Why Integrated Business Planning?
Ever since the concept of S&OP was developed in the 1980s, it has been the standard of doing business for companies that run supply chains. But too many companies approach S&OP as a “supply chain-only” process. They confine S&OP to supply chain professionals and involve other departments only when absolutely necessary. Even with this “siloed” approach, many companies have made great improvements in their efficiency and profitability — but as an industry, we can do better.
Integrated business planning software enables companies to better support their goals and targets by incorporating insights from a wider range of stakeholders. Often led by senior management, IBP is a monthly process that takes into account demand, supply, new product development, strategic projects, and financial plans to generate a single operating plan. When IBP is done right, it becomes the primary management process for running the entire business.
With integrated business planning strategies and technology, you can:
- Move supply chain data out of silos and make it available across your business
- Enhance your business plan with the input and intelligence of dozens of collaborators
- Involve multiple departments in discussions on lowering prices, adding features, entering new markets, and more
Eliminate Information Silos for Greater Efficiency
Achieve the full benefits of sales and operations planning (S&OP) by embracing integrated business planning (IBP). The Demand Solutions platform gives you the tools you need to eliminate organizational silos, involve more colleagues and partners in supply chain decisions, and make faster progress on your journey to supply chain excellence. By focusing on enhancing collaboration throughout your supply chain, you can get more value out of every stage of your supply chain processes.
In addition to Demand Solutions’ core functionality, our predictive lead time module and business intelligence functionality give you even greater decision support as you strive to enhance the overall health of your business. Our robust supply chain workflow capabilities go far beyond email to enable you to configure your exact processes by user and role. And our collaboration tools let you use social media to unleash the power of real-time communication in ways that keep your business moving forward.
Increase Collaboration with Your Suppliers
Integrated business planning allows you to involve your extended supply chain in every business decision. Rather than simply focusing on the knowledge and data of your own company, you can add external input and visibility into all your planning processes — and more effectively share your needs with your collaborators. For example, you can help your network react more quickly to your needs by gathering the signals you’re getting from your customers and sharing this data with supply chain partners. You’ll not only increase the chances of getting good service from these partners, but also help the partners gain better control of their own supply chains.