S&OP / IBP Consulting
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) or Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is an integrated planning process that balances mid- and long-term supply with demand forecasts while focusing on competitiveness and profitability.
To read our article on S&OP fundamentals, click here.
S&OP enables integrated planning across the organisation and requires improved cross‑functional collaboration, aligned ways of working and supporting tools.
Many organisations label operational planning as S&OP, but they are not the same.
Operational planning is typically weekly/daily planning with horizons not exceeding 1–2 months.
Properly designed S&OP consists of tactical planning activities on 12–24 month horizons.
The S&OP process must be structured to decide on critical topics beyond the scope of operational planning.
Although implementation details vary by organisation, a typical monthly S&OP calendar broadly follows the stages below.
- Stage: Product Review
- Stage: Demand Review
- Stage: Supply Review
- Stage: Financial Review & Reconciliation
- Stage: Executive Review
At each stage, critical decisions for the organization must be made systematically.
Accordingly, managers and employees from different departments have various roles and responsibilities.
Considering the scope of activities carried out and the impact of decisions made,
S&OP is the way to steer the company through competition.
S&OP's implementation in an organisation depends on various factors, including production strategies, product characteristics, production environment, supply chain relationships, customer demand patterns, and other elements affecting the organisation's competitiveness in the market.
The stages of S&OP, the flow between stages, roles and responsibilities, analysis methods, and supporting tools will vary from one organisation to another.
Optimum Planlama S&OP Services
Optimum Planlama provides consulting services to design and implement tailored S&OP processes and supporting tools.
We recommend starting with a in-house workshop to build S&OP thinking and achieve cross‑functional alignment.
Our S&OP-related training and workshop topics include the items below.
For S&OP/IBP consulting, please contact us or submit a quote request.