Category: S&OP

Leadership, S&OP

How to bridge the Strategy to Execution gap

A business strategy is only as good as its execution. Still many businesses struggle to periodically align their strategy with their annual plans, performance and appraisal settings and execution. This contributes to a lack of employee engagement in strategy and a low success rate of strategy execution, which have been well documented over the years. To overcome the strategy to execution gap, executives may choose … Continue reading How to bridge the Strategy to Execution gap

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Leadership, S&OP

The main reason why S&OP implementations fail!

‘If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there‘, Yogi Berra, a famous baseball player famously said. Berra knew how to achieve and win, appearing in 21 world series and winning 13 of them. He was elected to the baseball hall of fame in 1972 (Wikipedia). If we want to achieve something, we usually define our goals, measurements and targets. We usually … Continue reading The main reason why S&OP implementations fail!

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S&OP

7 S&OP insights from the 2014 S&OP pulse check

A big thanks to all participants who joined in this years pulse check. Attached you can find the results of the 2014 S&OP pulse check, the fourth of its kind. It gives an indication on S&OP maturity status and change drivers. An indication indeed, as one participants said; ‘it is a check up and not an autopsy’. My biggest insights, or shock should I say, … Continue reading 7 S&OP insights from the 2014 S&OP pulse check

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Leadership, S&OP

7 Steps to Build a Sustainable S&OP Culture

S&OP is a long term game, if not a never ending continuous improvement game. More than once, I’ve witnessed well working S&OP processes collapse within months after a merger, restructure, leadership change or other significant business changes. The process was working; people rocked up to meetings and had meaningful conversation. Information was on the table, some business decisions were made. Systems were working to support … Continue reading 7 Steps to Build a Sustainable S&OP Culture

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Leadership, S&OP

A perspective on collaboration and IBP

My last blog I wrote on the 5th phase of S&OP. That 5th phase refers to behavioural capability that is required to take S&OP beyond the process, systems, reporting and KPI’s S&OP practitioners usually talk about. I called that phase emotionally competent as that felt just about the right description for knowing yourself, your behaviours, controlling your behaviours and adapting your behaviours to different circumstances … Continue reading A perspective on collaboration and IBP

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Leadership, Positive mindset, S&OP

The 5th phase of S&OP maturity

This blog follows on an interesting discussion I had in the Tom Wallace S&OP group on LinkedIn. The discussion started because I didn’t necessarily agree with Tom’s statement: Successful S&OP = better teamwork To me it feels this formula makes some short cuts and the big assumption that better teamwork just appears because of S&OP. S&OP will definitely provide an opportunity for teams to work … Continue reading The 5th phase of S&OP maturity

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S&OP

It’s a complex business process, STUPID!

I’ve seen it before and I’ll probably see it again, but it still takes me by surprise every time. In the last 6 months I’ve observed two 2 billion $ well-respected FMCG companies with some very well-known world brands make the same mistake with IBP. First they build up the burning platform for IBP. Their customer service levels are not up to scratch, waste levels … Continue reading It’s a complex business process, STUPID!

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S&OP

The changing role of planning

The  following is some more detail behind the attached presentation I gave at an Australian planning & forecasting conference. YOu can find the presentation here: 2013 The role of DR in IBP October 1st v2 The changing role of planning The key message in my presentation was that Planning & Forecasting is not only about numbers anymore. Forecasting must mature beyond numbers, systems and spreadsheets only. … Continue reading The changing role of planning

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