IBP, S&OP & MRP
Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and S&OP, done right, aren't a monthly meeting — they're a decision-making nervous system. MRP is that same system's execution layer at the material level.
What We See
An S&OP meeting exists, but it reports rather than decides
Many organizations run a monthly meeting with this name, but in practice each function just reports its own status, and the meeting ends without a shared, written decision.
Demand forecast and production plan live in two separate files
The sales team has its own forecast, production has its own plan — and the two are usually only compared in the monthly meeting, not systematically reconciled.
MRP is running on dirty data
An outdated BOM, inventory records that don't match the physical warehouse, missing or wrong lead times — any one of these turns MRP from a proactive tool into an unreliable list.
The planning horizon is set too short or too long
A horizon that's too short keeps the organization permanently reactive; a long horizon without frequent updates produces a plan nobody actually trusts in practice.
Our Approach (The DDIT Framework)
Diagnose
Reviewing current forecast accuracy (MAPE), the health of MRP master data (BOM, lead time, inventory), and directly observing one full cycle of the existing S&OP meeting to see where decisions actually get made.
Design
Designing the monthly cycle calendar with five standard stages (product review, demand, supply, financial reconciliation, executive sign-off) and parameterizing the MRP engine (horizon, bucket size, service level) to match the organization's actual data reality.
Implement
Running a pilot cycle on a limited product category before extending to the full portfolio — with master-data cleanup happening in parallel.
Transfer Capability
Training an internal S&OP facilitator and MRP data owner, along with a written playbook for running the cycle without needing a consultant present in future meetings.
Deliverables
- Monthly S&OP cycle calendar and agenda (five standard stages)
- Parameterized MRP engine with a fitted horizon and bucket size
- Master-data health checklist (BOM, lead time, inventory)
- KPI review dashboard for the executive meeting
- Sales forecast vs. production plan reconciliation report
- Written playbook for the internal facilitator to run the cycle
Engagement Models
Diagnostic Sprint
A two-week assessment of the current S&OP cycle's maturity and MRP data health, with a gap report.
Full Transformation
Full design and launch of the S&OP cycle and MRP engine, from kickoff through the first three stable cycles.
Ongoing Advisory
Periodic presence in S&OP meetings to reinforce cycle discipline after the implementation phase ends.
Who This Is For
For manufacturers with multiple product lines or production lines that don't yet have a formal S&OP cycle, or whose current cycle is just status reporting, and for planning teams running MRP manually or across scattered spreadsheets.
This domain draws directly on the bulk of Sina Alipoor's executive experience — from designing multi-month Excel-based MRP engines to launching S&OP cycles across multi-subsidiary industrial groups.
Frequently Asked Questions
S&OP focuses on aligning demand, supply, and capacity over the mid-term horizon. IBP connects that same cycle to the financial and strategic layer — meaning the cycle's output directly feeds profit forecasting and budgeting.
No. A reliable MRP engine can be built in Excel, as long as the BOM explosion logic and net requirement calculation are implemented correctly. That said, as SKU count grows, migrating to a system like SAP becomes advisable.
Typically one decision-making representative (not just a status reporter) from sales, production, procurement, and finance, plus the cycle facilitator. Meetings larger than 8-10 people usually reduce decision-making effectiveness.
Full cleanup before starting usually delays the project by months. A better approach is starting the pilot on a product category with cleaner data, and cleaning the rest of the data in parallel during rollout.
For each department representative, typically one to two working days per month to prepare inputs and attend the different stage meetings of the cycle — not just the final executive session.
Ready to talk about this domain?
Tell us about your organization's specific challenge, and we'll recommend the right engagement model.