Boundary-spanning SOP to improve process integration

The purpose of the sales and operations planning (SOP, section 6.1.1) module is to set sales forecasts and to translate them into operations plans via the master production schedule. SOP requires internal integration, at least between sales and operations, to achieve its purpose. Forecasting is not just a numbers game - it is a key business process that supports supply chain readiness for market demand. 

Alcoa has made some great strides across a very diverse set of autonomous businesses to develop a boundary-spanning SOP system to support process and internal integration. Three aspects are particularly noteworthy  

The vision of creating an agile supply chain is a valuable starting point, but until recently it was mostly just vision. The experiences and cases presented in this section show how the vision can be supplemented, and how implementation of 

What is agility, and how does It contribute to competitiveness of the supply network  

What are the agile practices that help to underpin the agile supply chain  

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