rated highest for standard interfaces with ERP & business data.
Leader – Reporting & Analysis
Across all three groups, including a second-place position in the integrated products peer group
Leader – Planning content
Across all three peer groups in predefined planning templates and functionality
Leader – Project length
Across all three categories – based on implementation satisfaction level and timing
Leader - Sales experience
Across all three categories – based on how users rated Phocas' sales and pre-sales activities
Leader – Performance satisfaction
Based on how satisfied users are with the system's performance

What it means for you

Top ranked – Ease of use
Finance teams can plan and report without IT dependency
Top ranked – Predefined connectors
With all your business data connected and easy to access, teams can start seeing value faster
Leader – Reporting & Analysis
Plan, analyze and report within the same platform – no tool switching
Leader – Planning content
Out-of-the-box templates empower teams to plan faster and more accurately, removing months of set up
Leader – Project length
Faster ROI – A fully supported implementation delivers a tailored, pre-built solution in weeks
Leader - Sales experience
Your experience with a vendor during the sales process can be a signal for everything that follows
Leader – Performance satisfaction
A platform your team can rely on means less time troubleshooting and more time for strategic planning

Talk to an expert

	What BARC found	What it means for you
Top ranked – Ease of use	Across all three peer groups – the highest position for that KPI in the survey	Finance teams can plan and report without IT dependency
Top ranked – Predefined connectors	Integrated Products peer group for Planning and BI & Analytics peer group. Users rated highest for standard interfaces with ERP & business data.	With all your business data connected and easy to access, teams can start seeing value faster
Leader – Reporting & Analysis	Across all three groups, including a second-place position in the integrated products peer group	Plan, analyze and report within the same platform – no tool switching
Leader – Planning content	Across all three peer groups in predefined planning templates and functionality	Out-of-the-box templates empower teams to plan faster and more accurately, removing months of set up
Leader – Project length	Across all three categories – based on implementation satisfaction level and timing	Faster ROI – A fully supported implementation delivers a tailored, pre-built solution in weeks
Leader - Sales experience	Across all three categories – based on how users rated Phocas' sales and pre-sales activities	Your experience with a vendor during the sales process can be a signal for everything that follows
Leader – Performance satisfaction	Based on how satisfied users are with the system's performance	A platform your team can rely on means less time troubleshooting and more time for strategic planning
		Talk to an expert

Getting you up and running – fast

Long implementation timelines don't just delay go-live dates. They delay your ROI.

Phocas users rated us a Leader for project length across all three BARC peer groups — but speed here isn't luck. It's the result of a structured process that starts with a thorough needs assessment, a dedicated implementation team who know your ERP, and pre-built templates designed for how manufacturers and distributors actually plan.

You're not handed software and left to figure it out. Our team does the heavy lifting, typically getting businesses live in weeks, not months.

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Planning in Excel vs planning with Phocas

Excel is a great tool – but when BARC compared planning outcomes for Phocas users against Excel users, the difference was significant.

Phocas users scored 58% higher on BARC's Business Benefits Index than those relying on Excel for planning. Excel users were far more likely to report missing features, performance issues and an inability to handle large data volumes. Phocas users were dramatically less likely to report any significant problems at all.

Phocas isn't a replacement for Excel. It works alongside it — handling the data consolidation, live ERP connection and multi-team collaboration that spreadsheets weren't built for, while letting your team export to Excel whenever they need to.

Learn more on Phocas & Excel