Executive Overview
S&OP, the cross-functional process to align the commercial processes of sales and marketing with the operational processes of material supply and manufacturing, is growing in importance. The process is not new. Companies have worked on improving their S&OP processes for over 35 years; but today, only one out of two companies believes that their processes are effective.
What are the barriers to improve effectiveness? They are numerous. As outlined in Figure 1, it is a tough nut to crack. While the successful S&OP project is about much more than technology--skilled resources, executive support, alignment on the right metrics, achieving balance and the management of multiple processes simultaneously (often across a matrixed organization)--an organization cannot achieve their goal without the use of technologies. Spreadsheets, while a good starting place, cannot meet the challenges to deliver on the business goals of driving growth and improving profitability.
In this report, we share insights on 35 vendor solutions. Four of the solutions are new since the writing of our last report and three companies have been restructured. The world of supply chain management is ever-changing, and the goal of this report is to help companies sort through the myriad of market changes and confusing technology promises to understand which solutions to consider.
Right Stuff to Crack the Nut?