Strategic Portfolio Management Software Comparison: Planview vs Clarity vs Keto AI+ Platform

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Strategic Alignment and Business Impact

 

Successful SPM ensures that project portfolios are tightly aligned to strategic objectives, so that every initiative delivers business value. According to Gartner’s definition, SPM encompasses the capabilities and processes needed to align projects with strategic goals. This alignment is critical—PMI found that misalignment is a primary reason 44% of strategic initiatives fail, and Harvard Business Review notes companies capture only ~60% of their strategy’s value due to execution gaps.

Planview and Clarity both recognize the importance of strategic alignment. Planview’s SPM solution offers strong scenario planning and governance-focused approaches to help executives map initiatives to strategy and evaluate trade-offs. Clarity SPM similarly emphasizes governance and controls, making it ideal for finance-driven organizations where tracking investment against strategy is paramount.

However, traditional tools often achieve alignment through rigid top-down planning and complex workflows. Users report that Planview can feel overly structured for highly standardized environments, which may slow down adaptation to change. Clarity’s approach, while robust in governance, can be bureaucratic and less flexible for fast-moving teams.

In contrast, the Keto AI+ Platform takes a more agile approach to alignment. It enables company-wide portfolio management with customizable workflows, allowing organizations to link high-level Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to real-time project execution. This no-code OKR and portfolio linking means strategy isn’t just a document—it’s directly connected to the work being done on the ground. The benefit is tangible: businesses using Keto have seen 15–20% improvements in project alignment to strategic goals by keeping portfolios continuously synced with strategic objectives. For an executive, that translates to more projects delivering the intended business outcomes and fewer “lost” projects that don’t move the needle.

Moreover, effective alignment supports better decision-making at the top. By providing consolidated, real-time visibility into how initiatives contribute to strategic goals, a tool like Keto helps leadership quickly identify projects that drift off-course. This kind of insight can improve decision turnaround times—organizations leveraging Keto’s live dashboards and AI insights have reported making decisions up to 50% faster when issues or change requests arise.

In summary, all three SPM solutions address strategic alignment, but Planview and Clarity do so with heavy governance and predefined structures, whereas Keto offers a more flexible, dynamic approach. Modern enterprises that need to pivot quickly or run both agile and traditional projects may favor the adaptability of Keto to keep strategy and execution in lockstep.

Key Differences: Keto Software vs. Planview & Clarity

Feature	Keto Software	Planview	Clarity
Strategic Alignment	✅ OKR & portfolio linking with real-time tracking	✅ Scenario planning, governance-focused	✅ Strong governance, finance-driven alignment
AI-Driven Insights	✅ Built-in AI for risk, resource, and project performance	⚠ Analytics available but less customizable	⚠ Basic reporting; external tools needed for advanced insights
Workflow Automation	✅ No-code automation, self-service workflow creation	⚠ Requires technical setup for complex workflows	⚠ Limited automation; IT involvement required
Project Methodology Support	✅ Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid fully supported	⚠ Strong in traditional; moderate Agile support	⚠ Primarily Waterfall; Agile support limited
Resource & Capacity Planning	✅ Real-time dashboards, AI-based skill matching	✅ Forecasting tools; requires standardization	⚠ Enterprise-grade planning; complex to configure
Reporting & Dashboards	✅ Live dashboards, automated reports integrated with systems	✅ Strong reports; may require BI tools	⚠ Manual consolidation often required
Pricing	✅ Low total cost of ownership (TCO), flexible pricing	⚠ High cost, complex licensing	⚠ Expensive, long-term contracts
Integration & API	✅ Open API, no-code integrations with major tools	⚠ Pre-built integrations; custom ones need IT support	⚠ Strong integrations; deep customization requires IT
User Interface & Experience	✅ Modern UI, intuitive design, real-time collaboration	⚠ Powerful but can overwhelm new users	⚠ Outdated UI; steep learning curve
Configurability	✅ No-code customization by business users	⚠ Flexible, but configuration requires experts	⚠ Requires IT or vendor for most changes
Implementation Speed	✅ Go live in 4–6 weeks with templates and no-code setup	⚠ 4–12 month implementation cycles	⚠ Typically long setup with high IT involvement
Scalability & Enterprise Fit	✅ Modular and scalable without heavy overhead	✅ Designed for large enterprises; slower to adapt	⚠ Enterprise-grade; limited flexibility in dynamic settings

