This book provides comprehensive guidance on leveraging SAP IBP technology to connect strategic (to be understood as long term SC&O), tactical and operational planning into one coherent process framework, presenting experience shared by practitioners in workshops, customer presentations, business, and IT transformation projects. It offers use cases and a wealth of practical tips to ensure that readers understand the challenges and advantages of IBP implementation.

The book starts by characterizing disconnected planning and contrasting this with key elements of a transformation project approach. It explains the functional foundations and SAP Hybris, Trade Promotion Planning, Customer Business Planning, ARIBA, and S/4 integration with SAP IBP. It then presents process for integrating finance in IBP. Annual planning and monthly planning are taken as examples of explain Long term planning (in some companies labeled as strategic). The core of the book is about sales and operations planning (S&OP) and its process steps, product demand, supply review, integrated reconciliation and management business review, illustrating all steps with use cases. It describes unconstrained and constrained optimized supply planning, inventory optimization, shelf life planning. We explain how to improve responsiveness with order-based allocation planning, sales order confirmation, and big deal / tender management coupled with simultaneous re-planning of supply. The book closes with a chapter on performance measurement, measurement of effectiveness, efficiency, and adherence.