Daily I see one. You probably also have them in your mail. What is it? A cute press release ginned-up by an aggressive marketing group at a software company. They are noise hiding the issue that business leaders are struggling in the delivery of business results. Useless dribble. No technology or consulting company holds themselves accountable for the delivery of supply chain excellence. Here are some recent examples. Hostess Brands:…
Sharing of research on Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) showing that processes are going backwards not forwards in driving improvement.
Yawn. I spent time this week completing reference calls on the use of S&OP technologies. Seeking the next sequel in technology adoption, I want to write how the confluence of new technologies changed companies’ abilities to improve decisions. Based on the reference calls, I am not sure that this will be possible. What am I hearing? Eerily the case studies sound the same as the ones heard when I completed…
Over the last month, venture capitalists evaluating the supply chain planning market called 3x/week. I know of five companies for sale. Sharks are in the water. The calls follow a predictable pattern. The first is to identify the potential available market. I identify the size followed by a disclaimer, “The current market is smaller than the potential. Today, companies are waiting for the next evolution of planning software. The biggest…
My phone rang. Consultants, technologists and ex-analysts called to challenge my position in my last post focused on control towers. I love this type of debate. As I discussed my views of “visibility” and “control” with my many callers, I discovered that I was not clear in my post. <Sigh. This is not my favorite topic, but there is confusion in the market. The focus of this post is to drive…
We finished dinner. I pressed my neatly folded napkin to my lips. As we waited for coffee, silence hung heavy in the air. My client writhed in her seat and hung her head as she asked, “I read your article on control towers, but I am confused. What is an easy definition? I am embarrassed to ask, but we were discussing the topic at our board meeting yesterday, and I…
As I write this blog, Valentine cards scatter my desk. This is the week for love: a time to send cards and letters to those that we appreciate. I am in the middle of sending the cards to my grandchildren. It is in this spirit, that I write this post. The most unloved employees in the back office are supply chain planners. As supply chain leaders, I would encourage you…
It is 1:00 AM in Antwerp. I cannot sleep. As I stare at the keyboard sitting on my desk, my view is the train station draped in darkness. The quiet streets await the coming of the soft snow. It seldom snows in Belgium: the city sits in anticipation. I hate jet lag. There is nothing worse than trying to sleep when you cannot, and you know that you should. So…
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