Proper demand planners provide enormous benefits to an S&OP program. Moreover, the people taking on these roles require proper support from higher up management teams, otherwise, demand planners can't deliver at peak performance.
In order to achieve significant competitive advantage in lower inventory costs and improved service levels, company leaders must recognize why demand planning is important and their role in the S&OP process.
Examining why alignment with leadership, leverage/influence with key departments, independence, demand planning best practices, well-defined job definition and performance metrics, and opportunity for career growth/change to avoid burnout are vital to the success of demand planners.
