Exl-Plan is a range of business planning software for
preparing comprehensive financial projections including cash flow forecasts
for up to seven years ahead. You can use Exl-Plan for a business plan,
strategic and corporate planning, raising finance, budgeting, restructuring
and financial appraisals within almost any size and type of business.
It runs as a powerful, easy-to-use template with Excel (5,
7, 8, 95, 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007 or 2010) using Windows (95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista/Win7)
and includes a free 150-page Business
Plan Guide and Word-based Template.
Exl-Plan can save time and money and contribute substantial business,
financial and spreadsheet know-how to your plan -
check these benefits or get full details and
free trial downloads.
Quick Guide to Exl-Plan Versions
Fast
Facts
Name: Exl-Plan (nine versions and US/Can & UK/International
editions).
Function: Excel template for multi-year
income, cashflow & balance sheet
projections with Word template for business plan.
Uses: Business plans, budgets, raising finance & strategic
planning.
The notes below will help you get a
trial copy of Exl-Plan up and running with minimal initial instruction.
When being run for the first time, a trial version of Exl-Plan needs
about 8 Mb of disk space to load and automatically create a backup copy
(TESTPLAN.XLS) during setup. If this space is not available, Exl-Plan
will skip this task. First-time installation can take up to five minutes
(depending on the speed of the PC being used) while toolbars are been
reset and backups are created. Subsequent loading of Exl-Plan is much
faster.
All versions/editions of Exl-Plan contain extensive online help (130+
topics) along with a 90-page manual (Word or PDF format) and a series of
Flash-based tutorials (running for 19 minutes) covering setting up Excel,
getting started, the basics and using Quik-Plan.
Suggestion: Instead of having to
refer back to this page, you may wish to open and print this Quick
Start Guide. It will lead you through installing, running and exploring
Exl-Plan.
When Exl-Plan starts loading, Excel may display a dialog about macros
and viruses. If Exl-Plan was secured from a reliable source or directly
from PlanWare, press the Enable Macros button (Exl-Plan will
not load properly if the Disable Macros button is pressed). As loading
progresses, a further dialog may appear about the location of macros.
This can be disabled or ignored.
Download the appropriate version of Exl-Plan from here
Close all other applications.
Confirm that at least 8 Mb of space is free on the hard disk to which
Exl-Plan will be installed.
Use Start | Run to run the downloaded file (EX*.EXE) and then follow
on-screen instructions to install Exl-Plan's files into the appropriate
folders.
When installation has finished, go to the Exl-Plan menu within the
Programs Menu and review the supplied README file.
Then either select Exl-Plan from within the Programs menu or
load Excel and open the main Exl-Plan workbook file EXLPLAN.XLS located
in the folder specified during installation. Once loaded, follow on-screen
prompts and wait a few moments while a copy of Exl-Plan is created.
This copy, TESTPLAN.XLS, should be used for experimentation. EXLPLAN.XLS
should be carefully retained as the original master copy. During initial
loading, the Exl-Plan display may go blank for a few seconds while set
up is taking place.
For additional guidance, you can watch several How
to ... Tutorials covering
the basics of setting up and using Exl-Plan.
When loading Exl-Plan into Excel, you must enable macros so
that Exl-Plan's menus, buttons, tools etc. can operate. The following
instructions explain how to do this for different versions of Excel.
If using Excel 5, 7, 8, 95, 97, 2000,
XP and 2003:
If
Excel displays a message about enabling macros while Exl-Plan is
loading, you must select Enable Macros (click thumb
opposite for guidance).
If Excel displays a message like "The macros in this project are
disabled ..... " you need to reduce the security level set within
Excel from High to Medium via Tools
| Macro | Security | Security Level (click thumbs below for guidance).
You should then close and reopen Excel and then reload Exl-Plan.
During reloading, you will be asked whether you want to enable macros.
This is quite safe to do provided you secured Exl-Plan from our site
or another reliable, trustworthy source.
