Joseph Stackhouse

Eighteen months ago I decided I would put my job on the line if that is what would take to improve our planning processes and implement S&OP. Due to the changes required, some implementation issues, and my own actions; I must admit that I came very close to that line.  Fortunately, I survived and in the process learned some valuable lessons. We did get a few things right, but those aren’t nearly as fun to talk about.

The S&OP effort required significant change in management. We spent some time getting aligned with our leadership team, but clearly it was not enough. In hindsight, I kept on moving forward even though few were following.

We had some implementation issues with our system. Data is always a challenge in an implementation like this. We suffered with data because we didn’t get in front of it fast enough. We also suffered by over-engineering, both the system and the processes. In trying to please everyone, we pleased no one.

On several occasions, I realized that I would have been much more effective if I had taken the time to be empathetic. Not taking the time to build relationships and connections cost me significantly more time later than the few minutes I saved on the front-end. So, I hope to share a few things in San Francisco on some of the softer skills needed, particularly empathy.

I did get to keep my job so things turned out alright.  I will now be leading the implementation of our ERP implementation for the division. Again, there’s probably many lessons learned you can pickup from my journey.

Have any of you been through a similar experience? We would enjoy hearing your comments and sharing a dialogue.

Joseph Stackhouse
Director, Supply Chain / Operations
Land O’Lakes Company

See JOSEPH STACKHOUSE from LAND O’LAKES COMPANY Speak in San Francisco at IBF’s:

$795 USD for Conference Only Group!

April 28-30, 2010 (3 Days)
San Francisco, California USA

Joseph Stackhouse

Who defines and says what are best practices? The person speaking? The loudest voice? The person with the most expensive shoes? The person with the most impressive degree? Maybe it is the highest paid consultant?

We hired a consulting group and have implemented what we believe to be a best practice consulting group. In April 2009 we began the “Best Practice” S&OP process. At times, I felt like a small team attempting to lead our organization up a hill and when we turned around, no one was there.

Here are a few of the lessons we learned through it all:

• Collaboration is one of the key components of S&OP.  We saw how having it paid big dividends, and without it we were stuck in the mud.
• What does it mean to have an angel at the top?  We found out first hand.  You can’t do without it.
• Everyone speaks a different language.  It’s extremely important to bridge the gaps to ensure everyone is on the same page and speaks the same language

Christal McManus

In Orlando Florida USA, at IBF’s Supply Chain Planning & Forecasting: Best Practice Conference, October 12-14, 2009, Christal McManus (our S&OP Lead) and I are going to talk with you about our journey. The lessons we learned, the controversies we created, the software & systems used, and the early benefits we are seeing.  We’ll share how we are bridging the communication gaps and the reason why you need an angel on top.  You will also hear our combat stories and how we resolved them, along with the accelerators for implementation in order to keep your project on time.  Plus, we’ll give hard benefits, soft benefits and everything in between, as we’ll share our early wins and why we are still dedicated to the process.

We don’t have it all figured out, but we are making some significant ground. Do you have a Planning & Forecasting story to share?  Please comment here as we would love to hear from you.

Joseph Stackhouse
Director, Supply Chain / Operations
Land O’Lakes Company

SEE JOSEPH & CHRISTAL PRESENT AT THE IBF’S:

$695 (USD) for 3 Full Days!

October 12-14, 2009
Orlando Florida USA