{"id":7207,"date":"2018-08-03T11:27:21","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T15:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/?p=7207"},"modified":"2018-08-03T11:28:27","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T15:28:27","slug":"preparing-for-a-succesfull-executive-sop-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/2018\/08\/03\/preparing-for-a-succesfull-executive-sop-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking Into The Lion’s Den: Preparing For A Successful Executive S&OP Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Walking into the executive S&OP<\/a> review can feel like walking into the proverbial lion\u2019s den. Your heart races as the lions stare you down and wait for you to move so they can pounce, tear you to shreds, and\u00a0then\u00a0pick their teeth with your bones.\u00a0\u00a0 At least that was how I\u00a0felt the first time I lead an executive\u00a0review meeting. I quickly learned that my fear was limiting my effectiveness, and that I needed to combat that fear with solid preparation. Adopt these\u00a04\u00a0principles and you will walk in with confidence!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 -Know Your Audience\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Keep in mind that the output\u00a0of the S&OP<\/a> process is\u00a0the product you are creating, and your customer is the executive committee. Creating a process that meets their needs, and that they believe adds value, is pretty much the entire point of S&OP<\/a>. The first step is to find out who sits on the executive committee and then put on your detective hat and figure out all you can about them. Go beyond what their current role is and any assumptions of what that role may imply.\u00a0\u00a0 Research their backgrounds on LinkedIn and talk to others in the company who interact with them regularly. Then set up a time to\u00a0meet with them individually and\u00a0start to build a relationship. Inquire about\u00a0their priorities, motivations, objectives\u00a0for their area of responsibility and how S&OP<\/a>\u00a0can help achieve their goals.<\/p>\n

Find out who sits on the executive committee and then put on your detective hat and figure out all you can about them<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It would also be helpful to study the basic personality types\u00a0and use that knowledge to help you communicate more effectively.\u00a0\u00a0 Watch for clues in the interaction of the group during meetings as it will help you discern who the real leader is in this process, who may not be the person at the top of totem pole.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2 -Know Your Stuff\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The best way to build your confidence is to educate yourself on S&OP<\/a> best practices. Read, read, and read some more. Reach out to thought leaders and connect with them, ask questions, seek advice. This is the continuous<\/em> part of personal continuous improvement! Embrace your role as artful facilitator, and do not let yourself be perceived as a burdensome task master.<\/p>\n

Having a thorough planning playbook not only keeps you organized but also provides transparency and accountability<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Having a thorough planning playbook not only keeps you organized but also provides transparency and accountability to the executive committee, and that develops credibility. The playbook should have the S&OP<\/a> team charter and a RACI matrix<\/a> to identify clearly what everyone\u2019s role is in the process. Also included in the planning playbook are the data sheets for each planning family. These should be a one or\u00a0two-page\u00a0summary of the past three\u00a0months\u2019\u00a0performance to plan, key KPIs, and the horizon forecast compared to financial target and a projected period end inventory plan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Personally facilitate or at least attend every S&OP<\/a> demand, supply, and consensus meeting.\u00a0 After all, it is difficult to speak to\u00a0the\u00a0specifics of what occurred in demand or supply meetings that you have not attended. Your credibility will be damaged if you are perceived not to be in full possession of the facts. When you are in these meetings, think about your customer, the executive committee, and try to anticipate what questions they will ask and what they want to know.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3 –\u00a0Bring Solutions\u2026 Not\u00a0Problems\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Showing up to an executive review with a list of problems for them to solve may make them wonder why they need you! The major issues should be resolved through the Consensus meeting (also known as the Pre-meeting) and the outcomes of those collaborative decisions are what is reported. List the constraints that were faced, the problem solving methods used (brainstorming, fish diagram etc.), options explored, and the solutions that were chosen. For those rare issues that go beyond the authority of the S&OP<\/a> team, it is important to not just present the issue – discuss the pros and cons of each option explored\u00a0and the team’s recommendation. Offer the team\u2019s\u00a0recommendations for long term improvements such as capital expenditure for new equipment to increase\u00a0efficiency, training to improve processes, and talent to elevate team performance.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4 –\u00a0Turn the Executive Team Into Stewards Of The Process\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The best way to combat the tendency of the executive team to drift into oversight mode is continual education and feedback. They\u00a0must understand the \u201ccore DNA\u201d of S&OP<\/a> and keep the focus on the future horizon (not the current month) and stay out of the weeds (volume not mix). It is also important that they have sufficient discipline to not give contradictory directions or set up competing metrics.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To keep the process healthy and effective, conduct an annual audit with the team and executive committee. Conduct regular education and training sessions to\u00a0train new team members and provide\u00a0refreshers for others. It is also a good idea to end every executive review with a request for feedback, and then strive to incorporate it into the process.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to fear walking into the executive review.\u00a0\u00a0Careful preparation is the key to success. You got this!\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Walking into the executive S&OP review can feel like walking into the proverbial lion\u2019s den. Your heart races as the lions stare you down and wait for you to move so they can pounce, tear you to shreds, and\u00a0then\u00a0pick their teeth with your bones.\u00a0\u00a0 At least that was how I\u00a0felt the first time I lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5366,"featured_media":7208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[379,378,381],"tags":[440,441,442],"class_list":{"0":"post-7207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-collaboration","8":"category-process","9":"category-sop-process","10":"tag-executive-meeting","11":"tag-executive-sop-meeting","12":"tag-executive-sop-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7207"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5366"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}