Run the five-step monthly cycle from product review and demand review through to the executive S&OP meeting.
Warehousing & Procurement
Running a Monthly Sales and Operations Planning Cycle
Run a disciplined monthly sales and operations planning cycle, from consensus demand forecasting and supply review to a reconciled, financially translated plan ready for executive decision-making.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A forecast that sales, supply and finance each interpret differently is not a plan, it is three separate guesses heading for the same executive meeting, and the monthly sales and operations planning cycle exists to turn those guesses into one number everyone commits to before the month begins. This course works through the five-step monthly cycle, from product and portfolio review through demand review, supply review, pre-meeting reconciliation and the executive S&OP meeting itself. Delegates build a statistical baseline forecast, reconcile it with sales and marketing input into a consensus number, and track forecast accuracy and value add to see whether manual adjustment is helping or hurting. The course then turns demand into a supply plan that exposes real capacity, supplier and inventory constraints, and shows how to prepare a reconciled, financially translated plan so the executive meeting spends its time choosing between clear options rather than reviewing data. The course closes with the discipline and metrics that mature a monthly cycle toward integrated business planning.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Assign process ownership and design meetings so every step completes in time for a monthly executive decision.
Build a statistical baseline forecast and reconcile it with sales and marketing input into one consensus number.
Track forecast accuracy, bias and forecast value add to identify where manual adjustment helps or harms the forecast.
Translate a consensus demand plan into a supply plan that exposes capacity, supplier and inventory constraints.
Prepare a reconciled, financially translated plan that lets an executive meeting focus on decisions, not data.
Mature the monthly cycle toward integrated business planning by linking volume and financial plans consistently.
Who Should Attend
Supply chain and S&OP process owners running or redesigning a monthly planning cycle.
Demand planners and forecast analysts responsible for the consensus demand review.
Supply and production planners translating a demand plan into capacity and material requirements.
Finance business partners reconciling the S&OP volume plan with the financial plan.
Commercial and sales leaders contributing market input to the demand review each month.
Operations and general management executives who chair or attend the executive S&OP meeting.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01The S&OP Process and Governance
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Purpose and Structure of the Monthly Cycle
- Define the five-step monthly cycle covering product review, demand review, supply review, reconciliation and the executive meeting.
- Distinguish sales and operations planning from day-to-day order fulfilment and short-term production scheduling.
- Set a monthly calendar so every step completes in time to feed the executive meeting on schedule.
- Assign a process owner accountable for the cycle's discipline, timeliness and quality of input.
Session 2Roles, Data and Meeting Design
- Define the roles of demand planner, supply planner, finance and the process owner across the monthly cycle.
- Agree a single set of numbers so sales, operations and finance all work from the same volume and financial data.
- Design a pre-S&OP reconciliation meeting that resolves gaps between demand and supply before they reach the executive meeting.
- Design an executive S&OP meeting agenda focused on decisions rather than repeated data presentation.
02Demand Review and Consensus Forecasting
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building the Statistical and Consensus Forecast
- Generate a statistical baseline forecast from historical demand and known patterns such as seasonality.
- Adjust the baseline forecast with sales and marketing input on promotions, new accounts and market change.
- Run a consensus forecasting step that reconciles sales, marketing and demand planning views into one number.
- Document the assumptions behind large forecast adjustments so they can be reviewed in a later cycle.
Session 2Measuring and Improving Forecast Quality
- Track forecast accuracy and bias by product family and customer segment across successive cycles.
- Calculate forecast value add to see whether manual adjustment improves or worsens the statistical baseline.
- Feed new product introduction and phase-out plans into the demand review on a defined lead time.
- Review persistent forecast error patterns to fix the underlying method rather than re-forecasting the same way each month.
03Supply Review and Reconciliation
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Supply Planning Against the Demand Signal
- Translate the consensus demand plan into a capacity and material requirement across the supply network.
- Identify capacity, supplier or inventory constraints that prevent the demand plan being met in full.
- Build alternative supply scenarios, such as overtime, subcontracting or inventory build, to close an identified gap.
- Set inventory and service level targets that the supply plan is built to achieve.
Session 2The Pre-S&OP Reconciliation Meeting
- Consolidate demand and supply plans into a single set of numbers with gaps and options clearly flagged.
- Prepare a financial translation of the volume plan so its revenue and cost impact is visible before the executive meeting.
- Escalate only the gaps and decisions that genuinely need executive judgement rather than every open item.
- Agree recommended options in advance so the executive meeting can focus on choosing between them.
04Executive Decision-Making and Continuous Improvement
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Running the Executive S&OP Meeting
- Present a small number of clear decisions and trade-offs rather than a full data pack at the executive meeting.
- Use scenario comparisons to help executives choose between demand, supply and financial trade-offs.
- Record decisions and owners so actions from the meeting are tracked into the next monthly cycle.
- Close the loop by reviewing the previous month's decisions before opening new ones.
Session 2Maturing Toward Integrated Business Planning
- Link the monthly volume plan to the financial plan so S&OP and budgeting use consistent numbers.
- Extend the planning horizon and scenario range as the process matures toward integrated business planning.
- Benchmark cycle discipline, forecast accuracy and meeting effectiveness to identify the next improvement.
- Run a structured retrospective after a major forecast miss to update assumptions and process design.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
Complete your registration
We will contact you within one business day to confirm.
Ready to start?
Reserve your seat and start building the skill.