AI-Driven Insights and Automation

Another key differentiator in SPM software today is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to enhance decision support and reduce manual workloads. Leading analysts emphasize this trend: the Forrester Wave noted that top vendors are “capitalizing on AI capabilities to enhance core planning and optimize planning”. For strategy and PMO leaders, AI can mean better forecasting, smarter resource allocation, and proactive risk management – ultimately driving more value from the portfolio.

Planview has recognized strengths in analytics; it offers rich reporting and even some AI-driven resource forecasting capabilities. However, these advanced analytics often require a high degree of data standardization and expertise to fully leverage. Planview’s analytics are powerful but noted to be less customizable compared to Keto’s approach, sometimes necessitating additional BI tools or custom configurations for specific dashboards. Broadcom Clarity, on the other hand, has traditionally provided only basic reporting out of the box – organizations often need to export data to external tools for deeper analysis. Clarity is evolving (the latest versions have improved visualization and some analytics), but it still lags in built-in AI-driven features. In fact, Clarity’s recent accolades in analyst reports came from improvements in alignment, resource planning, and budgeting usability, rather than AI innovation.

The Keto AI+ Platform was built with AI and automation at its core. Keto provides AI-driven insights for risk assessment and scenario analysis, as well as real-time reporting with fully customizable dashboards. For example, Keto’s AI can automatically flag at-risk projects (using pattern recognition on schedule and budget data) and suggest remedial actions – enabling portfolio managers to act before minor issues become major crises. Additionally, Keto includes AI-driven resource and skills matching, which intelligently assigns the right people to the right tasks based on skill profiles and availability. This has led to a 10–15% improvement in resource utilization at organizations using Keto, by reducing overallocation and minimizing reliance on contractors or overtime.

Automation is another area where the solutions differ significantly. Keto offers no-code automation, allowing users to configure intake workflows, approvals, and notifications without writing a single line of code. Routine tasks – from project intake to status reporting – can be automated by business users. In contrast, Planview’s automation typically requires more technical configuration or even scripting; it’s powerful but needs expert involvement to set up or change workflows. Clarity historically has very limited automation built-in – many processes might require custom development or external scripts, meaning IT intervention is needed for automation in Clarity environments. The net impact for a CIO or PMO leader is that Keto’s automation can drastically reduce manual effort (one client reported a 90% reduction in manual reporting work by using Keto’s automated templates integrated with their SAP and CRM systems). By freeing teams from labor-intensive tasks, they can focus more on strategic analysis and execution, which is exactly what SPM software should enable.

Configurability and User Experience

SPM tools must serve a variety of stakeholders – from executives needing high-level visuals to project managers in the trenches – so user configurability and experience are pivotal. A configurable solution allows tailoring to an organization’s processes without heavy coding, and a positive user experience (UX) drives adoption across the enterprise.

Planview and Clarity are feature-rich, but this can come at the expense of simplicity. Planview provides extensive configuration options, yet many of them require specialized knowledge (or vendor consultants) to implement properly. Users often note that Planview’s interface, while powerful, can feel complex and overwhelming for new users. There is a learning curve to navigate its menus and modules, and training is usually necessary before teams feel comfortable. Clarity, being an older platform, has an even more notorious UX – its interface has been described as outdated, requiring extensive training to use effectively. Broadcom has improved Clarity’s UI in recent releases (modernizing the look and adding a friendly roadmap view), but many organizations still recall the legacy interface that was not very intuitive. In both cases, if a tool is hard to use or adjust, business users will resist adoption, undermining the very strategic insights the software is supposed to provide.

