With a Little Bit of Help . . .Surviving a Recession

During this current recession some companies have suffered far less than others. In more than a few cases, that's because they already had the tools in place to better deal with the massive uncertainty of this recession.

For those not so fortunate there's good news - gaining the effective use of those tools is not a long time away if you get started now. The tools I’m referring to are those of Executive S&OP.

No question, the upturn is sure to come; it's only when, not if. With a little bit of help, and a little bit of your time, and very little cost, Executive S&OP can yield substantial benefit to you within six months or less.

Our recommended implementation path typically requires relatively few people, none of whom are full-time on the project. Our book, Sales & Operations Planning: The How-To Handbook, 3rd Edition, explains this implementation process, which has the following characteristics:



•    Low Risk - A Pilot approach to prove out the process and to gain a full understanding before cutting over to all families.

•    Low Cost - No software, no outside hires, little outside services.

•    High Impact - A "window into the future," made possible by the forward-looking capabilities of Executive S&OP.

•    Quick Return - Good things start to happen, sometimes even before the 90-day Pilot is reached.
 
Here's a quick war story on the last point. An executive at a company very early in the implementation process said " . . . even if we would do nothing else with Executive S&OP, we're far better off than before. At this early stage, we're far more cooperative and cross-functional. Plus our older, largely ineffective S&OP process is running much better - even before the live pilot of the new process."

If the general economic upturn is six months away, you're in good shape. If you already have an experienced S&OP Expert in your company, you're in even better shape. If you don't - not to worry. You can find one to assist with your efforts as a coach and "subject matter expert" - we'd be happy to help.

In recent years, as an S&OP Expert and coach to many companies, I've found that I can be of help in an even more cost effective way than traditional consulting, through what I call "Virtual Consulting." The way this works is that once I establish a face-to-face relationship from the Executive Briefing and Kick-Off Meetings, I can effectively coach over the phone with the help of Internet tools such as "Net Meeting" or the like.

This enables the implementers in your company to be more focused on individual tasks, frequently involving fewer people per review, and without the cost of travel. It's a very low cost way to get ongoing expert implementation advice, through the roughly nine months of the project.

If you have interest in Virtual Consulting, or any questions, please don't hesitate to call. With a little bit of help . . . we can "virtually" guarantee your success!