In some cases, there's a step missing from textbook IBP processes.

In dairy, you can't ignore it. The cows produce milk whether you want it or not - three days to decide what it becomes. Fresh milk, cheese, powder, infant formula. Different margins, different shelf lives, different commitments.

What's the quirk in your industry that breaks the standard model?

If your planning process tracks assumptions (and it should), someone needs to be poking holes in them. Every organisation needs a devil's advocate - someone who asks the awkward questions and makes people squirm.

Enter AI…

Annual budget season doesn't have to be a circus. If your S&OP or IBP is working, it should be a non-event. So why isn't it?