Flexible planning helps organisations handle disruptions

What challenges do you focus on in your research?

“My research focuses on two challenges in supply chain planning. One challenge is the increasing number of disruptions faced by organisations. This requires the organisation to develop "resilience" which means they are able to continue their operations despite these disruptions. In order to create resilience, it is necessary to have a planning process that can adapt to these disruptions.”

“Another challenge organisations face is clarity about what artificial intelligence (AI) can achieve in supply chain planning and how to use it effectively. As AI continues to develop and improve, organisations need to understand where AI can add value and how to integrate it in their existing processes. My research addresses these challenges through S&OP, which is an important planning process in many organisations. This research explores how S&OP can adapt and strengthen resilience in organisations as well as how AI can be integrated into the process to support effective planning.”

How do you address the problem?

“In order to address these challenges, I worked with several organisations to understand their experiences and followed their S&OP processes from 2021 onwards. This allowed me to examine how they adapted their planning during the COVID-19 pandemic and semiconductor shortages. As the research progressed, I also explored the challenges of integrating AI into these processes. By analysing the data collected, I identified changes to S&OP and capabilities that help organisations respond to disruptions and integrate AI effectively. Rather than treating S&OP as a single process, I examined each step to understand where and how adaptation takes place. This approach also allowed me to account for differences in how organisations design and carry out their planning.”

What are the main findings?

“Organisational adaptability is one of the most important things when it comes to gearing up the S&OP process. However, the formal structures and routines of existing S&OP processes can make adaptation difficult. Depending on the context, organisations may need to add or remove steps, involve different people, or use alternative planning approaches. In some contexts, S&OP itself may not be necessary. When the existing S&OP cannot balance demand and supply during a disruption, temporary processes may be needed to support it and keep operations running. Because different disruptions require different responses, no single process design will work for every organisation in every situation. Organisations therefore need the ability to adapt their planning processes.”

“A second key finding is that people are central to this adaptability. Their motivation, skills, knowledge, experience, leadership, and informal collaboration help organisations adjust their planning processes when needed. People also remain essential when AI is introduced. Although AI can support planning, it cannot capture all the information and context needed to make decisions. Human judgement is therefore needed to check its outputs and assess whether its recommendations are appropriate. This becomes particularly important during disruptions when situations are ambiguous and difficult to interpret. These findings suggest that AI can support S&OP but cannot automate every part of the process.”

What do you hope your research will lead to?

“I hope my research will help organisations improve their planning process so they can prepare for disruptions and respond effectively when they occur. It should also help them adopt and integrate new technologies in ways that deliver real benefits. Ultimately, I want to support organisations to adapt as the world around them changes.”

Read the thesis: Perspectives on sales and operations planning: Integrating functions, creating resilience, and using artificial intelligence

Public defence: 21 September 2026 at 13.15