{"id":170774,"date":"2026-03-23T17:05:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/?p=170774"},"modified":"2026-03-23T17:05:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:05:47","slug":"lessons-on-real-ibp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/blog\/lessons-on-real-ibp\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the traditional S&#038;OP process: Lessons on real IBP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Markets are moving fast, complexity is rising, and planning cycles that once felt \u201cgood enough\u201d are now holding organizations back. In our recent webinar, \u201cPlanning for impact: How companies succeed with real IBP\u201d, we brought together globally renowned Finance experts to explore a simple but critical question: How do companies move from planning as an exercise to planning that actually drives better decisions and business impact?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rather than focusing on theory, the panel shared practical perspectives from the field: what\u2019s broken in traditional sales &amp; operations planning (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/blog\/what-is-sop\/\">S&amp;OP<\/a>), why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/integrated-business-planning\/\">integrated business planning<\/a> (IBP) is gaining momentum, and what it really takes to make it work.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few key insights from our conversation with Anders Liu-Lindberg of the Implement Consulting Group, Filip Devisch of NX Partners, and Nicolas Bleret of D\u2019Ieteren Automotive.<\/p>\n<h2>From S&amp;OP to IBP: The natural next step in connected planning<\/h2>\n<p>S&amp;OP plays an important role in many organizations. At its best, it helps align supply and demand through regular cadence and reduces last-minute surprises. But as our webinar moderator Eren Koont, VP of Marketing at Jedox, explained, many S&amp;OP processes struggle to deliver real business impact.<\/p>\n<p>Too often, organizations focus heavily on volume and operational metrics and involve Finance late in the process, which can lead to difficulties connecting plans to broader business goals. The result is familiar to many teams: a plan that looks good on paper but doesn\u2019t fully support decision-making when conditions change.<\/p>\n<h2>What really changes with integrated business planning<\/h2>\n<p>IBP takes the S&amp;OP process a step further; not by adding more meetings, but by changing how planning works across the organization.<\/p>\n<p><strong>At its core, IBP must:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fully integrate Finance from the start<\/li>\n<li>Connect short-, mid-, and long-term planning<\/li>\n<li>Create clear executive ownership and accountability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As Koont summarized during the session, IBP is ultimately about \u201cconnecting all the planning horizons, including the strategic horizon, and really aligning both the operational drivers and financial results.\u201d The shift sounds simple, but, in practice, it requires organizations to confront one of the most persistent barriers to better planning: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/blog\/what-are-data-silos\/\">silos<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Why silos still block impact<\/h2>\n<p>According to Anders Liu-Lindberg, a Partner at the Implement Consulting Group, the biggest issue isn\u2019t that individual planning processes are poorly executed. It\u2019s that they don\u2019t connect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the biggest challenge that we see is that planning still happens in silos,\u201d Liu-Lindberg shared. \u201cSales and operations planning will do its thing, Finance will do its thing, HR will do its thing, and so on. And these plans rarely connect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And when plans live in isolation, agility suffers. Teams may align numbers in the end (with what Liu-Lindberg dubs \u201ca little bit of Excel spreadsheet magic\u201d), but that doesn\u2019t translate into how the business actually operates. In the short term, that kind of reconciliation can work, but over time, it creates fragility. When alignment depends on individual effort instead of a connected process, it becomes hard to repeat, scale, or adapt. What works once under pressure doesn\u2019t build a resilient planning foundation.<\/p>\n<p>For Liu-Lindberg, the real opportunity lies in cross-functional planning. \u201cWhen functions plan together as one connected ecosystem, that\u2019s when they start seeing the benefits\u201d, he explained.<\/p>\n<h2>Turning decisions into action: The execution gap<\/h2>\n<p>Even when cross-functional discussions happen, another challenge emerges: translating decisions into concrete, trackable actions.<\/p>\n<p>Filip Devisch, Strategic Financial Lead at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/partner\/nx-partners\/\">NX Partners<\/a>, sees this issue frequently in practice. \u201cIt\u2019s the translation of the outputs of the discussions [and] the decisions that the business departments are making [. . .] translating it into measurable, tangible actions,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n<p>That translation matters because FP&amp;A teams are then expected to track progress, explain variances, and support follow-up decisions. Without clear actions, planning becomes retrospective rather than forward-looking. IBP helps close this gap by embedding financial logic, or \u201cfinancial grip\u201d, into operational discussions. So, decisions aren\u2019t just agreed on, but owned, measured, and revisited.