Oliver Wight Asia Pacific Releases Effective Demand Planning White Paper

Online, May 5, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Business improvement specialists, Oliver Wight, have released a white paper sharing key insights from over 40 years experience in demand planning.

The white paper, 'Effective Demand Planning', explains how businesses can take their first step to successful business planning. Demand planning forms an essential component of the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) or advanced S&OP process, which brings with it a truly strategic perspective and aligns people and processes across the organisation.

Written by Peter Metcalfe, who has over 28 years experience helping blue chip organisations across the world improve their planning processes, the white paper outlines five out of ten Oliver Wight principles, which form the critical elements of a successful demand planning environment:

1. Ownership and accountability
2. Statistical forecasting
3. Management of Assumptions
4. Demand Control is an essential part of Demand Planning
5. Measuring and managing forecast inaccuracy

"With such uncertainty in the global economy, every organisation needs to develop a process which allows it to take a long range view," explains Metcalfe. "These five keys to managing demand, offer a valuable insight in to the monthly and weekly demand planning process, which generates a 24-month rolling forecast; puts sales and marketing in the lead role; and provides a solid foundation on which to build a true capability for Integrated Business Planning."

In each of the key lessons Metcalfe explores the fundamental behaviours, processes and tools required to establish accountability, maximise benefits from the supporting tools, and formalise the key inputs. "Acquiring these keys to demand planning will help organizations prepare for the future, whatever it holds," concludes Metcalfe.

About Oliver Wight

Oliver Wight has a 40 year track record of delivering business improvement to some of the world's best-known organisations. With a team of professionals offering a wealth of experience, Oliver Wight is the largest consultancy of its type, with offices throughout Europe, South Africa, North and South America, and the Asia Pacific region. We believe that sustainable business improvement can't be delivered by external consultants but only by our clients' own people, so unlike other consultancy firms, we transfer our knowledge to them, helping deliver performance levels and financial results that last.