Supply Chain Planning (SCP) is a business process that helps keep demand and supply in balance. This balance is achieved by collaboration and alignment throughout the various departments of an organization.
All SCP or central planning processes created to manage an organization's demand/supply network consists of three primary activities, as well as two secondary activities.
The three primary activities include:
1.    Demand Management – Understanding the exit demand, quantity, due date, certainty, and priority of an organization's products.
To achieve successful demand management, it is key to have current data, collaboration, and a wide range of visibility. Best-in-class software solutions help organizations achieve these requirements by providing seamless access as needed to key data like ship history, order history, forecast history, and current forecast. The ability to dynamically aggregate and disaggregate the data, implement various forecasting methods, and create a collaborative environment are also added benefits. Through effective demand management an organization can automate the routine aspects of their process, quickly analyze emerging opportunities, and focus on understanding their market to improve responsiveness as opposed to the mechanics of creating the demand estimate.
2.    Supply Planning – Matching assets such as inventory, resource capacity, and production routes with demand to determine what can be met and how different asset levels impact the projected supply plan.
This “matching” process is often called Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) or Production Planning. The methods deployed differ based on the level of granularity, the inherent nature of the industry, and the algorithm(s) used to match or balance assets with demand. It is important to determine which method is best for each specific situation. However, in all cases, there are two main goals: insight for responsiveness and synchronization.
3.    Analytics Workbench – Using analytics to create insights that can help determine the exchange between those involved in the SCP or sales and operations planning (S&OP) process.
Generating the demand statement and executing the matching process are just the start of the supply chain planning process. The real work is the analysis of the source data and model results to insure the organization is not over committed, and more importantly, that opportunities are not missed. This is sometimes referred to as the “repair” process. Key elements of support are basic business analytics and dynamic, or pro-active, analytics.
The two secondary activities are:
1.    Available to Promise (ATP) – Focusing on specific commitments to make to customers when an actual order is placed. “Complexity” can range from simply looking at available inventory to complex trade-offs with projected inventory to altering the relative importance of tasks for execution.
2.    Inventory Modeling and Policy – Focusing on understanding what inventory levels occur simply as a result of the nature of your network to locating safety stock to buffer against the inevitable variability in demand and supply. The critical insight is the purpose of inventory policy is to manage risk and the purpose of the model is to help management understand the risk.
Organizations that are just starting the journey of using software to support more intelligent SCP will often, but not always, start with demand management followed by either an aggregate level supply planning application or an inventory model. After these are in place, typically an assessment is made to determine the next steps that best benefit the organization. It has been proven that following an incremental process for enhancing existing or implementing new functions is the best practice. An organization already into the journey should begin with the assessment. However, the critical concept to remember over all integrated areas is this is a “plan”, not the execution. Some of the benefits of having a plan like this one include:
- You create expectations for an organization that are feasible, but do not leave opportunities on the table.
- You insure the “assets” needed are in place.
- You synchronize the overall activities of the organization.
Let us know in the comments section below where you are on your journey toward intelligent SCP in the comments section below.
I discovered your this post while scanning for some related data on online journal search…Its a decent post..keep posting and upgrade the data. download mx player for pc
I truly cherished perusing your web journal. It was extremely all around created and straightforward. Not at all like different websites I have perused which are truly not that good.Thanks alot! AP Intermediate Results 2017
Pleasant Informative Blog having decent sharing..  profitbuilder 2.0
An intriguing dialog is cost remark. I feel that it is best to compose more on this matter, it may not be a forbidden point however for the most part people are insufficient to chat on such subjects. To the following. Here's to you. ethical link building
I read that Post and got it fine and useful. It would be ideal if you share more like that…Â baseball gloves
. I feel that it is best to compose more on this matter, it may not be a forbidden point however for the most part people are insufficient to chat on such subjects.
. I feel that it is best to compose more on this matter, it may not be a forbidden point however for the most part people are insufficient to chat on such subjects.
it may not be a forbidden point however for the most part people are insufficient to chat on such subjects.
A debt of gratitude is in order for sharing the information, keep doing awesome… I truly delighted in investigating your site. great asset…Â Â customized research papers
it may not be a forbidden point however for the most part people are insufficient to chat on such subjects.
it may not be a forbidden point however for the most part people are insufficient to chat on such subjects.
it may not be a forbidden point however for the most part people are insufficient to chat on such subjects.
Thank you for the information. It was very informative.
Great article. I feel as if I'm a semi-expert on supply chain management now. Keep up the great work here.
Can totally agree with you mate!Â
Oh yes the problem i need to find. Your article provides useful information that i am looking for. I will often visit this site. Â