Will Your Demand Management Plan Pay Off?

Investing in Demand Management

Unsure if it’s worth it for your business to invest in smart demand management? Think again.

While some organizations have taken the turbulence of 2020 as a sign to steer clear of projections others have doubled down, and seen strong results.

In our white paper, Making the Case: The ROI of Demand Management, Oliver Wight’s Principals examine why a mindset shift may be necessary for your company.

Demand management, if done right, can give you stability moving forward and increase efficiency.

Developing a New Attitude

Rather than focusing exclusively on outcomes, our white paper explains how you can add value by looking at the demand management process itself.

So much in business is out of your control, and leading organizations not only document what they can control but try to forecast what they cannot.

A plan that takes both these issues into account will have a higher chance of making a difference.

Demand management is much more than “getting the forecast right.” As a part of a mindset shift, leaders should focus on utilizing projections at all levels of an organization, including factories and distribution centers.

Demand management can also help companies ensure that their demand targets are aligned with their supply and financial plans.

A disconnect between each of these factors can mean wasted resources and lost profits. Proper planning is an opportunity to get everyone at your organization on the same page; an opportunity far too many businesses pass up.

Accurately Assessing ROI

In addition to breaking down the inflection points and attitude shifts that can improve your demand management process, our white paper explains how to quantify the potential financial benefits accurately.

Businesses can take advantage of Oliver Wight’s helpful templates to assess whether a process was directly or indirectly impacted by demand planning and whether these changes impacted the bottom line.

As a part of this process, leaders will also evaluate areas where continued improvement may be necessary. Common considerations include:

People: Analytical tools only add value if they are used. It’s the demand planning team’s job to ensure a common strategy and shared goals exist throughout the company.
Analytics: Your analysis should go beyond trends and seasonality to offer a fuller understanding of demand drivers like price, store distribution, advertising, and regional economic information.
Process: Great plans are continuously examined to account for a changing situation. Ensure your demand planning process is effectively answering the big questions and preparing for the future.
Tools/Technology: Demand management tools are continually evolving and adding capabilities. Stay ahead of the competition with programs that offer strong data processing and analytical functionality.

By focusing on improving fundamentals, organizations can create measurable success that speaks for itself.

For the past 50 years, Oliver Wight has been raising the bar for organizations and inspiring business excellence. Is your company ready? Download Making the Case: The ROI of Demand Management and learn what a healthy demand management process can do for your organization.

Related Resource

Download Making the Case: The ROI of Demand Management

Making the Case: The ROI of Demand Management
This white paper shows how to evaluate and communicate the value of improving the credibility of the demand plan, several templates are included to help in quantifying and documenting the return on investment. Download Now!

More Resources from Oliver Wight

Webinar | One Set of Numbers: The Consequences – and Cure – For Misaligned Plans

Webinar | Becoming a Trusted Advisor: The Impact of Bias on Credibility

Education | Demand Management Course