Where to Begin? Practical Tips to Start S&OP Implementation

S&OP allows an organization to balance demand and supply, thereby cutting operational costs, freeing up cash, and improving customer service. The benefits are clear — effective implementation, however, remains more elusive and, for many companies, the first steps are often the hardest. In this article I reveal how to get started with S&OP by indentifying the appropriate function, channel, business unit, brand, or product to launch from. I discuss the criticality of starting small and securing sustainable, quick wins before attempting to launch a mature, enterprise wide process. I also dive into how using a maturity model identifies areas to improve and how securing allies in senior leadershop faciliates buy in.