HomeBuilt with You: How 200+ Hours of Customer Collaboration Shaped Provision NXT
By Sebastian Cordoba, Product Manager, PowerPlan
There are two ways to build software: the way vendors think it should work, and the way users need it to work. Too often, it's the first: software built in isolation, designed to impress in a demo but not when you're closing the books at 9 p.m. on a Friday.
With Provision NXT, we took a different path. Harder? Absolutely. Worth it? Without question. The result is software shaped by the people who will use it extensively.
Customer Innovation Program
Since 2024, we've spent 200+ hours with tax professionals from 14 utilities—far beyond typical "check-the-box" user testing. Real PowerPlan Provision Classic users tested clickable prototypes of Provision NXT and told us what worked, what didn't, and what they needed.
We said, "Tell us what's wrong. Show us how you'd really use this." And they did.
Sessions focused on real tasks—managing hundreds of records, maintaining apportionments, PowerPlan TFA mapping, payable reconciliation, roll-forwards, and more. We watched, learned, redesigned, and repeated.
This wasn't about collecting feature requests for a backlog. It was about shaping the product through iterative collaboration. And that's exactly what happened. That customer-shaped product is Provision NXT, launching in December.
What We Heard from You (and Why It Mattered)
Provision Classic has been the industry standard for 20+ years for a reason—rock-solid calculations, compliance support, and the ability to handle complex utility tax needs.
But when we asked current Provision Classic users what keeps them up at night, we heard consistent pain points with the software that, despite its strengths, was starting to show its age:
- "Validating and maintaining data is slow and manual."
- "Onboarding new employees takes months due to complexity."
- "Extracting data for external analysis is challenging."
- "Upgrade cycles are invasive and dependent on stakeholders outside of tax."
How We Responded
Performance-Optimized Calculations
2000% faster rate calculations. That's not a typo. What used to take hours now takes seconds. We rebuilt the calculation engine to optimize performance. Several complex ASC740 and ASC980 calculations that used to require babysitting, only to get results hours or even a day later, now run in seconds with Provision NXT's speed-optimized calculation engine.
Data at Your Fingertips
Data is your bread and butter, but accessing it, analyzing it, and acting on it is challenging. We built Data Hub directly into Provision NXT, eliminating manual data-wrangling processes. Out-of-the-box outbound APIs simplify data extraction, powering real-time visibility for faster insights and more data-driven decision-making.
Intuitive Interface: "On a scale of 1-5, I give it a 10!"
We flattened navigation hierarchies. We added bulk edit capabilities. We put the information you need most often right where you expect it.
Streamlined Workflows: "Compared to what we have now, this is definitely a five out of five!"
That "compared to what we have now" part is key. We're not just building something new, we're building something better than what you're using today. Provision NXT consolidates related tasks into single, logical workflows. No more mental gymnastics remembering which screen you need to check next.
The Numbers Don't Lie
At the end of each validation session, we ask participants to rate the prototype on two key criteria:
- Ease of Use: 4.75 out of 5
- Ability to Meet Requirements: 4.8 out of 5
These aren't inflated scores—they're from busy tax professionals who don't sugarcoat feedback. When something works, they tell us. When it doesn't, they really tell us. And these numbers tell us we're building something that genuinely makes their jobs easier.
What "Built with You" Really Means
Every vendor says they listen to customers. But here's the difference: we built Provision NXT by putting imperfect prototypes in front of real users and watching them work. We asked, "Does this make sense?" Sometimes, the answer was yes. Often it was "Not really—but what if you did it this way instead?" And we did.
It meant we were willing to throw out work when the feedback told us we're headed in the wrong direction. But it results in better software that feels like it was designed by someone who understands your workflow because, in a very real sense, it was.
What This Means for You
If you're a current Provision Classic user, here's what the culmination of this customer-driven development process means for you:
1. Lower risk. Built-in controls reduce compliance issues, and SaaS delivery model responds to regulatory changes in real time.
2. Empowered tax team. Data Hub gives visibility for faster, smarter decisions, and SaaS lets you adopt changes on tax's timeline.
3. Increased productivity. Close faster, onboard easily, and extract actionable insights directly from the system.
4. Seamless data flow: As part of PowerPlan's NXT platform, Provision NXT eliminates integration pain points. Tax data flows automatically from TFA into Provision NXT—no more manual data transfers or reconciliation headaches—powering your income tax calculations and ensuring data integrity.
An Invitation
If you want to see how those 200+ hours of customer collaboration translated into actual features, I'd love to show you. And I'd love to hear your feedback too. Because even as we prepare to launch, we're already thinking about what comes next.
That's what "built with you" means. It's a commitment to ongoing collaboration that makes the software better for everyone.
Sebastian Cordoba is a Product Manager at PowerPlan. He's spent the past 12 years supporting PowerPlan Provision, and the past two working directly with utility tax professionals to build Provision NXT—software that makes their jobs easier.
Ready to see Provision NXT in action? Request a demo to explore the features built with input from 14 utilities and 200+ hours of customer collaboration. Sebastian, along with our development and user experience teams, would love your feedback.
