In 2017, a lot has again been written about S&OP. One of the main topics still is how to ensure true buy-in of non-supply chain stakeholders, which is indeed a key challenge in many cases; not because they are genetically different, but because companies often fail to make clear links between S&OP and functional targets and incentives. In this...
After a number of sessions on leadership and change management in S&OP, it was time for a more technical central theme of the S&OP Professionals meeting on November 20th. Involvation facilitates these interactive sessions twice per year, aiming to exchange experiences in S&OP, learn from each other and create a peer network of S&OP...
This was the central theme of the S&OP Professionals meeting on June 19th. Twice per year Involvation facilitates these interactive sessions of professionals in the field of S&OP. Goal is to exchange experiences in S&OP, learn from each other and create a network of S&OP practitioners. This time we had a broad participation of representatives from...
How can I get – and above all, keep – the Sales department involved in sales & operations planning (S&OP)? That’s the million dollar question in many S&OP processes. The Supply Chain organisation is the driving force in virtually all S&OP set-ups – which is logical, in a way. After all, the operation won’t get far without planning, and planning...
Implementation of a Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process is often considered as an important change in the way an organisation works. Therefore, an implementation project should take a solid approach that addresses all the success factors involved in that change. But the last step in the change approach is often neglected:...
In his brilliant book “Leading without Commanding”, Filip Vandendriessche describes how managers often create their own problems. By managing on input rather than output, they create resistance rather than buy-in. This simple observation also holds important lessons for S&OP. In a process where people make the difference, input management kills...
Get out of the box! Supply chain-strategies are being discussed a lot. The need is clear, but how can we take decisions within the supply chain if we don’t have a strategy? Supply chain professionals themselves are the main cause of this problem because they keep on acting like Calimero. They have to stop staying at the sideline and need to...
Some companies have a well-developed sales & operations planning (S&OP) process as a safeguard for structured decision-making. Those companies take an integral view of supply and demand, including the financial impact of mediumterm risks. The managers of such companies make results-based decisions and are truly at the helm. Supply Chain Media and...
In our recent article Towards an effective S&OP with Stephen Covey, the power of Covey’s bestselling theory was applied to Sales & Operations Planning. We used Habit 3, “Put First Things First”, to make a high level design of an effective S&OP process. In this follow-up article, we will demonstrate that it is equally important to apply Covey’s...
Since the publication of Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” in 1989, more than 15 million copies have passed the counter, making it one of the best selling management books ever. The seven habits that Covey describes are brilliant in their simplicity. No more than common sense, you could argue, but why the massive interest and...