Nine per cent more sold, from one plan instead of two.

The situation

A horticulture exporter planned its sales and its production separately. Sales knew what customers were asking for; the farms and packhouse knew what would be ready to cut and pack. Nothing brought the two plans together on a regular rhythm, so each side worked from its own numbers and the differences showed up late.

What I did

I designed and implemented a Sales and Operations Planning process for the business. It is a regular cycle in which the sales forecast and the production plan are put side by side, the gaps between them are found early, and the people who own each side agree a single plan, with clear rights over who decides when they cannot agree.

What changed

Sales rose by 9%. Just as important, sales and production now plan from one set of numbers, with a routine for keeping them aligned as the season moves.