The Keto AI+ Platform, by contrast, emphasizes modern design and ease of use. It features a clean, intuitive UI with real-time collaboration tools baked in. This means project teams, finance, and executives can collaboratively update statuses, comment, and share insights within the platform – akin to the usability one expects from consumer-grade apps, not old enterprise software. More importantly, Keto is highly configurable through no-code settings. A Strategy Head or PMO lead can adjust workflows, data fields, and portfolio structures in Keto via drag-and-drop editors or form builders, without needing IT support. For example, if the organization decides to capture a new metric (say, carbon footprint of each project for ESG reporting), adding that field and incorporating it into dashboards can be done in minutes by an administrator in Keto. In Planview or Clarity, such a change might require a longer change request cycle or technical work. This user configurability in Keto empowers organizations to tailor the software to their methodology – whether they use Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid project approaches – all supported seamlessly in one tool.

From an executive perspective, a user-friendly SPM solution means faster rollout and higher adoption. If business unit leaders and project managers actually enjoy using the tool, the data quality improves and the portfolio insights are richer. Keto’s focus on UX and configurability aims to eliminate the resistance often encountered with traditional PPM/SPM rollouts. The platform’s flexible workflows let teams work in a way that feels natural (instead of forcing everyone into a rigid process), which can drive an agile, high-performing culture across the organization. While Planview and Clarity are undoubtedly powerful, Keto’s ease of use can be a game-changer for companies that lack the army of administrators needed to tame a complex legacy system.

Integration and Enterprise Architecture Support

In today’s IT environments, an SPM solution must integrate seamlessly with other enterprise systems and, ideally, support or complement the organization’s enterprise architecture (EA) efforts. Integration capability ensures that the portfolio management tool can serve as a single source of truth without creating data silos – pulling in data from ERP, CRM, ITSM, and feeding back into them. Enterprise architecture support means the tool can incorporate views of the organization’s capabilities, applications, and technology landscape in strategic planning.

Planview scores well on this criterion for large enterprises. It offers a library of pre-built integrations (sometimes through its “Hub” connectors) to connect with DevOps tools, financial systems, and more. It also uniquely provides a dedicated Enterprise Architecture module (Planview acquired Troux, a leading EA tool, years ago). This means Planview’s platform can model and link business capabilities, applications, and technology to the project portfolio – essentially merging the worlds of portfolio management and enterprise architecture. For organizations with a strong architecture function, Planview enables powerful visualizations: e.g. seeing how a strategic initiative impacts various business capabilities and which systems support those capabilities. The trade-off is that customizing or extending integrations in Planview can require significant IT effort. While the out-of-the-box connectors are handy, any new or non-standard integration might involve scripting or professional services.

Clarity also provides integration options (it has an open API and some connectors), and Broadcom has ensured Clarity can connect with common tools like Jira, ServiceNow, etc. However, Clarity’s integration flexibility is often limited unless you invest in their additional integration modules or custom development. The platform has strong pre-built integrations for popular applications, but deeper customization is IT-dependent and can be expensive. Clarity does not natively offer enterprise architecture modeling capabilities; it focuses on investments and portfolios. Companies using Clarity for SPM might rely on separate EA tools (like Orbus, LeanIX, or others) for capability maps, and then manually link that insight into Clarity’s projects or use spreadsheets – which is not ideal but has been the reality in some cases.

The Keto AI+ Platform takes a modern, cloud-friendly approach to integration. It provides an open REST API and supports no-code integrations with other software, allowing easy connection to third-party tools. For instance, Keto can integrate with SAP for pulling actual financials, with CRM systems for linking sales initiatives, or with agile project tools like Jira/Azure DevOps to sync execution data. These integrations can often be configured with point-and-click connectors or lightweight scripts, avoiding heavy IT projects. Keto’s ethos is to centralize project, resource, and financial data on a unified cloud platform, which directly tackles the problem of data silos. By having all relevant data in one place (and integrated with source systems), organizations gain a single source of truth for portfolio decisions. One tangible benefit reported by Keto users is a reduction of data duplication and errors by up to 25–40%, because teams are no longer maintaining separate spreadsheets and reports for different stakeholders.