If Exl-Plan appears to load but only its FRONT worksheet is visible
and its special menus do not appear in Excel's toolbar, you need
to reduce the security level set within Excel from High to Medium via Tools
| Macro | Security | Security Level (click thumbs below for guidance).
Once done, you will be asked whether you want to enable macros whenever
you try to load a workbook file (like Exl-Plan) that contains macros.
Load
Excel, select Tools, Macro, Security ...
...
click Medium security level and close Excel.
Reload
Excel, load Exl-Plan and, when prompted, enable macros.
If Exl-Plan loads and all its worksheets are visible but its special
menus (they all start with * to simplify identification) do not appear
in Excel's toolbar, you will need to temporarily reduce the number
of menus displayed by Excel by disabling any add-ins which create
special menus. To do this, use Tools | Add-ins to open a list
of available add-ins. Uncheck the relevant add-ins, press the OK
button, close and reload Excel. This should allow Exl-Plan to load
fully and display its menus. To restore the disabled add-ins, reverse
the procedure described above.
Occasionally, Exl-Plan will load satisfactorily but may not display
its special menus starting with *Assumptions, *Protect and
so on. This may be due to a conflict with some add-ins loaded automatically
by Excel. The fix is to reload Excel, uncheck all add-ins via Tools
| Add-Ins; reload Excel and then open the Exl-Plan file.
If a blank screen appears while loading of Exl-Plan and the system
hangs, there has probably been a memory leak, caused by another
application, which has reduced the memory available to Excel and
Exl-Plan. To resolve, use CTRL+ALT + DEL to close down Excel and
Exl-Plan. Then, reboot the PC to wash out the leak.
If using Excel 2007:
Change the security level in Excel 2007 to enable it run macros by
checking that Excel's Macro Settings within the Trust Center have
been set to Disable all macros with notification.
Access the Trust Center by clicking the Office button and selecting Excel
Options. Having done that, you must permit Excel to run macros
each time that Exl-Plan is loaded as indicated in #2 and #3 below.
Once Exl-Plan has loaded, look out for a message Security Warning
- Macros have been disabled and an Option button immediately
below Excel's Home tab. Note that this warning is much less
evident than that used in earlier versions of Excel.
Click the Options button, specify Enable this content in
the Security Alert Macro dialog and wait a few moments for Exl-Plan's
macros to run. Note that Exl-Plan's menu bar (*Assumptions, *Protection etc.)
is located in the Add-Ins tab. For ease of identification, the
Exl-Plan menus all start with an asterisk (*), e.g. *Assumptions.
Exl-Plan's special toolbar also appears in the Add-Ins tab.
Note that by design the toolbar does not appear for every Exl-Plan
worksheet. For more information on using Exl-Plan with Excel 2007,
see the comprehensive Checklist and FAQs at http://www.planware.org/exlfaq3.htm.
If using Excel 2010:
Change the security level in Excel 2010 to enable it run macros by
checking that Excel's Macro Settings within the Trust Center have
been set to Disable all macros with notification.
Access the Trust Center by clicking the File button and selecting Options.
Having done that, you must permit Excel to run macros when an Exl-Plan
file is loaded for the first time as indicated in #2 and #3 below.
Once Exl-Plan has loaded, look out for a message Security Warning
- Macros have been disabled and an Enable Content button
immediately below Excel's Home tab. Note that this warning
is much less evident than that used in earlier versions of Excel.
Click the Enable Content button and wait a few moments for
Exl-Plan's macros to run. Note that Exl-Plan's menu bar (*Assumptions,
*Protection etc.) is located in the Add-Ins tab. For ease
of identification, the Exl-Plan menus all start with an asterisk (*),
e.g. *Assumptions. Exl-Plan's special toolbar also
appears in the Add-Ins tab. Note that by design the toolbar
does not appear for every Exl-Plan worksheet. For more information
on using Exl-Plan with Excel 2010, see the comprehensive Checklist
and FAQs at http://www.planware.org/exlfaq3.htm.
