S&OP will not succeed without executive involvement - here's why, and how to get it.

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Sales & Operations Planning:
The Executive's Guide
By Tom Wallace and Bob Stahl

Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) has emerged as an essential management tool in this age of global operations, supply chains that extend half a world away, and increasingly demanding customers. It's rightfully been called "top management's handle on the business."

The mission of this book is to tell the busy executive what he or she needs to know about S&OP. Written in clear, easily-understandable terms, this book can easily be read in the course of an evening or two - or on a plane ride from Chicago to L.A.

It answers these, and many other, questions:
   •    Why is S&OP so popular?
   •    What are the benefits from doing it well?
   •    How does it work?
   •    What's the role of the president and his or her staff?
   •    What kinds of companies are using S&OP?
   •    What's the best way to implement it?

The most important element in being successful with Sales & Operations Planning is to have active, hands-on participation by the Executive Group, up to and including the president (general manager, COO, managing director, etc.).

This book will help you get that active, hands-on participation.  It may be one of the most important books you can read for enhancing your company's performance.

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"Thanks to Executive S&OP,  we now have more control of the business because we have the visibility required to be proactive versus reactive."
Phil Dolci

Vice President and General Manager

Sanford/Sharpie, Division of Newell-Rubbermaid

"We now have our entire management team talking every month about what might happen 6 - 12 - 18 months out into the future and validating or modifying our plan. Wow! Why didn't we always do it this way?!"
Roger Lindgren

President & CEO

V&N Star, Division of Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes

"The various functions on my staff all have a seat at the table.  They're all part of the process; they see the realities; the debates are open; and everyone walks out with an agreed-upon set of action items."
Jim Fitterling

Global Business Vice President

Dow Chemical Company

"Executive S&OP gives us a better understanding of demand and capacity constraints.  Communication among Planning, Sales and Marketing has improved dramatically, along with consistent forward vision."
John Jordan

CFO

Graco Children's Products,
Division of Newell-Rubbermaid

"I wish we had the leverage of Executive S&OP when I was running a billion dollar business; it would have been a major cash generator due to lower inventories and better customer service levels."
John Dix

President

Business Development Index, Ltd.,

Formerly Group President
 Grocery Products, Borden Inc.

"Recommended reading for the CEO, as well as marketing, engineering and operations executives  . . ."
Read entire review (pdf)
Review by Cash Powell, Jr.,
Associate Director of the Center for Competitive Change,
University of Dayton