Demand Planning in a Supply Constrained World—Lessons From Big Tech

Several growth industries have witnessed a transformation in the central planning problem. Demand is no longer, by default, the hardest variable to understand. Often, demand is visible, urgent, and well-funded, but the ability to serve that demand is limited by scarce components, immature manufacturing capacity, supplier readiness and more. This article argues that in a supply-constrained environment, planning teams must evolve from demand forecasting to orchestrating growth by integrating demand priorities, design scalability, and execution risks. S&OP and IBP must connect the dots to form a unified operating model. The companies that scale best will not simply predict demand more accurately—they will decide which demand matters most, which designs can actually scale, and which execution risks must be converted into reliable ...