Sales and operation plan process

Before you start the sales and operation plan work you must set up the resources to be used in the plan. The resources are used in the calculation of the resource capacity (hours, quantity etc.) and the production efficiency for the sales and operation plan.

See About sales and operation plan resources for more information.

The first step in this planning process is to create the sales and operation plan and to define the set-up of the plan and the parameters that drive the SOP calculation.

The key value id you connect to the sales and operation plan defines what will be displayed in the sales and operation plan. You can select one of the following key values when you create the SOP:

• Item group (from the Item group table)
• Item family (from the Item family table)
• Item sector (from the Item sector table)
• Department subsection (from the Work centre file in DC1 Manufacturing)

Items that are connected to the selected key value in the Item file, or items for which the item structure is connected to the selected department subsection, will be available in the sales and operation plan.

See Create a sales and operation plan for instructions.

The next step is to retrieve or generate the data to be used in the SOP calculation. This can be done either manually or automatically through a batch job:

• Item data can be generated manually from the Work with sales and operation plan, Included items panel. Through this function all items that belong to the selected item group/family/sector or department subsection are added to the sales and operation plan.
• Item data can also be retrieved from an Inventory Control forecast or from a demand plan. This is done from the Sales and operation plan, Creation batch job. Only active items, i.e. items that are included in the forecast, are retrieved.

See Retrieve/generate SOP data for instructions.

The retrieved item data is used in the SOP calculation. During the sales and operation plan calculation, the system calculates the inventory value that is displayed in Supply on the Work with sales and operation plan, SOP values panel. The calculation can be performed in the following ways:

• By manually ordering a re-calculation of the SOP values on the Work with sales and operation plan, SOP parameters panel.
• By running the Sales and operation plan, Creation batch job when the SOP is created, or by running the Re-create sales and operation plan batch job.

As long as the sales and operation plan has not been activated it can be used as a simulation. You can create as many inactive simulation versions as you wish in order to test your different planning options.

The calculated SOP information is displayed on the Work with sales and operation plan, SOP values panel. On this panel you can view the results of the simulation and decide whether more variants need to be tested.

When you have decided upon which SOP version to use for the actual planning, this version must be activated in the system. The Active field on the SOP header defines if the plan is active. When the sales and operation plan is active it can be used to update the inventory forecast in DC1 Inventory Control. See Activate a sales and operation plan for instructions.

The active sales and operation plans must be re-created periodically to ensure that the SOP values are correct. This is important if you, for example, have changed the item group for a specific item. During the re-creation of the SOP, the system will automatically update any changes in item groups, sectors etc. The re-creation is run from the Re-create sales and operation plan batch job. See Re-create a sales and operation plan for instructions.

The calculated SOP information is displayed on the Work with sales and operation plan, SOP values panel. On this panel you can view the results of the SOP calculation and decide what actions should be taken.

If you wish you can create and print statistic SOP reports for a selected period. These reports display the historical data for the selected SOP and can be used to view the stock on hand, the order stock, the inflow of orders, the production efficiency etc. If Transfer to BIW is set to YES on the SOP header, the SOP statistics will also be transferred to the Statistics balance file (Business Information Warehouse). See Create sales and operation plan statistics for instructions.

During the reorganisation of the SOP, periods in passed time are removed from the sales and operation plan. The SOP itself, however, is not deleted but remains active in the file. The reorganisation is run from the Reorganise sales and operation plan batch job. See Reorganise sales and operation plans for instructions.