Planning Process

Planning Processes

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At IBP Ready, we help companies design, optimize, and implement structured planning processes that align sales, supply chain, finance, and operations under one unified decision-making framework.

Many companies struggle with siloed decision-making, unclear responsibilities, and inefficient planning cycles, resulting in misaligned priorities, stockouts, excess inventory, and poor forecast accuracy. Our Planning Process Consulting service ensures that organizations build a clear, structured, and repeatable planning framework that delivers alignment, visibility, and business-driven decision-making.

Defining & Structuring Planning Processes

We analyze, design, and implement structured planning cycles that fit your business needs. Whether you’re setting up a Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process or Demand Planning framework, we ensure the process is practical, scalable, and aligned with business goals.

Process Definition & Governance – We define key planning cycles, ownership, and decision-making structures, ensuring clear roles and responsibilities.
S&OP Framework Design – We structure a monthly S&OP cycle that includes demand review, supply review, balancing decisions, and execution monitoring.
Stakeholder Alignment – We ensure all departments understand how their decisions impact other functions, preventing siloed planning behaviors.

Demand & Supply Planning Optimization

Our consulting approach focuses on aligning forecasting, production planning, and supply chain execution by ensuring planning processes are structured, repeatable, and data-driven.

Demand Planning Consulting – We help define and structure demand forecasting, integrating statistical modeling, sales insights, and AI-driven trend analysis to improve forecast accuracy.
Supply Planning Optimization – We design constraint-based supply planning frameworks, ensuring realistic production schedules, optimized inventory buffers, and capacity-aware planning.
Scenario Planning & Risk Management – We introduce “what-if” scenario analysis, enabling companies to proactively adjust to demand fluctuations, production constraints, and market changes.

Through structured demand and supply planning processes, businesses achieve more reliable forecasts, optimized inventory levels, and improved production efficiency.

Business Simulation & Gamification

One of the biggest challenges in planning processes is misaligned decision-making between functions. We solve this through consulting driven business simulation and role playing exercises, ensuring every stakeholder understands their role and its impact on others.

Cross-Functional Planning Simulations – We guide stakeholders through realistic planning exercises, ensuring they experience decision impacts firsthand.
Role-Switching Workshops – We organize role-playing sessions, where leaders step into other functions (e.g., CFO acting as Supply Chain Director) to gain new perspectives on cross-functional challenges.
What-If Scenario Testing – Teams evaluate how different planning decisions (e.g., changing product launch dates, adjusting safety stock levels) impact production, inventory, and sales.

This approach breaks down organizational silos, enhances collaboration, and ensures long-term planning success.

Data Driven Planning & System Enablement

A well structured planning process requires clear data inputs, well defined planning cycles, and alignment with digital planning systems.

Planning Data Assessment – We identify, validate, and structure critical planning data to support accurate decision-making.
Process Automation & System Enablement – We help companies define workflows that integrate into SAP S/4HANA, or other ERP solutions, ensuring seamless execution.
Performance Tracking & KPI Definition – We introduce behavioral and hard KPIs, ensuring measurable impact from planning improvements.

Our consulting services ensure that companies not only have structured planning processes but also the right data and system support to execute them effectively.

Planning Process