Breaking through S&OP Challenges
Hear how business leaders can ensure their S&OP
processes set up every function for success.
It’s clear that S&OP matters to businesses, but it’s not always clear who should be in charge of this process. According to Richard Markoff, supply chain researcher, lecturer, and co-author of The Digital Supply Chain Challenge: Breaking Through, companies with a robust S&OP process “won” the pandemic. But while many companies’ S&OP processes carried them through the pandemic, many organizations’ S&OP governance is murky at best, leading to unnecessary tension, failure to achieve alignment across key functions, and value leakage in the form of poorer customer service, higher inventory, longer lead times, and less stable production rates.
How can business leaders ensure their S&OP processes set every function up for overall success?
In this episode of Masters of Digital Transformation, Richard joins Patrick Lemoine, VP of Industry Solutions at o9 Solutions, and host Caleb Masters to explore which function(s) should own the S&OP process, as well as:
- The true meaning of S&OP (hint: it’s not a deliverable).
- Why coordination and collaboration are the keys to unlocking an effective S&OP process.
- How demand plan manipulation contributes to S&OP tension.
- What Richard’s research says prevents S&OP from meeting the demands of today’s supply chain leaders and how general managers can help.
- How supply chain leaders can take the findings in the research to their general managers and motivate them to take the next steps.
Speaker(s)

Richard Markoff
Co-Author of “The Digital Supply Chain Challenge: Breaking Through” and Supply Chain Professor at IMD Business School

Patrick Lemoine
VP, Global Industry Solutions at o9 Solutions, Inc.

Caleb Masters
Host, Podcast Producer at o9 Solutions, Inc.