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Getting the Right Team for Your S&OP Process

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Implementing or updating your S&OP Process is dependent up on having the right team in place

S&OP success requires putting the right team into place. Without an S&OP team comprised of experts, you’ll find yourself spinning your wheels and struggling to stay organized. Invest in those who understand S&OP operations, and make sure they are equipped with the tools necessary to succeed. That’s where Roundhouse comes in: Simplement’s software extracts S&OP data from SAP and provides easy visualizations that can help your S&OP team optimize processes, maximize productivity and success.

Determine what Business problem or decision needs to be made and appoint an owner to the process

When implementing an S&OP Process for the first time or refining the process that you already have in place, it is essential to determine what business problem or decision needs to be made and appoint an owner. This helps ensure that the right people are in place to make decisions and stay on top of processes. Really take the time to consider what problems the company faces and where that issue originates. For instance, if you find yourself constantly dealing with items being out of stock in the warehouse, does the crux of the issue lie with the sales team who are setting sales goals that are far too low, so that they can hit their numbers. Good data helps inform decisions like these, and consistent, transparent data helps to get everyone on the same page about what forward momentum looks like.

Meet your company where it’s at

Too many people, when implementing an S&OP process, pick up a textbook and try to cram their square-shaped company into a round hole. Meet your company where it is at. Examine your specific pain points that you are trying to eliminate. Look closely at what the company already has in place and try to work with it. The easier you can make this process (especially when trying it get your leadership on board) the better your chances of success.

Choose KPI’s and determine the data you really need

When it comes to determining what input and data you need to choose your KPI’s, it often helps to specify the goals of your company or department. This can be done by looking at various quantifiable measures, such as potentially increasing sales numbers or reducing the cost of production. Once these goals are identified, it can then be decided what key performance indicators (KPI’s) must be tracked and measured in order to ensure that progress is being made in the right direction. Really think through what data is needed to develop appropriate KPI’s. For instance, we encountered an organization that had all of its sales data lumped together for the entire country. Without specific sales data on each salesperson, region, or item sold, Management was blindly making decisions. You see, it wasn’t enough just to know what sales numbers were on a national scale, they needed more granular data to establish useful KPI’s that had the potential to transform the company.

Understand who needs to be involved in the S&OP process

Managing the Sales and Operations Planning process can be a complex venture, with far reaching effects within an organization. It is crucial that you have a team of stakeholders to help ensure that all processes, communication, and visibility are running smoothly. While anyone in the organization can take ownership of the process, it remains important to identify who these members need to be early on. Mapping out your specific needs through an organized org chart will provide clearer guidelines as to who should be involved in S&OP decisions – understanding that this may change over time as circumstances evolve.

Make Roundhouse part of your Team

As S&OP leaders, you know how important it is to have trustworthy, organized data to make the best decisions for your business. That’s why Roundhouse by Simplement should be part of your S&OP team. With its capability to extract real-time SAP S&OP data and quickly turn it into transparent information your entire team can easily understand, Roundhouse can help you shape your S&OP process and prevent costly missteps associated with siloed data sources. Let Roundhouse by Simplement be part of your S&OP strategy – a vital part of your team – and create lasting value with reliable, dependable S&OP data.

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