10 Best Strategic Planning Software for Planning Ahead in 2023

Wrike is a versatile strategic planning software that is used by more than 20,000 companies around the world. Some of its strategic planning features include resource management, portfolio management, customized performance reports, as well as workload overview and management. The software also offers several visualization options like Kanban boards and Gantt charts. Moreover, it has automation capabilities with over 400 integrations.

As a cloud-based project management and collaboration platform, Wrike helps professional services firms and teams manage simple to complex projects from beginning to end, offering complete control and visibility over their workloads and tasks. It is a scalable, end-to-end software solution that helps users tackle projects from the initial request phase to keeping track of work in progress, generating reports, and delivery.

Why I Picked Wrike: One of Wrike’s most relevant features as a strategic planning solution is the total control it provides users when it comes to task management. Users are given the ability to fully control tasks, ensuring that everyone is aware and has a handle of their task status upon logging into the platform. Project leads can easily change the task owner as soon as task dependency changes. This will let that individual know that action on their part is needed to move a task forward, thus eliminating potential bottlenecks that could cause unnecessary delays.

Another notable feature of Wrike is the customizable user interface (UI). Whether the project team likes to use Gantt charts, lists, or Kanban boards, the Wrike project management and strategic planning solution has it all covered. Its user interface can be easily customized to suit the requirements of any project role and requirement.

Wrike Standout Features and Integrations

Features include project management, task scheduling/tracking, resource management, expense tracking, API, budgeting, Gantt charts, marketing automations, collaboration support, and reporting.

Integrations include 400+ pre-built native integrations, including integrations with the most popular file management software from Microsoft, Google, and Dropbox, along with sales and marketing software from Salesforce and Marketo.

Lightcast is a cloud-based strategic planning software that facilitates long-term workforce planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes for corporations.

Why I picked Lightcast: Their software helps you create a comprehensive view of your organization's projected future, along with actionable insights and data analytics to help you make better data-driven decisions. You can use Lightcast to create and analyze multiple scenarios, evaluate the potential impact of each scenario on your organization, and adjust your plans accordingly. Their scenario modeling covers workforce and headcount planning, as well as talent acquisition capabilities such as skill-based hiring, and DEI & salary benchmarking data.

Their customizable dashboards provide a quick overview of all relevant information and can be modified to plot key metrics and identify any areas for improvement. To help you understand complex data quickly and easily, their software includes a range of charts and graphs, as well as other visualizations that can be customized according to your business preferences.

Lightcast Standout Features and Integrations

Features include scenario modeling tools, data insights, workflow management tools, and recruitment-specific talent acquisition tools.

Integration details are not available, though Lightcast does have an API to help you connect their system to other applications you're already using.

AchieveIt is a strategy software that helps teams identify pressing issues by visualizing their data in different ways. 

Why I picked AchieveIt: AchieveIt offers a clean interface and is not difficult to use. The software creates useful dashboards you can use to steer meetings and conversations, and its reports help you identify gaps in your strategic plans. 

AchieveIt enables you to visualize your data as you like. You can organize your goals and ideas in trees, lists, Gantt charts, or Kanban boards. You can create multi-plan views to understand what’s happening across multiple departments, and use filters to get a granular view of different business metrics. AchieveIt is a great tool for data-driven organizations. 

AchieveIt Standout Features and Integrations

Features include goal planning, dashboard creation, task management, performance assessment, and automation. 

Integrations are available natively through the software’s open API. Their implementation team will work with you directly to connect to other tools.

Anaplan is a web-based strategic planning software that enables large organizations to increase their revenue with agile sales strategies.  

Why I picked Anaplan: Anaplan helps you design and optimize your targets, quotes, and segmentation strategies. The software allows you to transform your initiatives into actionable plans and use forecasts to increase the effectiveness of your sales pipelines. 

Anaplan’s machine-learning algorithm analyzes your internal and external performance data to deliver insights. These insights enable you to create multiple scenarios, so you can anticipate and prepare for market disruptions, seasonal sales, or singular sales opportunities. 

The software’s ability to plan sales strategies makes it ideal for large organizations that have vast sales departments. 

Anaplan Standout Features and Integrations

Features include interactive dashboards, custom planning models, KPI tracking, analytics, and predictive insights.

Integrations are available natively with several tools, including DocuSign, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and Workiva.

Jedox is a strategic planning and business performance software that helps mid-sized and large retailers plan their sales strategies. 

Why I picked Jedox: Jedox helps retailers that have multiple point-of-sale systems plan for the future. The solution connects your sales, HR, and business performance data to create scenario models that take into account your workforce, wages, locations, competitors, return rates, and SKUs. The models help you budget your initiatives and react to market disruptors. 

Jedox enables you to create detailed purchasing plans and workflows so you can reduce overstock and sales losses. The scenario models help you plan for seasonal selling cycles, so you can increase your profits. 

