Deploying an S&OP Process Roadmap
This client develops, manufactures, and delivers active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) to the global pharmaceutical and nutritional markets. As a subsidiary of $16B global conglomerate, the client was looking for efficiencies to support their strategic goals of expansion and growth, to strengthen their ability to identify and drive improvements within their operations, and to provide improved visibility and value to its customers. The client’s prior engagement with Clarkston to initially assess its existing end-to-end global S&OP process yielded various recommendations on how to support its ongoing business growth and desire to improve its customer service responsiveness. Additionally, the client sought further guidance and tangible recommendations it could begin implementing prior to a future ERP implementation while also ensuring alignment with its strategy. The client engaged Clarkston’s life sciences and supply chain experts to align and train its organization on the value and purpose of a well-defined and strong S&OP process roadmap.
They additionally sought assistance with the development of clear process owners, roles and responsibilities; guardrails (policies and boundaries) and guiderails (how to work) to support each S&OP meeting expectations; and a tracking method for decisions made, pending or not begun. In addition, they desired the establishment of a decision-making process, including an escalation and accountability methodology, along with guidance on S&OP KPIs, which could be cascaded throughout its organization to drive continuous improvement.
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The Clarkston team conducted a series of executive workshops. The workshops ensured alignment from the team on the purpose for S&OP, verified how they would measure success, and defined executive team members roles and responsibilities within the process. The workshops also provided an overview of the S&OP process from beginning to end so the team understood the expected inputs and outputs. The Clarkston team lead the client through decision-making techniques to establish alignment of expectations for action-oriented outputs from business leaders.
Additionally, the Clarkston team worked with the client on identifying and establishing the KPIs and metrics aligned to executive ownership and overall business metrics. Prior to the conclusion of the workshops, all decisions were affirmed, a confirmation of all implementation business support and time was established, and the client’s executives were aligned on the purpose and benefits S&OP would provide to the business. This served as the foundation of a successful implementation.
Incorporating input from the executive workshops, the Clarkston team conducted foundational training for S&OP to all implementation team members. This was followed by facilitated discussions with the S&OP meeting owners and facilitators to establish the guardrails and guiderails for each of the S&OP meetings. The outcome achieved from the client’s teams as they worked through the development and establishment of the guardrails and guiderails was a significant transformation in instilling ownership and decision-making into the organization.
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