Forecast Sharing
Forecast Sharing allows Clari Admin to grant forecast viewing permissions to different roles and users. A single user can be both a forecast submitter (Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager) and a Viewer at the same time. This allows much for broader visibility in Clari Forecast and lets you bypass the Salesforce hierarchy restrictions and view all of the tabs might need access to. For example, you might allow your VP of Customer Success to view your VP of Sales' forecast.
Forecast Sharing allows you to:
- Give cross-functional team leaders visibility into each other's forecasts.
- Allow certain users to view multiple Forecast users.
- Allow a user to manage another's forecast.
Contents
- Overview
- Forecast Sharing: Video Overview
- Guardrails
- Configuration Options: Setting Forecast Role, Configuring Users as Viewers, Manage Shared Forecasts, and Remove Users From Forecast.
- Use-Case Examples
- Warning Banners
- FAQs
Forecast Sharing User Types
Clari's Forecast Module gives users the flexibility to have more than one user type:
- Individual Contributors (IC) can only view their own forecast
- Forecast Managers (FM) can only view their own forecast and their teams’ forecast
- Viewers can only view the forecast of the single proxy user that they are associated with
As mentioned above, with Forecast Sharing, a single user can be both a forecast submitter (Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager) and a Viewer at the same time. This allows much for broader visibility in Clari Forecast and lets you bypass the Salesforce hierarchy restrictions.
Here are the supported role combinations.
| Roles | Supported? |
|
IC or FM only
|
Yes
|
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IC & FM
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No (one must be chosen, details below)
|
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IC/FM & Viewer
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Yes
|
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IC/FM & multiple Viewer opt-ins
|
Yes
|
|
Viewer only
|
Yes
|
|
Multiple Viewer opt-ins
|
Yes
|
Note: Forecast Sharing is not available in Clari Mobile at this time. Clari will display the user’s own Forecast card on their mobile home screen. Currently, the forecast sharing drop-down is only available in Clari Web.
Guardrails
1. When setting up a user as a Viewer, note that we use the Salesforce token of the Viewer—not the person they're viewing. This means that if certain Salesforce fields are used in the filter criteria that the Viewer does not have access to, but the person they are viewing does, then those fields won't be used in the column aggregations in Forecast. This could lead to a difference in numbers between the Viewer and the person they are viewing.
2. You cannot make someone a Viewer of a user who is Viewing another person. For example, let’s say that User A is viewing User B’s forecast. You would also like to give User C access to view User B’s forecast. To achieve this, you cannot make User C view User A. And instead, you would make User C view User B. In the case where User A is a Forecast Manager and a Viewer, if you set up User B to view User A, then User B would just see User A’s forecast (the Viewer opt-in for User A would be dropped for User B).
3. In the User Management Export, all opt-ins are added to the existing Forecast Access, Forecast Role, and Proxy User columns. For example, let's say that User A is a Forecast Manager for the New Business tab, and they are also a Viewer of User B who forecasts in the Renewals tab. In the export, Forecast Access would display as New Business, Renewals. Forecast Role would display as Forecast Manager, Viewer. Proxy User would display as User B.
4. If visibility already exists through the hierarchy, then sharing a forecast is not allowed (i.e., a Rep cannot share their forecast with their Manager).
Configuration Options
A Clari Admin can set Forecast roles and opt-ins from User Management in Clari Studio (more on this below in the step-by-step guide).
There are 4 configuration options:
| Configuration Option | Description |
|
Set Forecast Role
|
Allows you to set up the user as either an Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager. Only use this option if you want the user to submit a forecast.
|
|
Set as Viewer
|
Allows you to set User A as a Viewer into User B’s forecast.
|
|
Manage Shared Forecast
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Allows you to share User A’s forecast with User B.
|
|
Remove from Forecast
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Allows you to remove a user from Forecast completely. This will remove all Individual Contributor/Forecast Manager & Viewer opt-ins.
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The Set Forecast Role, Manage Shared Forecast, and Set as Viewer options allow you to define the user's Edit Rights.
Here's an overview of the different Forecast Edit Rights:
| Edit Rights | Query |
|
Read-only
|
The user cannot update any forecast call.
|
|
Can edit own forecast only
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The user can only edit the forecast call of the user they are viewing.
|
|
Can edit own and report’s forecast
|
The user can update the forecast calls, and their reports' forecast calls for the person they are viewing.
|
The above configuration options can be set up using the Actions menu or the right side panel from within Admin. You can find steps on how to configure each option below.
Setting Forecast Role
Forecast roles are utilized when a user needs to submit a forecast.
- An Individual Contributor is someone who only submits their number and has no team members reporting to them.
- A Forecast Manager is someone who has reports and needs to manage a team.
NOTE: A user can only be one of the 2 roles (Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager). If the user has a team of reports, then they must be a Forecast Manager. If they are not set up for this role, then their reports will not show in Forecast.
Set Forecast Roles from Actions
- From Clari Studio, go to User Management
- Find or use the search bar at the left to select the user you want to change Forecast Sharing for
- Select that user (or multiple users) and go to Actions at the top right
- Under FORECAST you'll see a few options: Set role, Set as viewer, Manage shared forecast, and Remove from forecasting
Let's cover each option.
1. Set Role allows you to set Individual Contributor or Forecast Management permissions and edit rights. When you click Next you'll select which forecasts your chosen rep or manager can access.