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-video fusion-vimeo fusion-aligncenter\" style=\"--awb-max-width:1280px;--awb-max-height:720px;--awb-width:100%;--awb-margin-bottom:10px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\" ><iframe title=\"Vimeo video player 1\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1164308415?autoplay=0&amp;autopause=0\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2>A real-world perspective: Complexity at D\u2019Ieteren Automotive<\/h2>\n<p>These challenges can become even more pronounced in complex organizations. For example, Nicolas Bleret, Head of Controlling at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/customers\/dieteren\/\">D\u2019Ieteren Automotive<\/a>, shared how siloed planning limits decision-making in a business spanning vehicle imports, retail operations, financial services, and emerging mobility solutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were working in silos,\u201d Bleret said. \u201cAnd it prevented the company from making the correct business decisions.\u201d Financial figures were largely treated as a Finance exercise\u2014useful but disconnected from commercial decision-making. By breaking down those silos and using financial insights to support decisions across the value chain, the organization saw a clear opportunity to improve both short- and long-term outcomes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-video fusion-vimeo fusion-aligncenter\" style=\"--awb-max-width:1280px;--awb-max-height:720px;--awb-width:100%;--awb-margin-bottom:10px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\" ><iframe title=\"Vimeo video player 2\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1164308474?autoplay=0&amp;autopause=0\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>To dive deeper into exactly how D\u2019Ieteren approached this challenge and what they learned along the way, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/resources\/webinar-planning-for-impact-succeed-with-real-ibp\/\">Bleret&#8217;s full story in the webinar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What IBP delivers and why Finance should lead<\/h2>\n<p>When IBP works, the impact goes beyond smoother planning cycles. During the webinar, Koont referenced industry research from McKinsey showing that mature IBP organizations often see higher profitability, lower costs, and improved service levels. And the panel emphasized that the real value lies in better decisions made earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Done well, IBP creates a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/blog\/single-source-of-truth\/\">single source of truth<\/a> that allows teams to work from the same data, assumptions, and insights. That shared foundation increases confidence and reduces time spent reconciling numbers. In this environment, Finance plays a different role.<\/p>\n<p>As Koont put it, Finance can act \u201cas a catalyst for value creation,\u201d moving beyond reporting, to support confident choices. That includes reconciling scenarios to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/blog\/profit-and-loss\/\">P&amp;L<\/a>, testing gaps against targets, and driving action when plans don\u2019t align with outcomes.<\/p>\n<h2>From process improvement to real transformation<\/h2>\n<p>Technology and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/blog\/jedox-ai\/\">AI<\/a> support the shift from disconnected planning to stronger S&amp;OP and, ultimately, to integrated business planning. Automation reduces manual effort, scenario analysis becomes faster, and insights arrive when they\u2019re needed. But tools alone don\u2019t create integration.<\/p>\n<p>The real change is about mindset, ownership, and cross-functional accountability. Moving from siloed planning to connected S&amp;OP\u2014and from there to IBP\u2014requires deliberate change management.<\/p>\n<p>As Bleret noted, while \u201cit takes time and energy, it\u2019s worth it.\u201d Because IBP isn\u2019t a replacement for S&amp;OP. It\u2019s the next step in strengthening and connecting it, and that journey requires more than technology.<\/p>\n<h2>IBP is a journey: Are you ready to begin?<\/h2>\n<p>One theme came through clearly in this discussion: IBP isn\u2019t a switch you flip, it\u2019s a journey you take. Organizations don\u2019t need to get everything right on day one. But they do need to commit to breaking down silos, involving Finance earlier, and aligning planning with decision-making.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you\u2019d like to go deeper, the full webinar provides:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A detailed look at D\u2019Ieteren Automotive\u2019s IBP journey<\/li>\n<li>Practical perspectives and insights from Finance leaders and advisors<\/li>\n<li>Tips on how organizations can move their S&amp;OP planning process toward real, value-driven IBP<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/resources\/webinar-planning-for-impact-succeed-with-real-ibp\/\">Watch the full webinar<\/a> now to explore how your planning can start delivering real impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Markets are moving fast, complexity is rising, and planning cycles that once felt \u201cgood enough\u201d are now holding organizations back. In our recent webinar, \u201cPlanning for impact: How companies succeed with real IBP\u201d, we brought together globally renowned Finance experts to explore a simple but critical question: How do companies move from planning as an exercise to planning that actually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/blog\/lessons-on-real-ibp\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":172462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-knowledge"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jedox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}