S&OP: The Process Revisited

This column discusses Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) “foundational” success factors. A list of ten process-related factors is presented for managers to use to gauge whether or not an S&OP process is healthy enough to have a long and productive life. In addition, a process defi cient in one or more factors may render it unsound when attempting to implement various process and technology advancements upon it. LARRY LAPIDE | Dr. Lapide is a Lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and an MIT Research Affi liate. He has extensive experience in industry, consulting, business research, and academia as well as a broad range of forecasting, planning, and supply chain experiences. He was an industry forecaster for many years, led supply chain consulting projects for clients across a variety of industries, and has researched supply chain and forecasting software as an analyst. He is the recipient of the inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Business Forecasting & Planning Award from the IBF. He welcomes comments on his columns at llapide@mit.edu. (This is an ongoing column in the Journal, which is intended to give a brief view on a potential topic of interest ...