Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) systems are often surrounded by high expectations and misconceptions. In this blog, I’ll debunk the five biggest myths about APS implementations, drawing on real-world experience from Solventure projects.
Myth 1: “APS will make your planning better”
Many companies believe that buying an APS system will magically solve their planning problems. The reality? APS is a means to an end, not a miracle cure. Without a clear vision and strategy, APS is like a car without a GPS: it looks impressive, but you won’t get anywhere. As Bram artfully puts it, “A fool with a tool is still a fool.” APS can help you improve your planning, but only if you think ahead and make the right choices yourself. The system doesn’t make you intelligent, people do.
Myth 2: “APS is the glue for your supply chain”
APS is often seen as the glue that binds everything together. But if your strategy or data quality isn’t right, APS won’t work as a connector. The system isn’t a magical spider in the web that can pull all the strings. You will need to create your own blueprint to get the most out of it: a solid target operating model and clear decisions about which data you exchange and why. APS can play a central role, but only if the whole organization is on board.
Myth 3: “APS will solve your data problems”
A advanced planning and scheduling system transports data, but it doesn’t fix data quality. It’s a decision support environment: it helps you make decisions, taking into account inventory, production capacity, and deadlines. But bad data remains bad data. A planning system can expose data problems, but you have to solve them yourself. Making decisions based on incorrect data is even dangerous. “Garbage in, garbage out” is more relevant than ever here.
Myth 4: “Advanced Planning & Scheduling systems are expensive”
APS is often seen as a necessary evil, but it’s certainly not more expensive than ERP. In fact, APS creates value by informing and improving supply chains, while ERP mainly automates its processes. ERP shows you what you already know; APS brings new insights by combining data. The return on investment for APS is often higher than the interest rate at the bank. When you think about it, APS is actually very cheap compared to many other tools, because you get more value than what you invest.
Myth 5: “APS replaces your planning team”
APS enriches your planning team and helps it grow from operational to tactical and strategic levels. Not everyone can keep up with that evolution, but the goal should never be to optimize by removing people. APS adds an extra layer to the work of planners, increasing their value to the company. “Hire brains, not bodies”. Quality over quantity is crucial for APS.
Bonus myth: “ROI of APS is hard to measure”
One last thought: Without a baseline measurement, it’s difficult to objectively measure the impact of APS. But if you prepare and execute well, the business case is clear: lower inventory, higher forecast accuracy, fewer emergencies in production, better service, and higher net sales. Still, the value of APS is often not measured after implementation. Performance tooling is essential to keep demonstrating the added value of APS.
Conclusion: Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) brings value to your supply chain strategy, it doesn’t replace it. APS is not a magical solution, but a powerful system when used correctly.
remain the keys to success.
