It's no secret that companies that reach a high level of maturity in the S&OP methodology witness the real advantages of the model. However, what is known is that 2/3 of businesses that execute Sales and Operations Planning do not surpass the first two stages proposed in Gartner's (2010) maturity model. This is a real shame, as the most significant results are reaped when the company reaches maturity levels 3 and 4.
According to Ronaldo Barreto of Crimson&Co, a Stratec partner company, “most companies that use S&OP are between maturity levels 2 and 3, where departments already communicate, some decisions are made, but there is still a lot of slippage in scenario forecasting and in not using software, which serves as support in this process,” he comments. To avoid stagnating at the more basic levels of S&OP due to lack of knowledge, let's talk a bit more about these four maturity levels.
Level 1 – Reaction
At this stage, the company is beginning to familiarize itself with the methodology and is still developing an operational plan. A gap is observed between sales and production, creating an imbalance between the two. Furthermore, the objectives of S&OP are not clearly understood.
Generally, at this stage, tools like Excel and ERPs dominate operational controls. Operational plans are usually executed within the ERP, but the need to create complementary spreadsheets and commercial planning tools is often seen. In S&OP review meetings, simple tools like PowerPoint and Excel are used to present the plans, and the meetings are basically a review of the sales plan.
Level 2 - Anticipation
At the second level, there is a greater concern with good sales forecasting planning, based on volume, and combining this plan with production. Here, there is already a greater predisposition to support decisions that result from S&OP meetings. At this stage, the organization has understood the need for accurate and reliable information regarding production volume and inventory. Often, due to prolonged discussions about volume, production capacity, and delivery times, S&OP meetings are confined to the supply chain.
Companies that reach the second level of maturity should have a formal governance policy and a culture of discipline. However, at this point, discussions still do not go beyond short-term plans (up to 3 months). Another challenge is that decisions made in the S&OP process typically do not reach the operational level of the company.
In terms of tools, in stage 2, spreadsheets are still heavily used along with ERP systems, supplemented by some supply chain tool. However, companies are beginning to realize they need more robust tools to support process management, information management, and data presentation.
Level 3 – Collaboration
The objective at this stage is to achieve profit. The supply chain becomes the “conductor” of S&OP, and all actions are determined by their financial impact on the business. Now, the company sees the S&OP methodology as “the way we do business,” and all decisions are carefully studied and executed.
The alignment between the operational and tactical aspects of the company is felt more strongly in a collaborative environment. This happens due to processes that were carefully shaped in previous stages. Now, it is possible to make medium- to long-term plans, which are aligned with the annual budget and the company's strategic plan. The impact of the plans and scenarios is focused on increasing business profitability.
In terms of technology, organizations that reach this level of maturity already require a more robust solution and suitable for the S&OP methodology to support its processes.
Level 4 - Mastery
Very few companies reach this level of maturity, where there's a sharp sensitivity to demand and a well-planned production structure to drive an optimized response to demand. When this level is reached, significant involvement from senior executives and the finance department is noted. Collaboration here extends beyond the organization's boundaries to achieve end-to-end value in the chain.
The processes here are balanced and dynamic. There is a strong connection with strategic and operational planning, and the tools support risk management, “trade-offs,” price optimization, and complex simulations.
Do you already apply the S&OP methodology in your company? What is your organization's maturity level? Share with us!
Read our other S&OP articles as well:
Sales and Operations Planning: S&OP
