Center of Excellence: more bang for your APS buck

Implementing an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system is a powerful move for any organization looking to optimize its Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) or Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes – but implementation is only half the story and an APS is only as good as the level and spread of its use within the company. To drive user adoption and make the APS investment worthwhile, Supply Chain must collaborate with a strong Center of Excellence.

Let’s explore in more detail.

S&OP/IBP coverage and user adoption

While many APS tools excel at handling volume-based plans, covering the full scope of S&OP/IBP can be challenging. For instance, each phase of S&OP typically requires unique data inputs, visualizations and discussions, yet many APS tools aren’t built to fully accommodate this diversity. Consider the following challenges:

• Product review: Needs data from launch management tools to assess new and existing product portfolios.
• Demand review: Requires comparisons between volumes and values, including actuals and budget numbers.
• Supply review: Calls for production and inventory plans expressed in value terms, offering financial perspectives.
• Executive review: Demands tailored visualizations and summaries that align with management structures.

Without a way to address these different requirements, adoption often stalls, and teams revert to legacy systems and spreadsheets. It’s easy to assume that once an APS is in place, everyone will automatically use it but without a clear path to user adoption, you’re looking at a fractured system where people revert to old ways of working. Here’s the harsh reality: if you don’t embed APS into daily routines, you risk losing not only the tool’s potential value but also missing opportunities for growth, innovation and efficiency.

This is where the Center of Excellence comes into play. It provides the structure, support and knowledge-sharing essential for successful APS integration, bridging the gap and driving sustainable change.

Center of Excellence: your framework for APS success

A Center of Excellence (CoE) is the powerhouse behind APS success. It’s a dedicated team or community that brings together key roles like end-user communities, data teams, IT and business CoE members, procurement and APS solution experts to make APS part of the business-as-usual (BAU) landscape​.

But what exactly does a CoE do in the context of S&OP?

1. Knowledge management: Defines and disseminates best practices for APS use, possibly through recurrent knowledge sharing sessions to help prevent knowledge loss as teams evolve.
2. Training and retention: Empowers users to leverage the APS to its fullest potential to execute the underlying process as efficiently and optimally as possible.
3. Roadmap development: Identifies and prioritizes areas for improvement based on existing implementations, potentially creating a longer term enhancement roadmap for use both with existing and future roll-outs.
4. Driving deployments and improvements: Facilitates rollouts of new features and updates, setting priorities aligned with evolving S&OP needs.
5. Second-line support: Works alongside key users to provide in-depth troubleshooting and support.
6. Liaison role: Acts as the link between users, the software vendor and IT, filtering and prioritizing issues for seamless APS operation.

These roles are vital for achieving operational efficiency and fostering a culture where APS usage is second nature to everyone involved.

The 4 pillars of a Center of Excellence

For a CoE to succeed, it needs a strong foundation. Bluecrux focuses on four essential pillars:

1. Governance: Define clear roles, responsibilities, and objectives to keep everyone aligned.
2. Training & support: Equip users with the knowledge and skills they need through ongoing training and help desk support.
3. Data management: Ensure data is accurate, accessible and up-to-date, enabling informed decisions and trust in the APS.
4. Continuous improvement: Promote a feedback culture, continually refining processes based on user input and emerging needs.

These pillars aren’t just about keeping the system running, they’re about ensuring APS becomes an integral part of how work gets done every day.

Value Capture for supporting user adoption

The CoE is instrumental in making APS adoption a reality, not just a goal. By following a structured approach, the CoE helps users see how APS impacts their work, empowering them to embrace the tool as part of their workflow. Here’s how the CoE supports value capture through each phase of adoption:

Phase-by-phase approach:

1. Initiation: Establish governance, set clear S&OP-aligned objectives and involve stakeholders early.
2. Engagement: Encourage users to see the benefits of APS for each S&OP review stage, aligning features with specific needs.
3. Optimization: Continuously refine processes, ensuring the APS evolves with feedback and remains relevant to evolving business goals.

Our existing blog on user adoption offers a deeper dive into this methodology – check it out here.

Ready to make your APS transformation stick?

If you’re looking to make your APS tool a seamless part of your S&OP/IBP process, a strong CoE is your foundation. Let us help you create a CoE that fosters user adoption, captures real value and transforms APS from a tool into an essential part of your company culture. Reach out to our team today and let’s make your APS adoption stick.