Bridging the Reality Gap Between Planning and Execution
Part Two: The Manufacturers' Perspective
P.J. Jakovljevic - June 17, 2004

The Manufacturers' Perspective

Despite the fact that many manufacturers have invested in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and supply chain management (SCM) systems, most continue to use inopportune batch reports and pesky spreadsheets to manage their operation's performance. These have proven to be inefficient and error-prone methods of supporting decision-making, resulting in a reliance on "educated guesswork" rather than on accurate dynamic analysis to align decisions with strategic objectives. For that reason, some innovative enterprise software vendors intend to do the same for manufacturing and operational decision-making as has already been done to financial decision-making by some business intelligence (BI) applications. (See Financial Reporting, Planning, and Budgeting as Necessary Pieces of EPM...