If Exl-Plan fails to detect the correct size of the screen display being
used, use *TOOLS/SETUP | CHANGE DEFAULT ZOOM VALUE.
Suggestion: Instead of having to
refer back to this page, you may wish to open and print this Quick
Start Guide. It will lead you through installing, running and exploring
Exl-Plan.
For additional guidance, you can watch several How
to ... Tutorials covering the basics of setting up and using Exl-Plan.
When running Exl-Plan with W95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista, it is best to place
the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen in order to improve the
view of reports etc.
If using Vista and if Exl-Plan's help files fail to
load and/or Excel indicates "There was a problem running the
macro (1037)." there are two solutions as follows:
Download and install the widely-used Help program (WinHlp32.exe)
needed for help files used by some versions of Exl-Plan. You can get
it from the Microsoft
Download Center. If this link is broken, search the Microsoft site
for "Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) for Windows Vista".
An alternative solution is to disregard the help files and simply
use the comprehensive manual supplied in PDF format with all versions
of Exl-Plan. This covers the exact same material as the help files.
If doing this, you should not click the help-related buttons within
Exl-Plan's worksheets or within the *Exl-Plan Helpmenu.
Also, you should turn off Toggle Help for Calculation Errors within
Exl-Plan's *Tools or *Setup menu.
The suggestions below mainly relate to the Micro, Lite, Pro,
Super, Super Plus, Ultra and Ultra Plus versions
and assume that Exl-Plan is running with Excel 5, 7, 8,
95, 97, 2000, XP or 2003. If using Excel 2007 or 2010, see also Frequently
Asked Questions for Using Excel 2007 & 2010.
Note that Excel's autocalculation function does not operate with
Exl-Plan. To update projections, click one of the "C" buttons within
Exl-Plan's toolbar or use the calculate options within the *Tools/Setup
menu.
To become familiar with the basics and geography of Exl-Plan, take
the Quik-Tour (*EXL-PLAN HELP | QUIK-TOUR) from within the previously
created TESTPLAN.XLS file.
Run the cursor across the menu bar - File, Edit etc. Note that Exl-Plan
has added several new menus (*ASSUMPTIONS, *PROTECTION etc.).
Click
the M_S worksheet tab (or the "MA" toolbar button) to go to
the monthly assumptions report for sales forecasts etc. Note that assumption
values (displayed in blue) should be entered or altered only within
the rectangular boxed-in areas opposite the ->> or <<->>
arrows (click thumb opposite for illustration). Values shown in black
contain formulae and are normally locked (protected).
Try adding or changing some of the supplied assumption values for
sales and recalculate (*TOOLS/SETUP | CALCULATE ALL & CHECK) to
check the model's integrity and to update all the monthly, first-year,
quarterly and annual output reports. (Note that Exl-Plan always uses
manual calculation).
Click sheet tabs to view the other monthly assumption reports (M_M,
M_C etc.) and change/add assumption values as desired.
Use Exl-Plan's menus, worksheet tabs and buttons (especially "<-"
and "->") to view the remaining assumption and output reports and
charts.
Explore Exl-Plan's extensive help facilities within the *EXL-PLAN
HELP menu.
Check out Frequently Asked Questions for Exl-Plan here.
The suggestions below mainly relate to the Micro, Lite, Pro, Super,
Super Plus, Ultra and Ultra Plus versions. See also
the How
to ... Tutorials covering the basics of using Exl-Plan. This guidance
assumes that Exl-Plan is running with Excel 5, 7, 8, 95, 97, 2000, XP
or 2003. If using Excel 2007 or 2010, see also Frequently
Asked Questions for Using Excel 2007 & 2010.
Review a selection of the monthly, quarterly and annual assumption
& output reports and charts to see how Exl-Plan handles its assumptions.
