Cross-functional Tactical Planning - By Whatever Name - Is What Really Matters

Warning! A holy war is raging. It is a religious war ... one of holy factions.

It cannot be won, and it is not worth trying.  When you peel everything back, you find that it is a battle of acronyms:  Integrated Business Planning (IBP) versus Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP).  It is fueled by analyst pundits, and driven largely by software vendors trying to hawk their wares into a mature market.  At the center of the battle - as the fury rages over who is right and who is wrong- companies are losing perspective.

Remember  Shakespeare's wisdom?   "What's in a name?  A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...."

I feel that when the focus is on the NAME - versus the OUTCOME - we all lose.  No matter what we call it, cross-functional tactical planning matters; and this is at the center of the discussion.  However, many are unable to take advantage of the benefits, because they are stuck in the holy war.  As a result, I see companies losing perspective on what tactical planning is, what it needs to be, and why it matters.

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