Sales and Operations Planning Framework : How to balance demand and supply for a project-oriented and complex organization operating inthe aerospace and defence industry

Abstract: One challenge organizations are facing in all industries is determining the likely events of the future and developing strategies to handle these challenges. Sales and operations planning are a decision-making process and tool that helps organizations to allocate resources not only to handle the challenges but also to take advantage of future conditions by balancing supply and demand. There is only a limited amount of framework and models available today. This project will divulge and reveal a new framework for sales and operations planning which has been developed in collaboration with an organization operating in the aerospace and defence industry. The basis of the framework consists of a monthly five step process that facilitates the organization in making decisions based on long term (five-years) organizational goals and tying them in with project specific needs. Ultimately, this will provide a centralized system in meeting current project specific demands whilst ensuring future operations are not compromised but enhanced. The company’s current sales and operations planning maturity level was evaluated and compared to the developed framework to find gaps of what needs to change for the company to have proactive sales and operations planning.