Sales and Operations Planning in a Resilient Organization

Other conference contribution, 2023

Covid-19 and Semi-Conductor shortage has disrupted many supply chains. While some supply chains have persisted, others have had to adapt and transform their supply chain to survive. Sales and Operations planning (S&OP) is one such process that needed to adapt and transform in light of the disruption. This study focuses on how S&OP process can be improved to generate resilience. The data was collected through interviews from two large multi-national organizations that were affected by these disruptions. This data was then analyzed with respect to the seven principles laid out by the resilience alliance. The findings show that improving the capabilities like scenario planning, redundancy planning, connecting with other processes, connecting with suppliers and customers, and learning and knowledge management improve resilience in the organization. This study provides empirical evidence and would help organizations to improve their S&OP process. As disruptions and its effect are unique to different organizations, future studies within other contexts can provide more insights and capabilities related to resilience.