Jedox Standout Features and Integrations

Features include demand planning, revenue forecasting, churn predictions, smart insights, and analytics.  

Integrations are available natively with several apps, including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, Oracle, SAP, Salesforce, and Tableau. 

Workday Adaptive Planning is a strategic planning tool that enables medium and large businesses to manage their workforce. 

Why I picked Workday Adaptive Planning: Workday Adaptive Planning helps you bring together your HR, finance, and operations data so you can gain a thorough understanding of your workforce dynamics. The software’s reporting features make it easy to spot how your existing hiring models and retention plans affect your costs, so you can develop long-term strategies to optimize your workforce.  

Workday Adaptive Planning enables you to link your workforce data to financial models so you can deliver your hiring plans on time and within budget. Their built-in reports help you model your team’s skill capacity based on location or cost, allowing you to plan ahead for different scenarios. Thanks to its ability to plan for large workforces, this tool is a great option for mid-sized or large organizations. 

Workday Adaptive Planning Standout Features and Integrations

Features include forecasting, strategy planning, milestones tracking, resource management, and performance management. 

Integrations are available natively with several tools, including Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle PeopleSoft, Sage Intacct, Salesforce, and SAP.  

Adobe Workfront is a strategic planning and project management solution that enables enterprises to organize their day-to-day activities so they can achieve their long-term goals. 

Why I picked Adobe Workfront: Adobe Workfront is an end-to-end planning and management solution. The software has a clean interface, allowing people to start using it without too much training. As a planning tool, Adobe Workfront is great because it enables you to create connections between tasks and your high-level goals. 

Adobe Workfront makes it easy to transform a plan into an actionable project that’s neatly separated into multiple tasks. You can assign tasks to different departments and individuals, and you can track their progress in responsive dashboards. Managers can send updates and status reports to keep everyone on the same page and working toward the end goal. 

Adobe Workfront Standout Features and Integrations

Features include demand management, work management, portfolio planning, worker experience tools, and reporting. 

Integrations are available natively with dozens of solutions, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Box, Google Workspace, Jira, Microsoft Outlook, Salesforce, and Slack.  

Cascade Strategy is a strategic planning solution that helps startups plan, manage, and track their goals. 

Why I picked Cascade Strategy: Cascade Strategy is a lightweight tool that integrates with popular business apps, so you can include it in your work environment. The software enables C-level executives to plan large goals, but it also offers a granular view that allows team leaders to track specific tasks. 

Cascade Strategy helps you organize your teams with actionable insights. Its dashboards make it easy to see how your efforts align with your overarching goals, so you can identify which tasks bring you closer to your objectives and which waste your resources. Thanks to its generous freemium plan, the solution is ideal for bootstrapped startups who are just starting their strategic planning process. 

Cascade Strategy Standout Features and Integrations

Features include goal creation, in-app communication, cross-functional alignment, key performance indicators (KPI) and objectives and key results (OKR) tracking, and analytics & reporting.

Integrations are available natively with multiple apps, including Google Analytics, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and Trello.

Aha Roadmaps is a strategic planning and product management software that helps SaaS and tech organizations set their goals and deliver on their initiatives. 

Why I picked Aha Roadmaps: Aha helps developers create transparent roadmaps anyone can follow and understand. The software helps you plan every product and feature release in great detail, and encourages teamwork and collaboration so you can achieve your goals on time. 

Aha Roadmaps sends you and your team members constant progress updates, so you always know what’s happening in your organization. The tool is flexible, allowing you to create anything from project roadmaps to mockups and reports. 

Aha Roadmaps is designed around the “best practice in development model,” so it’s ideal for companies that develop new solutions, such as SaaS and tech businesses. 

Aha Roadmaps Standout Features and Integrations

Features include roadmap creation, workflow creation, whiteboard concepts, task dependencies, and analytics & reporting. 

Integrations are available natively with dozens of tools, including Azure DevOps, GitLab, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and Slack. 

Elate is a strategic planning software that enables businesses of all sizes to create actionable plans they can review and adapt as needed. 

Why I picked Elate: Elate makes it easy to oversee your roadmaps and identify potential roadblocks before they become problematic. The software monitors all your initiatives and sends you regular progress updates so you can spot weak spots or barriers in good time. 

Elate enables you to create transparent plans and strategies that include all your team members. Every department can see how their work affects your performance and future direction, and how their objectives align with your organization’s goals. 

The software allows you to review and update your roadmaps at all times, so it’s ideal for businesses that use dynamic goals. 

Elate Standout Features and Integrations

Features include plan creation, OKR tracking, collaboration, automation, and real-time analytics. 

Integrations are available natively with multiple apps, including Domo, Google Analytics, HubSpot, Jira, Monday, and QuickBooks.