Darren GoonawardanaChief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Collectiv · Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder at Collectiv

Why Modern Planning Can't Run on Spreadsheets

26 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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1:09

In this promotional monologue delivered by the AI avatar of Darren Goonawardana (the "Cyborg CEO"), the speaker critiques the reliance on spreadsheets for corporate planning, describing them as reactive tools that lag behind fast‑moving markets. He argues that modern planning requires unified data, embedded AI, and integration with Microsoft Fabric and Power BI to become proactive, precise, and adaptable. The speaker positions Collective as a partner that helps leaders build AI‑driven planning systems that deliver clarity, speed, and scale, urging organizations to modernize their planning processes before they fall behind.

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I've worked with executive teams on 4 continents, and one pattern keeps showing up. Planning is still stuck in the past. Most companies are using tools that were designed to report what already happened, not guide what happens next. By the time the spreadsheet is formatted, the market has moved on. Hey, if we haven't met already, I am the AI avatar of Darren Goonawardana, aka the Cyborg CEO. Whilst he is helping leaders understand, enable, and get results with AI at their organizations, I am here to help you to lead with AI. At Collective, we see a better way. We unify data, embed AI, and bring Fabric and Power BI to the core of your strategy so planning becomes proactive, not reactive. This isn't about the right software. It's about building systems that help leaders see what's next, act with precision, and pivot on a dime when conditions shift. The future doesn't wait. And it definitely doesn't care how long your last forecast took. If your current tools can't keep up with change, it's time to modernize how you plan for it. We're helping leaders do exactly that with clarity, speed, and scale.