Does your Mattress have Anything in Common with Supply Chain Planning?
Are the top half and the bottom half of your mattress integrated? The answer to this question is obviously “no”. They are not integrated, they are ONE. Sleeping on two pieces of mattress put next to each other is hard unless you add layers and layers of cushioning on the top. The latter is what most companies do trying to “integrate” their S&OP, or planning solution, to their S&OE, or operation execution. Having two separate solutions leads to data and decision latency. But more importantly, this causes plans to be generated based on assumptions that are not in line with the execution, or factory planning, system. This is because they have two different logic and understanding of the world. Also in reverse, when the factory planning & scheduling cannot complete what was planned, it sends it back to the planning solution hours or days later. In the meantime, the customers are kept in the blind as to what can or cannot be delivered due to mismatch of logic and all the disruptions that are going on in the operations.
The load on a mattress, whether you are lying down alone or with another person, or children jumping up and down, is felt by the entire mattress. Some areas take more of a shock than others, but other parts stretch to lower the shock and balance the load. This is what we refer to as a continuum. There is no separation of parts to send a message to the other part and wait for response. This illustrates how a continuum of planning and execution operates in contrast to “separation and integration,”
In a continuum of planning and execution, there is shared in-memory data. The data acts as a semaphore. As it changes, it actively signals the change to be acted on as needed. This approach contrasts with passive use of data, whether in memory or in a database. Thus, no data latency and no decision latency. Furthermore, no more mismatch of the logic between two different levels. The reality, as explained earlier, is that there are no different layers. Just like a mattress, one smooth transition from planning to execution. To sleep better without supply chain worries, click Here to see how.
