Perspectives on Sales & Operations Planning

Supply Chain Author Paul Dittmann Responds to Your Questions

Note:  On Tuesday, June 22, the University of Tennessee and Steelwedge were pleased to feature author and educator Dr. Paul Dittmann in a webinar entitled, “Transforming the Supply Chain Into a Competitive Advantage.”  Dittmann is 30-year supply chain veteran and co-author of the recently published book The New Supply Chain Agenda.

Paul’s fascinating presentation is a must-watch for business people wanting to learn the finer points of  supply chain strategy and sales & operations planning. Click here to view the session on-demand.

Following the live event, Paul was kind enough to respond to audience questions and you can find his answers below.

(To learn more about Paul Dittmann and the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Demand and Supply Integration Forums, click here.)

What are the key metrics to measure supply chain performance?

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We currently we have an issue related to forecast accuracy. The sales team creates a forecast based on the budget, even when they know the number that they put in forecast is not achievable. Is there a way to solve or accommodate this issue?

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Is there a way to unleash a company’s potential when the budget for technology is limited?

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With supply chain being one of the heaviest users of technology within a company, how is it best to balance a single provider versus best of breed for information systems?

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Your survey indicated that in only 48% of companies sales is heavily involved in SIOP.  This means that in 52% of companies, sales is not heavily involved.  I would be interested to see how successful a “Sales” and Operations Planning Process can be without sales involvement?

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How do you suggest incorporating customers and suppliers into the supply chain strategy?

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Is there a successful formula for creating a supply chain strategy?

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Should the business plan demand be included and compared with the S&OP Demand as part of the process?

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How do you address sustainability as it relates to supply chain strategy?

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Do you know of any company that is getting the in house union involved in the supply chain process?

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The companies in your survey database seem to large companies.  Can this same process be used with much smaller companies?

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How do you suggest a company would set up a supplier collaboration effort when the company is dealing with a fragmented supply chain?

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How do you start by eliminating the excess inventory from reoccurring again?

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Tags: collaborative S&OP, executive S&OP, Sales & Operations Planning, steelwedge