The Football Analogy
Your business is a football game. Before the start of every game, the coaches devise a plan comprised of different plays, offensive and defensive, to beat the competition. This plan is your budget.
As the game advances, the other team will execute plays and throw curveballs that you weren’t prepared for. To combat these unpredictable developments, the coaches will have to adjust the playbook to secure that victory. These adjustments are your S&OP plan. Good planning is important, but the ability to effectively adapt as things change is key to winning the game.
So, what is Sales & Operation Planning (S&OP)?
Sales and Operation Planning (S&OP) is essentially a decision-making process that ensures that the tactical plans in every facet of a business fall in line with the overarching company business plan. It involves every department in an organization. Everyone in the company needs to effectively plan how they allocate their resources. From campaign analysis in marketing to HR headcount, to revenue forecasting in sales – finance has to link all this information together to get a clear view of the company’s performance.
How does S&OP software improve your operational efficiency?
S&OP software is a surefire way to establish scope, scale, and speed of business operations. Data41’s services coupled with S&OP software like IBM Planning Analytics and Jedox can deliver your business actionable insights, reporting capabilities, and drill-down analyses crucial to strategic decision-making.
How can you best prepare your company for the unpredictable?
Businesses are often faced with the challenge of inadequate analytics and insufficient time to create an optimal plan, but with S&OP software like IBM Planning Analytics and Jedox, every challenge is met with an easily adaptable solution! Integrated descriptive and prescriptive analytics make scenario analysis and sandboxing capabilities an inherent advantage of this S&OP software. You can improve forecasting accuracy, achieve better operational efficiency, and bolster your revenue with this sophisticated approach. It is the remedy to all your operational pain points like imbalances in resource allocation, disconnected plans, and inaccurate forecasts due to limited visibility of data across business functions. If you want to prepare for the unforeseen, S&OP software can help ensure you always have a contingency plan in your back pocket.
Related resources:
https://www.gocrisp.com/blog/sales-and-operations-planning
https://demand-planning.com/2019/06/01/what-is-sop-and-how-does-it-work/
