The Psychology of IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) Model Complexity: Why Teams Avoid Documentation

Most TM1 developers know the drill: documentation is critical, yet it’s always the task that gets pushed to “later.” Weeks turn into months, and suddenly the only documentation is half-finished wiki pages, screenshots, and tribal knowledge. 

But why does this happen even to highly disciplined teams? The answer isn’t technical, it’s psychological. 

The Psychology Behind Avoidance 

1. Documentation feels like extra work. 
When deadlines are tight, documenting a model feels like slowing down. Developers see it as effort without immediate reward. 

2. Complexity is intimidating. 
TM1 models grow into sprawling networks of rules, feeders, and processes. Opening the model map can feel overwhelming, making teams avoid it altogether. 

3. No instant gratification. 
Shipping a working rule delivers a dopamine hit. Writing documentation does not. The lack of immediate payoff makes it the first task to drop. 

4. Fear of exposing flaws. 
Documenting models surfaces complexity, redundancy, and sometimes poor design decisions. Teams unconsciously avoid it because it forces uncomfortable transparency. 

The Hidden Cost of Avoidance 

When documentation is neglected: 

• Onboarding slows: new hires take months to become productive. 
• Audits are stressful: finance audit teams in Singapore and globally often face delays because TM1 environments lack a single source of truth. 
• Errors multiply: no one fully understands dependencies. 
• Turnover hurts: knowledge walks out the door with departing team members. 

Avoidance may reduce stress in the short term, but it creates even bigger challenges for long-term finance transformation. 

The Breakthrough: 10-Minute Automation 

This is where automation changes the game. With Omni, teams can generate complete TM1 documentation in under 10 minutes. 

That simple shift removes the psychological barriers: 

• Not “extra work” → TM1 documentation automation handles it automatically. 
• Not intimidating → Complex dependencies are mapped visually, not buried in code. 
• Instant gratification → Documentation is complete, searchable, and ready to share immediately. 
• No fear → Omni standardizes the output, framing documentation as clarity, not blame. 

Suddenly, documentation is no longer a dreaded task, it’s just another output of working with TM1. 

Reframing Documentation for Developers 

Think of documentation not as a chore, but as: 

• A productivity booster (saving hours in troubleshooting). 
• A shield (reducing audit and compliance risks). 
• A teaching tool (helping onboard juniors quickly). 
• A legacy (ensuring your expertise isn’t lost when you move on). 

Automation makes this reframing stick. Instead of feeling drained by it, developers get energy back from the time they save. 

Key Takeaway 

Avoidance isn’t laziness, it’s human psychology. But when documentation takes just 10 minutes, the resistance disappears. With Omni, TM1 developers in Singapore and beyond can finally close the gap between what they know they should do and what they actually do. 

Next Step: Kickstart the Automation 

If your team has been putting off documentation, you’re not alone. The good news is—it doesn’t need to be painful. 

And if you’d like to explore how Omni can make documentation effortless for your TM1 environment, reach out to us at hello@omnitm1.com.