Description
Trust is what separates companies with exceptional planning processes from those that are regularly frustrated by their planning processes. Business leaders can’t simply put their heads down and focus on only on their own departments, they must trust and work with cross-functional counterparts to synchronize plans.
Weaving in an intricate case study throughout, Trust the Plan shows executives how to develop and lead Demand Management processes that are trustworthy and will enable business objectives to be achieved. Topics include the rationale for trustworthy planning; the difference between goals and plans; roles and responsibilities; and best practice characteristics of processes, performance measures, and individual capabilities.
About the author(s)
Greg Spira is an expert in Demand Management and Integrated Business Planning (IBP/S&OP) and works with companies to implement lasting change at all levels and across functions by building organizational capability and developing high-performing teams. Greg has written and co-authored many white papers on Demand Management and is an instructor of the Oliver Wight Demand Management course.
Greg has particularly deep experience with consumer-packaged goods, having helped many large food companies improve their planning processes. He has supported companies in a wide range of other industries including packaging, chemicals, healthcare, and fashion. Some of his clients include Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Heinz, Campbell’s, Diageo, Ascend Materials, Valent BioSciences, TreeHouse Foods, WestRock, Becton Dickinson, Krispy Kreme, and Premier Nutrition.
Prior to working at Oliver Wight, Greg held several roles at Mondelez International, one of the world’s largest snacking companies. Mondelez successfully entrenched IBP within its business culture, leading to significant benefits in problem prevention and cross-functional collaboration.
At BlackBerry, Greg was Director, Demand Management, where he led a global team responsible for planning smartphone sales. He also held roles as a Controller and Information Technology Manager with a mid-sized retail fixture company. Greg received his MBA, CPA, and CMA from McMaster University where he has also been a session lecturer.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
SmartCorp Organizational Chart
Chapter 1: Planning for Success
Chapter 2: Working On the Business
Chapter 3: Working as a Team
Chapter 4: Gaining Alignment Through Integrated Business Planning
Chapter 5: Trust
Chapter 6: Customers of the Demand Plan
Chapter 7: Assumptions
Chapter 8: Reaching Consensus in the Demand Review
Chapter 9: Achieving Business Goals and Objectives
Chapter 10: Aggregate and Detail Planning
Chapter 11: Staying Focused on End Users
Chapter 12: Measuring Performance
Chapter 13: Trusted Advisors
Chapter 14: Conclusion
Appendix A: Analytics and Technology in Demand Management
Index
Reviews
“Demand Management is at the core of how commercial decisions are made and the business is run. When done well with the right mix of discipline on process fundamentals and commercial practicality, it is a competitive advantage for any business. Having worked with Greg, he brings an incredibly strong understanding of the fundamentals but with years of practical, hands-on experience. Worth a read for anyone on the journey of improving your planning processes.”
—Jay Cooper, President, Northern Europe, Mondelez International
“A company can’t be successful without a plan. The strategy sets the long-term battle objective, but the plan provides the troops with day-to-day actions to take. If the team is not aligned, and the archers don’t know what the infantry is doing, the battle can’t be won. In this terrific book, Greg provides not just the “what,” but the “so what” and “now what” to drive actionable improvements for your organization.”
—Adam L. Michaels, Chief Executive Officer, Mama Mancini’s Holdings
“Understanding and influencing customer demand is a complex issue facing companies of all types. In Trust the Plan, Greg Spira offers a view of Demand Management that goes beyond process and analytics to address the human side of the equation. His practical advice will help leaders at any stage of business maturity build the mindsets and behaviors required to deliver a robust demand plan that the entire organization can trust.”
—Crystal Lee, Business Advisor, Oliver Wight Americas
