#IBP

Integrated Business Planning (IBP) - A Key Process for the Finance Function

Neil James

Sep 27, 2018
6 min

Integrated Business Planning (IBP) - A Key Process for the Finance Function

Integrated Business Planning (IBP) (and its forerunner Sales and Operations Planning or S&OP) have traditionally been perceived and managed as tactical, supply-chain centred processes. However, as I have outlined in various articles, IBP builds a number of enterprise capabilities which drive competitive advantage. With respect to the Finance function in particular, IBP represents a valuable enabler as outlined below. Key Roles for the Finance Function – Planning & Business

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Why Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is more valuable than ever

Neil James

Sep 27, 2018
5 min

Why Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is more valuable than ever

Organisations face an ever-increasing series of challenges in order to build sustainable and profitable business. These challenges are manifested in various aspects of business operations but especially in planning. As outlined in my previous article ‘Evolving S&OP for the Real World’, the VUCA [1] environment creates a requirement for businesses to plan strategically but also maintain the capability to flex dynamically to manage increasing levels of unpredictability and unc

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Driving Profitable Collaboration for Growth – Demand Driven S&OP

Neil James

Jan 2, 2018
5 min

Driving Profitable Collaboration for Growth – Demand Driven S&OP

In my previous posts, I have discussed the challenges in deploying an effective S&OP/IBP process which are experienced by organisations across all sectors. These challenges mean that S&OP/IBP rarely delivers the enterprise benefits that were envisioned for the process when it was first conceived and codified by Dick Ling in the 1980s. Perhaps the most common, and significant, challenge to the execution of an impactful enterprise S&OP/IBP process is the lack of cross-function

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Demand Driven S&OP - The Commercial Perspective

Neil James

Dec 5, 2017
7 min

Demand Driven S&OP - The Commercial Perspective

In my previous post Evolving S&OP/IBP for the Real World, I outlined the key challenges in deploying S&OP/IBP and how these result from both traditional approaches to supply chain planning and from emerging environmental trends. In this article, I introduce an innovative and increasingly-adopted approach to S&OP and explain how this addresses these challenges. The Demand Driven operating model (incorporating Demand Driven MRP and Demand Driven S&OP) has received increasing a

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Neil James

Nov 14, 2017
5 min

Evolving S&OP/IBP for the Real World

It is widely reported that only a small proportion (typically around 30%) of S&OP/IBP deployments deliver and sustain the full business benefits expected by organisations. This finding is also commonly recognised by the practitioners of these processes, who describe the various workarounds and firefighting required to create and execute optimal plans for the business. Whilst this is not a new phenomenon, some emerging trends have increased (and continue to increase) the bar

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3 Reasons why Finance Embrace Integrated Business Planning (IBP)

Neil James

Jul 18, 2017
6 min

3 Reasons why Finance Embrace Integrated Business Planning (IBP)

Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) are often seen as fundamentally supply-chain centred processes which offer somewhat limited direct benefit to other functions, especially Commercial and Finance. The criticality of cross-functional collaboration in S&OP/IBP is also often overlooked. However, a good S&OP/IBP process offers major benefits outside the supply chain function. My previous post highlighted the key outcomes for Commercial lea

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What do Commercial Leaders Really Want from S&OP?

Neil James

Jun 6, 2017
8 min

What do Commercial Leaders Really Want from S&OP?

My experiences as a commercial leader deploying S&OP/IBP have illustrated very clearly the critical need for cross-functional engagement and collaboration, especially between the supply chain, commercial and finance functions. However, it is also clear to me from speaking to supply chain professionals across industry sectors that S&OP is often still deployed and promoted internally as a supply chain process which other functions are asked to support and participate in. My vi

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HR: The Forgotten Partner in S&OP
- 3 key contributions for sustainable enterprise S&OP

Neil James

Mar 2, 2017
6 min

HR: The Forgotten Partner in S&OP - 3 key contributions for sustainable enterprise S&OP

It is now widely recognised that S&OP (or its successor IBP) is much more than a specialist supply chain process and requires a high degree of cross-functional partnership and collaboration across the organisation to deliver lasting results. This aspect of S&OP is also recognised as being the most challenging to deliver and sustain. Whilst there is plenty of practical advice and guidance on some of the more mechanical aspects of the S&OP process (such as process design or ar

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