On the enterprise architecture front, Keto may not offer the full EA modeling that Planview does, but it does enable mapping of strategic themes and linking them to portfolios and projects (often sufficient for organizations that don’t need a dedicated EA repository). Keto focuses on ensuring strategic alignment across enterprise initiatives – for many CIOs, that covers the practical intersection of portfolio management and architecture (ensuring projects are supporting the right business capabilities and strategic themes). In summary, if your organization needs deep enterprise architecture integration, Planview is a strong choice. But for many businesses, Keto’s pragmatic integration capabilities and data-centralization are more than enough to support enterprise-wide visibility, without the overhead of a complex EA tool. And unlike Clarity, Keto doesn’t lock integrations behind custom development – it is designed to plug into your existing landscape easily.

Cost-Effectiveness and Pricing

Cost is always top-of-mind for CFOs evaluating enterprise software. Beyond just license fees, total cost of ownership (TCO) includes implementation, configuration, training, and ongoing maintenance. Here the contrast between Planview, Clarity, and Keto can be significant.

Planview and Clarity are traditional enterprise software in pricing as well. Planview typically operates on a per-user (or per-seat) licensing model and can be on the higher end of the cost spectrum, especially when all modules (strategic planning, PPM, EA, etc.) are included. Organizations often face complex licensing models with Planview – for example, separate fees for different modules or user types (viewers vs contributors). Similarly, Clarity (now under Broadcom) is known for its expensive licensing and long-term contracts. Broadcom often sells Clarity as part of larger deals, and customers have reported less flexibility in pricing negotiations. The SaaS costs for these legacy solutions can range widely. For instance, a mid-size implementation (multiple portfolios, 1000 users) might cost in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in subscription fees. Furthermore, these solutions often require substantial upfront investment in implementation (CapEx) – hiring certified consultants or internal experts to configure and deploy. It’s not uncommon for initial implementation projects for Planview or Clarity to run into 6–12 months of work and several hundred thousand in services costs.

In comparison, the Keto AI+ Platform positions itself as a cost-effective SPM software with a flexible pricing model. Keto typically offers SaaS subscriptions with simpler, more transparent pricing. Based on a comparison scenario (12 months, 4 portfolios, 1,000 users), Keto’s SaaS cost was about £25,000, versus £50,000–£250,000 for competitors like Planview or Clarity. That is a dramatic difference in direct software cost. Keto’s philosophy is to lower the total cost of ownership by not only having affordable licenses but also reducing the need for heavy customization or extra modules (many features like intake workflow, AI, etc. are included out-of-the-box). Its flexible pricing ensures quick value realization with low TCO, which can be particularly attractive for mid-sized companies or large enterprises looking to scale SPM capabilities broadly without breaking the budget.

The cost advantage extends to implementation and ongoing operations. Keto’s no-code configurability means that much of the setup can be done by the customer’s existing team, not expensive external consultants. One European organization was able to deploy Keto across several departments in a matter of weeks, with minimal external support. In general, Keto advertises a typical time to go live of around 4 weeks, whereas legacy competitors often require 4 to 12 months for full implementation. Faster implementation not only lowers services cost but also means faster time-to-value – you start getting ROI in months, not years. In fact, many Keto customers see a positive return on investment within 6–12 months, thanks to the combination of modest upfront costs and quick gains in efficiency. For a CFO doing a cost-benefit analysis, Keto’s proposition can be compelling: lower upfront cost, lower ongoing admin overhead, and quicker realization of benefits like saved labor hours and optimized resources. Planview and Clarity, while delivering robust capabilities, come with higher ongoing costs (including the need for admins or IT support to manage the system continuously).

Time-to-Value and Implementation Speed

Closely related to cost is the time-to-value – how quickly can the organization start reaping benefits from the SPM tool? Large transformations that drag on can sap momentum and stakeholder support. This is where Keto’s agility stands out. Keto AI+ Platform can be rolled out in a phased approach within weeks. Its quick-start templates and no-code configuration enable teams to configure portfolios, project intake forms, and reports rapidly, often without waiting for lengthy development cycles. The platform’s modular, cloud-based architecture supports starting small (e.g., with one portfolio or department) and scaling up incrementally, which mitigates risk and accelerates user adoption. Because of this, Keto allows organizations to hit the ground running – e.g., begin an SPM pilot in one month, demonstrate value (such as faster project approvals or improved visibility) in the next, and expand usage organically.

