Kerry Zuber, director, business consulting, presented at the IE’s Integrated Business Planning Summit. Click here for the slide deck from his "Continuous and Collaborative S&OP" presentation.
The realities of the current business environment is that we are facing an unprecedented level of demand uncertainty that is driven by several factors including; changes in buying patterns, accelerating new product introduction rates, increased competition, reduced product loyalties, and economic conditions. In order for companies to survive and flourish in this environment, fundamental changes in the methods, frequency, and speed of the Integrated Business Planning activity must be adopted. The new reality suggests planning cycles that are monthly at worse and more frequent when circumstances dictate. This presentation will examine some of the key capabilities that are required to dramatically improve the speed, accuracy, and frequency of this important business process. In particular, technology is playing an increasing important role in the timely integration of key information and the ability to rapidly simulate business alternatives. This must also extend to quickly translating any decisions into an executable sales and operations plan. Any technology decision in this area will also have a significant impact on the other two dimensions of any efficient and effective process, the people and methods. Finally, strong evidence exists that companies that have addressed these issues and matured in their process execution, are significantly outperforming others in their industry.
Watch this webcast.