Experiment with Exl-Plan's data-entry facilities which are located
within the *ASSUMPTIONS menu (i.e. CLEAR ASSUMPTIONS, CONSTANT ASSUMPTIONS
etc.) or accessible via the graphical buttons in the toolbar.
Go
to the Quarterly Assumptions Report (by clicking the Q_A tab or
"QA" button). Observe that monthly projections for an earlier year have been
included in this report as quarterly values (click thumb opposite for
illustration).
Add or change quarterly assumptions. Recalculate and review the
quarterly and annual output reports and their associated charts.
If using Pro, Super or Super Plus, go to the 4th-5th Year Assumptions
Report (click the 45_A tab or "45" button). Add or change annual assumptions
for the fourth and fifth years and recalculate. If using Ultra or Ultra Plus,
go to the optional 6th-7th Year Assumptions Report (click the 67_A tab).
View the Textual Summary Report (TEXT tab or *OUTPUT | TEXTUAL) and
other annual output reports & charts (click thumb below for illustration).
Print selected assumption or output reports and charts.
If using Pro, Super, Super Plus, Ultra or Ultra Plus, try the
sensitivity analysis facility (*TOOLS/SETUP | GO TO SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS) to
globally change groups of key monthly and/or quarterly assumptions.
Continue exploring Exl-Plan's menus etc. and entering or changing
assumptions. Use its online help (*EXL-PLAN HELP) as appropriate.
Any questions? See Frequently Asked Questions for Exl-Plan
here.
The suggestions below mainly relate to the Micro, Lite, Pro, Super,
Super Plus, Ultra or Ultra Plus versions. They
assume that Exl-Plan is running with Excel 5, 7, 8, 95, 97, 2000, XP
or 2003. If using Excel 2007 or 2010, see also Frequently
Asked Questions for Using Excel 2007 & 2010.
Note that if you start using a trial version of Exl-Plan to develop financial
projections, you can remotely upgrade the file being used to the commercial
version - see *EXL-PLAN HELP | SHAREWARE UPGRADE INFORMATION. This saves
further downloading, reentry of assumptions etc. To upgrade online, click
this page.
To start constructing a new set of financial projections, reload
TESTPLAN.XLS, or a copy, and immediately save it with an appropriate new file
name.
Refer to Exl-Plan's online help for guidance - see the topics relating
to Model-building Procedure and Entering Assumptions. See also Frequently Asked
Questions here.
Note that your assumptions are entered directly into Monthly and
Quarterly Assumption Reports only. The Output Reports contain extensive
formulae which generate the projections. The only exceptions are the prior year
P&L in the Monthly P&L and the opening balance sheet in the Monthly
Balance Sheet which must be entered directly into these reports. Be sure to
save your model at regular intervals.
The trial versions of Exl-Plan contain several restrictions which are
automatically removed when upgraded to the fully-operational version. Depending
on the version of Exl-Plan, the restrictions may include access to Quik-Plan,
entry of basic information (company name, start date, sales group names,
currency symbol/denomination etc.), automatic clearing of assumptions from
some/all reports, removal of worksheet protection, use of dialogs to specify
reports to print, and more.
If you are using an upgraded or commercial version of Exl-Plan, perform
the following preliminary tasks. For additional help, see
the How to ... Tutorials covering the basics
of setting up and using Exl-Plan.
Load a copy of Exl-Plan and save it immediately with a new file
name.
Select *Tools/Setup
| Basic Model Info and enter basic information
about the business to be modeled (click thumb opposite to see Basic
Model Information dialog).
Give the new model a title, for example First Attempt, using
*Tools/Setup | Enter Model Title. This will be inserted automatically in
the footer of each printed report.
Use the *Tools/Setup | Clear All Assumption Reports menu
command to remove all unprotected assumption values throughout the model.
If you wish to use Quik-Plan to generate first-cut high-level
projections for 3/5 years, follow steps 1-3 above and then go to the QUIK
worksheet.
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