Businesses go through change frequently and as we all know, change is difficult because we are human. Change and transformation are necessary for companies to adapt and improve, but in order for change to be effective, many factors need to be addressed simultaneously. Take demand planning and forecasting for example. If you work for...
On the supply-side, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) most commonly fails when an unconstrained plan meets real-world constraints. In this post, we would like to explore the nature of these constraints and suggest ways to moderate the operations plan in order to come up with a more predictable supply capability. Process and Product Constraints...
“Demand Planning”, “Forecasting”, “Brand Operations”, and “Planning” These are not only terms that you will find on my resume, but also the answer I’ve given in social settings when asked what I do for a living. I’ve yet to give an answer without receiving the inevitable follow-up query: What exactly is a Demand Planner?...
I believe that there are two ways your organization can improve the performance of statistical forecasting: 1) Wait for your business to become more forecastable 2) Develop a process to drive continuous improvement in your statistical forecasting approach At PepsiCo Chicago, we have made great progress to improve the performance of our statistical forecasts by...
We all know that you should measure processes. There is a lot of literature written on this subject, and most companies now have some sort of Lean or Six Sigma program and quality management system that requires processes to be measured for evaluation and improvement purposes. Control is another big aspect of metrics. One...
Our ability to forecast was met with increasing skepticism in 2010 – and this is a good thing. A decade ago, the thrill of technological innovation provided hope that more data, bigger computers, and fancier models would one day solve all our forecasting problems. Yet we now have more data, bigger computers, and fancier...
Demand planning and forecasting is a process which, because of its intrinsic focus on “error”, too often invites misguided efforts at producing perfection. Like the alchemists’ quest for gold, the goal is illusory and may cost more than any benefit it yields. Consider that the result of demand planning is only profitable to the...
Dr. Jain (Chief Editor of the IBF’s Journal of Business Forecasting), and I have recently been collaborating on an article that is a wake up call for Planning organizations to have their house in order so they can recognize the signals for an economic recovery. I am a proponent for completeness and integrity of...