{"id":1238,"date":"2011-07-08T18:15:43","date_gmt":"2011-07-08T22:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/?p=1238"},"modified":"2011-07-08T18:15:43","modified_gmt":"2011-07-08T22:15:43","slug":"best-of-the-best-sop-conference-learnings-and-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/2011\/07\/08\/best-of-the-best-sop-conference-learnings-and-application\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of the Best S&OP Conference \u2013 Learning\u2019s and Application"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Edward<\/a>

Edward Rodriguez - E-Z UP <\/p><\/div>\n

We are a medium sized privately held business that has a large ERP, but probably hasn\u2019t invested into its processes and user reporting as much as we should. \u00a0In my 6 years with the company, I started as the Controller, and then moved to Director of our retail stores\/internet operation, and now I fill a void within Supply Chain<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 My emphasis has been with procurement, negotiation, and sourcing, however considering that my background is mainly in Finance, I was not as well versed as I should be in the more detailed aspects Supply Chain and the S&OP process.\u00a0\u00a0 I found an advertisement for the IBF & APICS Best of the Best Conference <\/a>while conducting internet searches related to bringing more value to the supply chain<\/a> and purchasing process.\u00a0\u00a0 Upon first glance it seemed too narrow for my goals, upon closer review it looked like a good opportunity to learn about the overall process of inventory supply\/demand, and a good way to bring some badly needed efficiency and harmony to what felt like a less-than-optimal process. I promised my boss a favorable ROI for the trip and off I went to Chicago.<\/p>\n

My day started with a review of survey results and challenges.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One revelation that I found interesting was how Sales (Supply) driven the S&OP process is.\u00a0\u00a0 As a person looking at this from the Ops side, it was scary to think about bringing our Sales group, whose direction is to \u201cjust sell,\u201d into such a complex process. Also, I had never thought of an S&OP \u201cimplementation\u201d as much as taking these learning\u2019s and applying them as it seemed right. This was clearly incorrect, as the Best of the Best Conference presented the S&OP process as a multifaceted, challenging change on how to do business. It became obvious that the way our company manages this process is outdated from somewhere in the past decade, so the call-outs from this discussion became very valuable. This included understanding the challenges (strategic coordination, executive buy in, technology, etc.) and recommended steps for a successful implementation. This was going to take a lot of learning to take back to the team at home.\u00a0 So I became especially devoted to assure that I absorbed all the knowledge I could.\u00a0 Plus, I networked so I could bounce thoughts and ideas from others in similar (or advanced) circumstances.<\/p>\n

As a newbie in this field, it made the most sense for me to go through the level 1 discussions<\/a>. The track started with a presentation titled, \u201cResolving Conflict & Building Consensus in the Monthly S&OP Process\u201d by Alan Milliken.\u00a0\u00a0 He was a very no-nonsense speaker and delivered many important lessons such as:<\/p>\n