Independent Workday Adaptive Planning Practice
Adaptive Planning rarely fails in one big moment.
It steadily drifts.
Small reporting, modeling, integration, and administrative issues accumulate over time — until the environment no longer reflects how the business actually plans. Portside exists to identify, prioritize, and resolve those small, compounding issues before they become significant problems.
A short, unhurried conversation. No pitch — just an honest look at whether we're the right fit.
What We See
None of it feels urgent on its own. All of it, together, is what drift looks like.
Finance teams rarely call because something broke. They call because a collection of small things has been steadily wearing on them.
- Reports that nobody fully trusts anymore.
- Models that have become difficult to maintain.
- Integrations that require repeated manual intervention.
- Planning processes that have outgrown the original implementation.
- Security that has slowly become inconsistent.
- Documentation that never got completed.
- New business requirements handled through workarounds.
- Small changes that have accumulated over several years.
Our Philosophy
Most Adaptive Planning environments don't need another implementation. They need thoughtful attention.
As businesses evolve, planning environments evolve with them. Priorities shift. Teams change. Small issues naturally accumulate over time.
Our role is to resolve those issues before they become larger ones — helping finance teams maintain confidence in the systems they rely on every day.
We don't rebuild Adaptive Planning. We help finance teams keep it working as their business evolves.
Common Challenges We Help Solve
Practical work, focused on the issues finance teams actually live with.
Most engagements begin with a single problem. Many gradually evolve into an ongoing relationship as new questions surface and the business continues to change.
Reports that have become difficult to trust or maintain
Rebuilding the numbers finance leans on for month-end, board packages, and everyday decisions.
Models that no longer reflect how the business operates
Bringing planning logic back in line with how the company actually runs today — not how it ran three years ago.
Integrations that consume unnecessary manual effort
Diagnosing broken feeds, reconciling source data, and quieting the repetitive work behind the scenes.
Planning processes that have evolved beyond the original implementation
Refining budgeting, forecasting, and workflow so cycles feel less improvised and more repeatable.
Administrative cleanup after years of incremental changes
Tidying up security, permissions, and the accumulated small decisions that have made the environment harder to manage.
Documentation gaps that create unnecessary risk
Capturing what's in place today so the team isn't dependent on memory or on any one person.
New planning requirements that weren't part of the original implementation
Adding what the business now needs — thoughtfully, and without destabilizing what already works.
Second opinions when something doesn't feel right
A quiet sounding board when a report, a model, or an approach isn't sitting well and you want an experienced view.
Not sure whether it's a report, a model, an integration, or a data issue? Helping you name the real problem is often where we begin.
How We Work
One relationship. Direct accountability. Sized to the work.
Many client relationships begin with one small issue and grow into an ongoing conversation as the business evolves.
- 01
Talk it through
A conversation to understand what's happening, why it matters now, and what's already been tried.
- 02
Name the real problem
Often the reported issue isn't the underlying one. We spend time upfront making sure we're solving the thing that actually matters.
- 03
Right-size the work
Sometimes a focused fix. Sometimes a short project. Sometimes an occasional call. We'll suggest the shape that fits — even if that means less work for us.
- 04
Stay available as things evolve
We confirm the solution, document what changed, and remain a phone call away as your planning environment continues to change with the business.
Meet Evan
Hi, I'm Evan Blais.
After spending more than a decade helping organizations implement and improve Workday Adaptive Planning, I noticed something interesting.
Most companies weren't struggling because their implementation had failed. They were struggling because dozens of small issues had gradually accumulated over time.
- Reports that became difficult to trust.
- Models that no longer reflected the business.
- Integrations that required manual work.
- Planning processes that evolved faster than the system itself.
Those aren't implementation problems. They're everyday operational challenges.
That's why I started Portside Consulting. I enjoy helping finance teams solve those practical problems so they can spend less time fighting their planning system and more time using it with confidence.
Every engagement is personally led by me. When additional expertise benefits a client, I work with a trusted network of experienced consultants — but you'll always know who you're working with and who's accountable for the outcome.
10+ Years with Workday Adaptive Planning
Healthcare, SaaS, Manufacturing & Professional Services
Independent U.S.-Based Consultant
Every Engagement Personally Led by Evan
Working With Evan
You work directly with someone who has seen these problems before.
Evan personally leads every engagement — the first conversation, the diagnosis, the work itself, and the follow-through. When another set of hands genuinely helps the client, he brings in a small group of trusted colleagues he has worked with for years.
Regardless of who contributes behind the scenes, Evan remains your point of contact and personally accountable for the quality of the work. The intent isn't to build a firm around you. It's to be the person you call when Adaptive starts drifting away from what the business needs.
Tell us what's been steadily bothering you.
We'll help you figure out what to do about it.
A focused, unhurried introductory conversation. No obligation — just an honest read on whether Portside is the right fit.