Sales & Operational Planning (S&OP)

Strategic Alignment, Predictable Performance and Confident Decisions

Your business is under more pressure today than ever before.  Not only pressure to be transparent about how it does business, but pressure from competitors for the share of the market that you hold.

In this environment you need to be lean and agile.  You need to know that your financial plan is feasible, that your supply chain is capable of delivering it, and that your sales plan is in line with your revenue plan.

Being totally lean means there is total synergy between customer supply and demand, the processes involved, and the financial demands of the business.  Sales & Operational Planning ensures that there is total alignment between these areas, leading to improved:

Key Steps to S&OP:

• Scope – It is important to decide, at the outset, what the depth and breadth of the program will be.
• Data – Where is the data, needed to meet the requirements of the program, going to come from?  Are you confident in the integrity?
• Input, Process & Output – What are the core processes that will be applied?  What can be automated, and what do the answers drive?
• People – An executive sponsor is vital.  Without this, the project cannot be expected to succeed.  Also important is the person who is going to manage the process.  He or she needs sufficient authority to pull the necessary resources together, and also an understanding of the business.

Used well, the S&OP solution will be a tool to drive effective decision-making.  Scenarios, such as promotions, new products, and various permutations can be modelled and tested to ensure maximum value.

To ensure that your project has the right tools, people and processes, CONTEMPORARY’s offerings are fully flexible and 100% configured to the needs of your business.  Contact us today for a no obligation discussion about your requirements.  Call 0845 345 6850.