2. Set as viewer allows you to make a rep or manager a viewer of others' forecasts.
Salesforce field access permissions must be the same for the Viewer and the person they're viewing. This also means that the Viewer can see all quota data.
Last, you can choose the edit rights for each individual Viewer opt-in.
Note: If you select multiple users, then the new Viewerships will be added, and not replaced. This means that if one user was already a viewer of Manager A, and you wanted to add a viewership into Manager B, then the user would be able to view both Manager A and Manager B’s forecasts.
3. Manage shared Forecast is similar to the above option except it allows you to choose which reps or managers can see your selected rep/manager's forecast. This is an alternative to setting up a Viewer. For example, if Jason Williams wanted to view the forecast for Lucy Stevens, then instead of making Jason a Viewer into Lucy, you can share Lucy's forecast with Jason. Forecast Manager or Individual Contributor can share their forecast.
4. Remove from Forecasting allows you to remove all of the opt-ins for that user (Individual Contributor, Forecast Manager, Viewer).
Note: If this user is an Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager and you remove them from Forecast, then it will also affect those users who are Viewers into this person.
Common Use Cases
1: Cross-Functional Team Visibility
The most common use case for Forecast Sharing gives visibility between teams that work cross-functionally and need to view each other’s business.
Let’s say that a company has a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) who manages the renewals business and a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) who manages the total revenue generated from new and existing customers. In this scenario, the CRO needs visibility into the CCO's forecast from a renewals perspective.
To give our CRO visibility into the CCO's calls, we will want to set our CRO up as a Viewer into our CCO's forecast for the renewals business. This way, the CRO has visibility into existing business performance and accounts for that in their total revenue forecast.
2: Peer Visibility with Edit Rights
Manager A is going on vacation, and Manager B needs to manage the forecast calls for Manager A’s team and submit their forecast for them while they're out. The difficulty here is that they're peers in the hierarchy. You can solve this by making Manager B a Viewer with Edit rights to Manager A.
3: Viewer into Multiple Users
The VP of Finance needs to be a Viewer for both the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and the Chief Customer Officer (CCO) to see the forecasts they submit. In this case, the VP of Finance sits below both our CRO and CCO in the hierarchy, and our VP of Finance needs to see each forecast individually. To solve this, you would make the VP of Finance a Viewer of both CRO and CCO.
Warning Banners
Below is a description of the warning banners you might encounter in Clari Admin when setting up Forecast Sharing.
Warning 1: Salesforce Visibility
Salesforce field permissions must be the same between the Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager and the Viewer so that everyone is looking at the same numbers. If the field permissions are different, then the filters in Forecast may be different for each user since Clari will respect all field permissions that are set up. This warning will always show up when you save a Forecast opt-in.
Warning 2: Cannot Share with a Subordinate
You cannot share a forecast with someone if the same visibility can be achieved with the hierarchy scope. For example, if User A sits below User B in the hierarchy, then you can't share User A’s forecast with User B. This is because User B should be able to see User A’s forecast by navigating through the hierarchy.
Warning 3: When a Viewer Is Granted Higher Permissions
This warning appears when you set up User A to be a Viewer with higher permissions than User B has. For example, if User B is a Forecast Manager with Can edit own forecast only permissions, and if you set up User A to be a Viewer with Can edit own and reports' forecasts into User B, then you'll get a warning.
FAQs
When would I use Forecast Sharing?
Forecast Sharing is a really powerful feature that can join teams together by letting everyone is look at the same numbers. Here are some scenarios that would require the use of Forecast Sharing:
-
Whenever visibility is restricted by the hierarchy (Use Case 1)
-
One user at a company requires work coverage (Use Case 2)
-
You need to set someone up to be multiple Forecast Roles (Use Case 3)
When would I NOT use Forecast Sharing?
You would not set up Forecast Sharing if only one Forecast Role is required to satisfy all requirements for that user:
Is there a limit to how many Viewer opt-ins I can set up?
No, there is no technical limit. But, there is a practical limit, so consider the use cases before going Viewer Opt-In crazy.
Is there a limit to how many Forecast Submitter (Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager) opt-ins I can set up?
Yes, you can only configure one opt-in. You must also select either Individual Contributor or Forecast Manager for that user—they can't be both.
Why do my numbers look different when I'm Viewing someone vs. when they are logged in as themselves?
Discrepancies in the numbers are likely caused by a difference in Salesforce field permissions. If you are the Viewer, and your numbers are different than what the person you are viewing sees, then you need to confirm that you both have access to all of the same fields in the filter criteria for Forecast.
One of my Viewer opt-ins disappeared, what happened?
The person you are set up to be a Viewer for was probably removed from Forecast. This can happen if the person leaves the company or is no longer set up in Forecast. The solution is to be a Viewer of the new individual that will assume that role in the hierarchy.
Can we NOT share Quota information when setting up Viewer opt-ins?
No, all Quota data will be viewable. You are essentially viewing Forecast as the person you are set up to View (this could be thought of as the same as impersonation).
When setting up opt-ins, is there any difference between using the Actions button or the Right Side Panel?
No, there is no difference in functionality.
What determines the order in which users appear in the dropdown when there are multiple Forecast shares?
The dropdown in Forecast is sorted like this:
1. Sorting is done by level in hierarchy (in descending order)
2. If the hierarchy level is the same, then the tie is broken by name (alphabetical order)
3. If the name is the same, then the tie is broken by scopeId (Manager before Rep)
