Utilizing Territory Scenarios

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Create a territory scenario.
  • Compare territory scenarios.
  • Adopt a territory scenario.

Creating Territory Scenarios

A scenario is a hypothetical version of a territory and is an effective tool for territory planning. For example, you may want to test out an account alignment before running the actual account alignment. Scenarios allow you to propose changes, analyze and monitor effects, and request approval before changes are committed. Based on scenario outcomes, you can decide whether you want to adopt the changes for the territory.

To view and manage existing scenarios, navigate to the territory and select Manage Versions on the Details tab. Any existing scenarios are listed under My Scenarios.

There are a couple of ways you can create a scenario.

Note

If you need Managers to be able to create territory scenarios, enable the Allow Managers to Create Scenario option under Program Options for the territory program. Enable this option for each territory program, as needed.

Territory Creation Option 1

If you plan on testing out many features within the territories, especially while you’re learning the application, it’s best to just create a scenario for the territory. This is like a copy of the entire territory that you can use to create alignments, quotas, anything you would regularly do with the territory. The sub-territories are not available with the scenario, each scenario is just for the single territory for which you create the scenario.

Create a Territory Scenario Option 1

Steps

  1. Navigate to Territory Admin → Territory Programs and open the territory program to which the territory belongs.

    The territory program opens, and the Territory Tree tab is displayed.

  2. From the Territory Tree tab, select the territory for which you want to create a new scenario.

  3. Choose Manage Versions from the Details tab on the right.

    The Manage Versions workspace opens in the left pane. Any existing versions or scenarios are listed.

  4. Choose Create New Scenario (+). The New Scenario screen opens.

  5. Select a Sub Period or enter the Start Date and End Date.

    The dates must fall within the effective dates of the selected territory version.

  6. Scenario Label: enter a name for the scenario. While this is optional, it is recommended that you give the scenario a name.

  7. Scenario Description: enter details regarding why you’re creating the scenario.

  8. Choose Create.

    The banner at the top provides status information about the job. Once the scenario has been successfully created, the banner becomes green and provides a confirmation message.

Result

Creating Territory Scenario Option 2

As you’re using the application, you’ll be given the option to create a scenario with certain functions.

For example, as you’re aligning accounts or products one of the options during the alignment process is to create a scenario. At that time, you’ll need to give the scenario a name, fill out the rest of the account alignment screen, and run the alignment.

The scenario you create, either with Option 1 or Option 2, will be listed under My Scenarios in the Manage Versions workspace for the territory under which you created the scenario. You can use the Territory Scenario for testing, analysis, and comparison. Then if you wish to commit the changes reflected in the scenario you can adopt the changes in the scenario, or you can delete the scenario at any time.

Comparing Scenarios

Once you’ve created and made changes to the scenario, you can compare that territory scenario with another territory scenario or a version of the territory to analyze the effects of the changes you’ve made.

Compare Scenarios

Steps

  1. Navigate to Territory Admin → Territory Programs and open the territory program to which the territory belongs. The territory program opens, and the Territory Tree tab is displayed.

  2. From the Territory Tree tab, select the territory for which you want to create a new scenario.

  3. Choose Manage Versions from the Details tab on the right. The Manage Versions workspace opens in the left pane. Any existing versions or scenarios are listed.

  4. Select the main Scenario and either a territory version or another scenario you’ll be comparing. Choose Compare (). The Territory/Scenario Comparison screen opens with a table comparison and map features.

Result

Create and Compare Territory Scenarios

Business Example

In this exercise, you'll learn to create a territory scenario that can be used for testing changes to your territory and territory planning. You'll also learn how to compare that new scenario with the active territory or another scenario to determine if you wish to adopt the new scenario.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Using Maps to Compare Scenarios

Example

If maps are enabled, the application's mapping functionality can be used to help you compare territory scenarios by doing the following:

  • See where accounts are located in each version. The map is color-coded for each version/scenario, which enables you to differentiate the accounts in each version/scenario.
  • Filter accounts that are shown in the map and compare subsets of accounts in the versions. You can view the number of accounts in a selected area on the map.
  • Calculate the drive-time between all the accounts in the territory that have valid addresses. The average drive-time displayed in the map view allows sales reps and managers to preplan their travel and attract potential accounts.

Adopting a Territory Scenario

You can make the scenario permanent by adopting it. When you adopt a scenario, it is placed on the effective timeline for the specified dates. Any overlapping existing versions are truncated accordingly to accommodate the scenario.

All changes in the scenario are adopted.

Adopt a Scenario

Steps

  1. Navigate to Territory Admin → Territory Programs and open the territory program to which the territory belongs. The territory program opens, and the Territory Tree tab is displayed.

  2. From the Territory Tree tab, select the territory for which you want to adopt the new scenario.

  3. Choose Manage Versions from the Details tab on the right. The Manage Versions workspace opens in the left pane. Any existing versions or scenarios are listed.

  4. Select the scenario you want to adopt. The Details tab for the scenario opens on the right.

  5. Choose Adopt in the right corner of the screen. (The Adopt option will show on all the territory scenario tabs, you can choose it from any screen). The Adopt Scenario screen will open.

  6. Select the Start Date and End Date.

  7. Choose Confirm. Updates on the Adopt Scenario job for the territory appear in a banner at the top of the screen. Once the job has completed successfully, the banner appears green with a success message.

Result

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