Business Management Articles



		Collaboration Moves Center Stage– It's "Hot" Once Again Existing practices, newer techniques actively promote collaboration as their core principle. "We believe, and know from our practical business experiences, that innovating together in a connected supply chain will increase the potential benefits for all supply chain participants." Larry Smith, Senior Vice President, West Marine. George Palmatier, Coco Crum, Ron Ireland, and others explain how to achieve valuable benefits from combining Integrated Business Planning and CPFR. Implement now for quick wins. Satisfy your customer expectations and meet your enterprise's strategic goals. This article begins on page 8. Click here to read this article instantly. Published in November/December 2011 issue of WERCSheet®


		Effective Business Planning New ways of thinking result in better planning Published in Fall 2011 Manufacturing Today Written by Oliver Wight Principals George Palmatier and Colleen "Coco" Crum, For nearly three decades, companies have relied on Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) in their effort to improve business performance. What originally started as basic production planning in the 1970s evolved into S&OP in the 1980s. During that period, companies developed aggregate planning processes to align supply, demand and resources such as capacity and inventory. By the mid-1990s, S&OP further evolved to include product and portfolio management and financial projections. Read this article now



		Finance and Integrated Business Planning / Sales & Operations Planning Maturation Process: Finance’s Role in Integrated Business Planning / Sales and Operations Planning In this article, Rob Tearnan and Bob Hirschey discuss the critical role of Finance and Treasury in the Integrated Business Planning/Sales and Operations Planning process. Specifically, the authors highlight the opportunity for the financial community to assist leaders in dealing with the uncertainty inherent in the IBP process. Published in AFP Exchange November 2010. Read this article now.


Retail S&OP


written by Oliver Wight Principals: Ronald Ireland and Mary Adamy
Retailers are always looking for ways to cut costs, and suppliers are always trying to maintain margins and profits. Yet waste in the supply chain is easily identifiable, both internally and externally. Read these three articles on Retail Sales & Operations Planning and the linkage using CPFR to see the importance and the benefits that this industry transformation will have. Read these articles.
		The Migration to Retail S&OP written by Oliver Wight Principal Ronald Ireland


Business Process Transformation Framework (BPTF)

written by Rick Burris and Robert E. Howard, Oliver Wight Principals, with contribution from Tom Mercer, Value Chain Group model architect
There is a strong business case for the need to add value to process improvement technology which is largely predicated on the high percentage of failures in transformation projects. Today’s globally competitive environment demands that companies deliver value to both customers and investors. System installations or upgrades continue to be chosen to drive productivity and service improvement but they must be transparent to customers and valuable to investors. This article series makes a case that the solution lies in replacing the traditional process design methodology with an innovative approach which is enabled through the Business Process Transformation Framework (BPTF) process design methodology. BPTF addresses the pitfalls of failures by coupling the advances in this process design with the enablers to success. BPTF leverages rules-based ontology (vocabulary and relationships) and a modeling tool for developing design solutions which can be effectively adapted and communicated across the business. Read these articles.


The Role of Leadership in Sales and Operations Planning / Integrated Business Planning
written by: Colleen "Coco" Crum, Oliver Wight Managing Principal
What is the difference between a Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process that makes a modest difference in a company’s operational and financial performance and an S&OP process that, year after year, enables a company to achieve its operational, business, and strategic goals? Read this article to find out.


Demand Planning

written by: Susan Storch, Oliver Wight Managing Principal
Demand planning, often underutilized in the best of times as a means of improving cash flow and profitability, may become your lifeline in this recession. This four-part series discusses demand planning best practices in relation to surviving, even thriving, in the recessionary period and preparing to come out the other side in the best possible financial health. The first part will make the case for improving demand planning processes without delay. Part two will explain best practices in demand planning that are of particular relevance in a recession. The third part will discuss the people implications and change management requirements to implement and operate these processes at peak performance. Part four will lay out an improvement path, including implications for other business processes, in order to be successful. Read these free demand planning articles now.



Effective Executive Management During an Economic Downturn written by Rick Burris In a downturn, forward-looking executives focus not only on survival; they also prepare the business for recovery. This 4-part article series, written by Rick Burris and published in Business Excellence Magazine, will introduce a disciplined executive process to ensure that your company not only survives but is positioned to rapidly grow when economic conditions improve. The articles: Address the process of adjusting resource allocations during a period of reduced demand. Describe the strategies and practices that business leaders must deploy to prepare the business for recovery. Discuss leveraging the actions described to ensure the company will advance the business during the eventual economic recovery. Read these articles now. Bonus article: End of Recession Integrated Business Planning


Managing and Leading People
Six-part article series published in Business Excellence Magazine. In these articles, author Jon Minerich walks through leadership strategy and execution, organization design and development, and preparation for change and implementation. He emphasizes success through leveraging a company's workforce through teams and, finally, highlights the importance of measurements. Read these articles.


Product Management
Four-part article series published in Business Excellence Magazine. In these articles, author Donald McNaughton focuses on the importance of an integrated product management process and its role in driving improved business performance, the role of portfolio management in managing existing products as well as selecting and managing products for the product portfolio, and how to ensure that the projects in the project portfolio remain on scope, on schedule, and on budget. Donald McNaughton then reaches the Product Management Review, which provides an update on the status of projects and doubles as step one of the monthly S&OP process. Read these articles.


		Integrated Business Management (S&OP) Six-part article series published in Business Excellence Magazine. In these articles, author John Schorr points out that S&OP is a way of managing the business as a whole. He explains the importance of including product development, the Demand Review, the Supply Review, and the Integrated Reconciliation Review. He ends with the Management Business Review and the roles of each of the participants. Read these articles.



		Improving Inventory Record Accuracy Cycle counting maintains and sustains greater inventory record accuracy Contributor: Roger Brooks Read this Inventory Record Accuracy article by clicking here.



		Strategic Planning: An Executive's Aid for Strategic Thinking, Development and Deployment In this paper, George Palmatier discusses strategic thinking, development and deployment including techniques for communication, alignment and continuous evaluation of the strategic planning process. Published in Outsourced Logistics magazine in October 2008. Read this article.


		Read this opinion piece - written by Oliver Wight Principal George Palmatier and published in the March, 2007, issue of Business Excellence Magazine. The need to lead Sales & operations planning (S&OP) is key to Integrated Business Management, says George E. Palmatier, but responsible leadership is essential for success. Read the entire article now.



		Read an interview with Chairman Dennis Groves as it appeared in the inaugural issue of Achieving Business Excellence, a leading-edge magazine dedicated to bringing you articles on real-life achievements of world-class companies.



Oliver Wight is featured in a variety of business and industry-specific publications aimed at helping companies interested in discovering how to achieve higher levels of business performance. Download free copies of publications sponsored and featuring the unique Oliver Wight approach. Click on either series below.
		Manufacturer Magazine Series
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Business Management Articles

The Role of Leadership in Sales and Operations Planning / Integrated Business Planning

Demand Planning

Effective Executive Management During an Economic Downturn

Managing and Leading People

Product Management

Integrated Business Management (S&OP)

Oliver Wight is featured in a variety of business and industry-specific publications aimed at helping companies interested in discovering how to achieve higher levels of business performance.