Background

Specialty retailer introduced a new strategy of managing network inventory by stocking the same SKU in multiple DCs. This required the Demand and Supply Planning teams to work differently and more collaboratively than previously. The new processes also required a change in roles and responsibilities, as well as the addition of a new Inventory Planning team.

Approach

We conducted a series of in-depth interviews with all impacted key stakeholders to assess their level of awareness of the change, its impact on their team and what training needed to be done to ensure the team was capable of functioning effectively with the new processes, technology and data.

Challenges

• The business units were unclear about the objectives of the new strategy
• New processes were being developed without the input of all impacted stakeholders
• Roles and responsibilities were not clearly defined
• Performance measurements and expectations were not established
• Teams were siloed and not used to working collaboratively
• There were a large number of long-term employees at the company who were reluctant to change/concerned about the impacts to their role

What we Recommended

• A cross-functional workshop with leaders of each team to develop a RACI and agree on the most effective ways for the teams to communicate and collaborate
• A comprehensive communications approach, with broad organizational announcements about the change, followed by team meetings to discuss WIIFM and answer questions
• Establish clear KPIs and expectations for each role
• Develop role-based training to improve planning and analytical skills