{"id":9828,"date":"2022-10-13T05:38:31","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T09:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/?p=9828"},"modified":"2022-10-13T05:39:17","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T09:39:17","slug":"does-remote-sop-work-two-opposing-viewpoints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/2022\/10\/13\/does-remote-sop-work-two-opposing-viewpoints\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Remote S&OP Work? Two Opposing Viewpoints"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As much as I hate the term, we are in a new normal, <\/em>Remote working has changed how we work, and it has had big changes for S&OP\/IBP. Given demand planning is by nature collaborative and driven by the human element, can these processes survive in the age of remote working? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently posted on LinkedIn<\/a> why I think this is a problem. But it seems I am in a minority because all the planning professionals who responded said that S&OP<\/a> is doing just fine, and even thriving in this new normal.<\/p>\n

Personally, I think it\u2019s having a negative impact on S&OP. Research shows that without face-to-face interaction, trust diminishes, and trust is key to the collaboration we need for S&OP<\/a>. But that\u2019s just me and there are always two sides to every story. I spoke to two S&OP\/IBP leaders to get their differing viewpoints on this issue. Read their key points below so you can decide for yourself.<\/p>\n

The Case Against<\/u> Remote S&OP: Andrew Schneider<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Andrew Schneider<\/a> is an expert in demand planning and supply chain transformation, having led and implemented IBP processes at Medtronic and Ball Corporation.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking has changed with Webex, mind mapping, online collaborative documentation etc. but a conversation hasn’t taken place within IBP<\/a> to discuss how a day in the life of the Demand Planner has changed. In this remote way of working, some people don\u2019t participate in meetings, power players emerge, some webcams are on and others are off. There\u2019s no discussion about how IBP<\/a> should work in this new environment \u2013 we\u2019re just trying to get through the grind.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no discussion about how IBP<\/a> should work in this new environment<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cBefore were able to collaborate interpersonally, come to decisions and influence people which is huge in S&OP<\/a>. How much of that takes place outside of the formal demand review<\/a> or supply review? Now you’re lucky if you can catch somebody on instant messenger or teams, or getting them to review something buried in their inbox.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere needs to be a very intentional focus on redesigning the \u2018day in the life\u2019 and how we do our jobs with digital collaboration tools. It\u2019s continuously evolving but I\u2019d say in my own process I think we\u2019ve taken a step backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot of ideas get parked because\u00a0 people feel like they missed the opportunity to speak<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI think engagement is a challenge. There’s all the cordialities of being in business with active listening and interpersonal dynamics. People in a conference room might step over each other but it\u2019s a case of \u201cOkay, you go first and I\u2019ll come back with my input\u201d and it works. In video calls it\u2019s almost like a walkie-talkie \u2013 it\u2019s one person talking at a time and a lot of ideas get parked because\u00a0 people feel like they missed the opportunity to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

We need development of team dynamics and coaching to make sure that folks have their voices heard<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIf you took a shot clock of who talks for how long in a video call, I\u2019m sure you’re not going to find an even curve – you’re going to find a classic gaussian curve where those power players dominate speaking time. We need development of team dynamics and coaching to make sure that folks have their voices heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the positive side, there are so many digital collaboration tools out there and it\u2019s become more accepted to have pre-submissions on a Webex hit list for the meeting. That stuff is great right as long as you have skillful facilitators that circle back to those topics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think training is so important on to overcome the discomfort of being able to speak over someone with a higher title on a video call, for example. As a coach of other IBP<\/a> leaders one of the best soft skills you can have is a deft touch \u2013 not just what you say but how you say it. The way you interject, being concise, and being able to have a powerful statement are all great skills of an IBP<\/a> leader and I don’t see those things being facilitated in this new norm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Case For <\/u>Remote S&OP: Kevin Reim<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kevin Reim<\/a> is supply chain leader, having worked as Director of Supply Chain Planning at PepsiCo and VP of L’Or\u00e9al’s US Supply Chain. He is currently VP of L’Or\u00e9al’s Fulfilment Center Operations.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn this new hybrid work environment where folks are working more from home, people have gotten used to it and as long as you have the right stakeholders on the call right, there’s no degradation in the S&OP<\/a> process from what I’ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our executive S&OP<\/a> meetings over the last couple of years, we’ve had to learn to work in a new way and it actually makes for a more efficient meeting. People are happy that it\u2019s made meetings a little bit shorter. If meetings previously took three hours, now we’re getting through he same amount of content in an hour and a half. It\u2019s because people are coming prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

As long as the right people are there, it works<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAs long as the right people are there, it works. In some cases we’ll cycle GMs in and out of the meeting as their particular brands come up. All stakeholders are there, it’s collaborative and we make decisions out of it, so it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere needs to be that that personal interaction, though. Whether virtual or in person you still need those face-to-face relationships and that where the hybrid model comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was difficult was when somebody started in the company in the early stages of the pandemic, then it was hard for them to break in but once folks started coming back to work and this new hybrid model emerged it’s become the new norm and it’s working just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Go out of your way to\u00a0 meet one-on-one because you really have to establish yourself<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cYou’ve got to establish those relationships. Go out of your way to meet for coffee or meet one-on-one because you really have to establish yourself. You can manage some of those relationships remotely but there is no substitution for meeting face-to-face and to build that trust that when you get to a meeting everybody’s comfortable making decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

And there you have it. The key themes are that yes, remote S&OP<\/a> can work but extra work needs to be done to build and maintain the relationships needed for collaboration and, ultimately, to drive decision making. Setting expectations for how meetings work and defining the role of the Demand Planner in the remote age would also add value, as well as thinking about how leaders can manage teams effectively in this new environment. It also shines a light on the importance of best practices; they are now more important than ever to ensure engagement and a robust process. Stay tuned next week when I will share some tips to make your remote process as effective as possible.<\/p>\n

I will be speaking at IBF\u2019s Business Planning, Forecasting & S&OP\/IBP Conference<\/a> in Amsterdam from November 16-18. With dozens of workshop sessions, panel discussions and networking opportunities, it\u2019s the biggest and best event of its kind in Europe. Click here<\/a>\u00a0for more details.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

As much as I hate the term, we are in a new normal, Remote working has changed how we work, and it has had big changes for S&OP\/IBP. Given demand planning is by nature collaborative and driven by the human element, can these processes survive in the age of remote working? I recently posted on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3470,"featured_media":9837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[381],"tags":[76,567,37],"class_list":{"0":"post-9828","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sop-process","8":"tag-ibp","9":"tag-remote-working","10":"tag-sop"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9828"}],"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\/3470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demand-planning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}