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...
Who defines and says what are best practices? The person speaking? The loudest voice? The person with the most expensive shoes? The person with the most impressive degree? Maybe it is the highest paid consultant? We hired a consulting group and have implemented what we believe to be a best practice consulting group. In...
I was asked recently to clarify my previous objections to a “One Number” planning world! In the late 90’s and early 2000’s there was a movement underfoot to drive the entire organization from a single operating number. In theory that would be a good thing as long as you have the right number. Too...
No I’m not talking about the Chicago Cubs or deep dish pizza. Rather, I’m talking about our third Best of the Best S&OP Conference, co-sponsored by APICS and IBF last month. It was quite a success with a very nice turnout, particularly when one considers the state of the economy. And the speakers –...
We all know a strike, natural disaster, large scale power failure/ black out, major retail customer dropping you as a supplier, major competitor dropping out of the market, recall of a product due to contamination and more can have a major impact on your demand, for the worse and for the worse (yes, I...
If you listen to the buzz about S&OP at an IBF Conference, you will hear a repeated theme. This seemingly endless refrain is recited by Planners, Vice Presidents, and everyone in-between. You all know the words, so say it with me, “If you want S&OP to succeed, you need Senior Management’s support and ownership.” ...
Folks, it is with great pleasure to welcome all of you to the IBF’s Blog! I don’t know why it has taken us so long to get here with the amount of content, knowledge and experience we have to share in Demand Planning, Forecasting, and the Supply Chain. But, we’ve arrived and now full...
This is my first posting to the IBF’s new blog, and I’d like to express my thanks, first of all, to you, the readers and also to Anish Jain of the IBF who invited me in. Okay, let’s get to work. Are you ready for a horror story? It ranks right up there with...
My thanks to Constance Korol for the invitation to guest-blog on IBF’s site. It is quite the pleasure to follow Tom Wallace, one of my favorite thought-leaders in the field, and a true giant in S&OP (even if not a true giant in stature). If you are one of the few people in this...
The Global Neighborhood of demand planners and forecasting professionals is coming together. Conversations and discussions are happening throughout the world and answers/ comments to common challenges are being addressed in forums. Since 1981, the IBF has educated and trained this community through publications, events, newsletters , membership benefits and certification. Now more than ever,...