Planview and Clarity, by their nature as enterprise-scale systems, usually entail longer implementation timelines. These solutions often require a well-defined deployment project: design workshops, extensive configuration, data migration, testing cycles, and training programs. It’s not unusual for a full Planview implementation to take several months (sometimes up to a year for global enterprises with complex needs). Clarity implementations can also be lengthy, especially if the organization is customizing the tool or integrating many systems. Both vendors have tried to introduce accelerated deployment methodologies, but customer experiences still indicate longer implementation cycles due to rigid processes and complexity. In some cases, by the time the tool is fully rolled out, the organization’s strategy or structure might have changed – a frustrating scenario for strategy leaders who need to remain nimble.

Time-to-value is not just about deployment speed, but also about user adoption and realization of benefits. Keto’s intuitive UX and flexibility contribute to quicker adoption; users require less training and immediately find the tool helpful, which means the strategic portfolio data becomes rich and accurate faster. Compare this to a tool that requires weeks of training – if people don’t use it effectively, you won’t get value no matter how powerful it is. Furthermore, Keto’s quick configuration means that as business needs change (and they always do), the tool can be adjusted in days. For example, if a new regulatory requirement emerges to track a certain risk metric across projects, Keto could be updated almost immediately to capture and report on it. Planview might handle that through a formal change request and a few weeks of work by a specialist; Clarity might need a patch or custom script. The ability to adapt quickly ensures that the SPM tool continues to provide value over time, rather than becoming shelfware or a bottleneck.

From a strategic viewpoint, leaders should consider the opportunity cost of a slow implementation. Every month without effective SPM is a month where resources might be misaligned and decisions suboptimal. McKinsey research shows that organizations which actively reallocate and manage their portfolios outperform competitors by 40% in performance. This implies that swiftly implementing an SPM capability (and continuously using it to fine-tune your portfolio) can have a direct impact on business outcomes. Keto’s promise of rapid time-to-value aligns well with this insight – enabling an active portfolio management culture sooner. Planview and Clarity, while eventually delivering a comprehensive solution, may test an organization’s patience and change management endurance before yielding full benefits. Many enterprises still succeed with them, but increasingly, strategy leaders seek faster impact.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right SPM Solution

Selecting the right strategic portfolio management solution comes down to aligning the tool’s strengths with your organization’s priorities. Planview and Broadcom Clarity are proven SPM software platforms with deep capabilities in governance, financial management, and enterprise-scale portfolio tracking. Large corporations with very standardized processes or those heavily invested in enterprise architecture might find value in their comprehensive feature sets. However, this often comes with trade-offs in cost, flexibility, and speed. For organizations that demand agility, fast time-to-value, AI-enhanced insights, and ease of use, the Keto AI+ Platform emerges as a strong alternative to consider. It provides the strategic alignment and robust functionality of an enterprise tool, minus the lengthy deployments and high price tags of legacy competitors.

In today’s fast-moving environment, CIOs and strategy executives cannot afford year-long software rollouts or low adoption rates. A platform like Keto, with its focus on strategic alignment, automation, configurability, integration, and cost-effectiveness, can drive quicker wins – for example, ensuring the next budgeting cycle or strategic planning round is supported by real data on project outcomes and resource capacities. Moreover, Keto’s AI and automation help organizations stay ahead of the curve, leveraging modern technology to continuously optimize their project portfolios (a capability that even giants like Planview and Clarity are now racing to add). As Gartner notes, SPM is essential for strategy-to-execution alignment, and having the right tool in place is a strategic decision in itself.

Ultimately, the best way to evaluate any tool is to see it in action. We recommend exploring Keto AI+ Platform firsthand to determine if its approach fits your organization’s culture and goals. Keto offers a modular, user-friendly experience that can complement or replace established solutions like Planview and Clarity, especially for those seeking a more agile and value-driven SPM practice. To learn more and assess whether it’s the right Planview/Clarity alternative for your enterprise, we invite you to request a personalized demo of the Keto AI+ Platform. Experience how Keto can empower your strategic portfolio management – from high-level strategy down to execution – and deliver results in a fraction of the time of traditional tools. Contact us today to start the journey toward an agile, high-performing portfolio management capability.

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