The term ‘optimization’ can and does have different meanings to different groups. For the folks who build and develop scheduling algorithms, creating the best schedule is defined in terms of cost criteria – perfectly logical. For business settings (from manufacturing to hospitals) optimization refers to the entire process. Let’s look at the scheduler’s world to
In my last post, I wrote a little on the importance of extending participation in the sales and operations (S&OP) collaboration process as well as knowing what questions to ask each party. In this blog, I would like to step away from collaborating with internal departments to discuss collaborating with customers.
In my experience with several different companies, it is evident that companies make great decisions some of the time. Unfortunately, being successful only some of the time doesn’t cut it. The key to business success is to make good decisions all of the time. Company success is much like investment success. It requires a disciplined
What-if scenario planning is an excellent technique that allows a planner to ask questions on the future. Given a working model that represents a business, a planner can quickly ask the questions that represent the range of possibilities in the foreseeable future which can render the current plan obsolete.
It was Sir Isaac Newton who told us that things not in motion will continue to be that way until acted upon by an external force. Vice versa, things that were already in motion will continue to move that particular way without a change in direction or speed unless acted upon by an external force.
Extending sales and operations collaboration requires a clear articulation of business rules and information transfers. As a result, knowing exactly what questions to ask is crucial. In this short blog series, I will provide a list of questions to ask the various roles and people involved in the S&OP process. These questions can make a
I am fairly new to the supply chain industry. Ever since joining Arkieva, I have been immersed in all things manufacturing, planning and optimizing related. As I worked with my colleagues I observed that naturally every company is different and these differences can be seen especially during the implementation process. The steps, rules, politics, etc.,
Supply chain planning improvement involves a series of projects separated by periods of institutionalization. Unfortunately during these periods there are many opportunities to regress to the “old ways of doing things”. Industry thought leader Lora Cecere mentions and depicts this phenomenon in her research through the use of orbit charts (see chart below).