See to Decide: Visual Management & Collaboration in S&OP

Despite abundant data, many S&OP cycles remain tactical and slow. Making strategy visible—through visual management and collaborative, Obeya-style boards—creates shared context, clarifies trade-offs, and accelerates decisions. This article presents a practical model for linking S&OP to strategy through the use of visualization boards integrated into the S&OP process. A case study of a railway vehicle manufacturer is shared, detailing how S&OP was launched and how visual boards facilitated decision making, fostered accountability and cadence, and shortened meeting time from 4-5 hours ...