White Papers & Newsletters

Myths, Misunderstandings and Misinformation About S&OP - by Tom Wallace

Slides from presentation by Tom at IBF's Supply Chain Forecasting & Planning Conference in Phoenix, AZ on February 23. 2010.

Sales & Operations Planning: Costs and Benefits - The Financial View of Implementing Executive S&OP  - by Tom Wallace

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW:

“How much does this S&OP stuff cost?” is a phrase heard more frequently these days.  This white paper addresses that issue, first by discussing the benefits achieved by real-world companies and then by identifying the relevant costs involved in an implementation. The basis for this analysis is thirteen companies – all successful users of S&OP, from all over the world, and in a wide variety of industries.

Two kinds of benefits are shown: hard and soft. Hard benefits can be readily quantified; soft benefits cannot.  Some of these companies indicate that their soft benefits they’ve outweigh their hard benefits.

Two sample Cost/Benefit Analyses are shown, one of which demonstrates that it can cost very little to implement Executive S&OP properly and that the returns are very high indeed.  The other shows a much more costly implementation, but here also the returns are sizeable.

Last, a “straw man” analysis is presented by cutting the benefits in half and doubling the costs; here also the benefits are quite attractive.    Click here to download a pdf of this white paper

Columns written by Bob Stahl for Foresight Journal

How V&M Star Converts Family Forecasts Into Resource Requirements
With Executive S&OP  Winter 2010 -Robert A. Stahl and Amy Mansfield - adobe PDF
Generating item-level forecasts can be complex, time consuming, and frustrating for forecasters, and can produce forecasts so inaccurate that they are not used in the planning process. In this case study of V&M Star, management uses Executive S&OP to refocus its forecasting process to family-level forecasts, which are then converted into resource requirements based on assumptions about product mix. This new approach has allowed V&M Star to gain bottom-line results of improved customer service with reduced inventories.

Executive S&OP: Simpler, Better, and More Needed than Ever- summer 2009 - Adobe PDF
Bob lays the foundation for understanding what the executive component of S&OP is – and where it fits in the organizational hierarchy.

How Jarden Branded Consumables Made Forecasting Simpler & Better Through Executive S&OP  by Bob Stahl and Brad McCollum - Fall 2009 - Adobe PDF
A case study of the demand side of the equation – forecasting – that shows how Executive S&OP facilitated significant improvements in the generation and use of sales volume forecasts.

These columns are from the Foresight Journal, published quarterly by the non-profit International Institute of Forecasters (IIF). Its mission is to help improve the practice of business forecasting. Click here to see a Foresight Sampler, and information about subscriptions and corporate site licenses.

Additional white papers:

Forecast Less and Get Better Results
A white paper written by Tom Wallace and Bob Stahl for Supply Chain Consultants - Adobe PDF

Sales & Operations Planning - The Next Generation
A white paper by Tom and Bob on the future of S&OP written for Interlace Systems. - Adobe PDF

Lean Manufacturing and S&OP: You Need 'Em Both
A one-pager by Tom describing the relationship between these two powerful sets of tools. - Adobe PDF

2010 Newsletters

The Demand/Supply Balance - Don't Go Thru 2010 Without it
January 2010

• Words from Wallace: The Demand/Supply Balance - Don't Go Thru 2010  Without It
• Bullets from Bob: Fixing Imbalances Before They’re a Crisis
• Link to Tom Wallace Video on You Tube: The Executive Champion Video
• Link to Available Free Resources from our Web Site: White papers; S&OP 101; Glossary for Executive S&OP, Sales Forecasting, and Master Scheduling and much more
• "Are you interested in a process that will enable you to do less work and get better results?" If so, read the Bob Stahl and Amy Mansfield recent article for Foresight Magazine. (pdf)

2009 Newsletters

Eight Elementary Errors About S&OP
September 2009

• Words from Wallace
  Eight Elementary Errors About S&OP - And How to Fix Them
• Bullets from Bob
  Getting Sales and Marketing OnBoard
• New Enterprise License for the Education Kit

Climbing Out of the Recession
May 2009

• Words from Wallace
  Can Executive S&OP help you when the recession starts to end?
• Bullets from Bob
  No question, the upturn is sure to come; it's only when, not if. With a little bit of help, and a little bit of your time, and very little cost, Executive S&OP can yield substantial benefit to you within six months or less.

The Recession and How S&OP Can Play a Role
Feb 2009

• Words from Wallace
  The Recession and How S&OP Can Play a Vital Role
• Introduction of The Mini-Kit for S&OP Education - plus Previews
• New - On-Line Coaching from Tom Wallace

Manage The Inside and Outside Factory with S&OP
Feb 2009

• Bullets from Bob:
  Using S&OP to Manage Both the Inside & Outside Factory
• Words from Wallace: Companies are getting serious about S&OP
• Education Kit Preview