Inefficient S&OP Programs Waste Money and Resources!

How to Take Control and Tame Your S&OP Cycle

If You Do it Yourself

There are several challenges to overcome to achieve a successful S&OP processes…

Whether you are implementing S&OP from scratch, or trying to fix a cycle that’s not working well, a multitude of individual problems and mistakes must be avoided, or rectified.

You and your team will need to focus on the following causes of dysfunctional S&OP, to steer clear of them or eliminate them from an existing cycle:

• Failure to execute plans: Companies often struggle to turn their S&OP results into action. If the relevant business units are unable to execute on the plans, S&OP becomes a toothless process. That’s why tying planning and execution together must be a non-negotiable priority for any implementation or improvement efforts.
• Functional misalignment: Business functions, such as sales and operations, are misaligned by definition, and conflicts naturally exist. You must overcome those conflicts if your S&OP process is to bear fruit.
• Executive apathy: Inadequate support and understanding from executives is a common barrier to successful S&OP adoption. Executive buy-in is critical in overcoming inertia relating to cross-functional alignment, so if your execs are not on board, S&OP implementation or improvement efforts may be doomed to failure.
• Lack of balance: It’s all too easy for an S&OP process to become too sales focused, at the expense of the procurement, manufacturing, and logistics functions, or similarly, to concentrate too much on the operations side, and not enough on sales and marketing. It’s crucial to strike a horizontal balance of plans, with equal emphasis on sales/marketing and the operational functions.

These are just a few examples of the pitfalls and errors that make creating and implementing a success of sales and operations planning so challenging. It’s an objective well worth pursuing, but expect some pain and resource hunger during the initial stages of establishment.

If you are starting afresh with S&OP, deciding on which model to choose can be a considerable challenge and a wrong decision at this point can have long lasting consequences!

Do it With Us

You don’t have to take a DIY approach to S&OP implementation or improvement. At Logistics Bureau, we have a whole team of specialist consultants ready to support, guide, and help you throughout the journey, whether you are starting from scratch or wish to improve your current process.

• We have the tools and the skills to ensure that you develop an S&OP process that will work.
• We’ll assist you to make S&OP happen and demystify the entire concept for your stakeholders, so they understand the objectives that they are collectively working towards.
• We’ll work with you to strengthen collaboration and create robust ties between planning and execution.
• We’ll educate and coach your business teams in S&OP principles and practices, ensuring understanding at all levels.
• We’ll coach your executive team to ensure they are equipped to provide effective leadership and embed S&OP into your business culture.

Our approach to the S&OP process will minimise disruption to your business and accelerate its implementation or improvement, ultimately delivering the following tangible benefits:

• Reduced inventory investment
• Improved customer service levels
• Reduced inventory obsolescence
• Increased inventory/asset turns
• Increased supply chain flexibility
• Improved forecasting accuracy
• Improved inventory deployment

It All Starts With a 15-Minute Call

If you’d like to get some help identifying ways that your S&OP might be letting you down and how to fix them that can be implemented quickly, a free, 15-minute consultative call with one of our experts is all it takes.

You’re welcome to join us on a short call to establish your needs and discuss the options available.

During that call, which can be scheduled at a day and time of your choosing, we will:

1. Gather a little information about your business, and your S&OP concerns.
2. Identify the most likely causes of any problems you may be experiencing.
3. Develop a simple plan of action to start countering the issues.
4. Discuss possible options for us to continue helping your team to implement or improve S&OP.

Remember: The call will be free of charge, and places you under no obligations—but it will provide you with some actionable ideas and measures you can begin to take for a more successful S&OP process.