How to Run an Effective S&OP Meeting: Agenda, Attendees, and Best Practices

We've all been in that meeting. You know the one: 15 people staring at a spreadsheet on a projector while someone reads numbers cell by cell. Arguments break out about whose data is correct. The VP of Sales is checking emails. The hour ends, no decisions are made, and everyone leaves frustrated.

Unfortunately, this is what passes for an S&OP meeting in many organizations.

It doesn't have to be this way. In fact, it can't be this way if you want your business to grow profitably.

The Executive S&OP meeting is the capstone of your monthly planning cycle. It is the one time a month when your leadership team comes together to align demand with supply and finance. When run correctly, it is a high-energy decision-making forum that gives executives control over the business's future.

If your meetings feel more like a hostage negotiation than a strategic session, this guide is for you. We'll cover exactly how to run an S&OP meeting, who needs to be there, and the specific agenda you should use to keep it on track.

The Purpose of the Executive S&OP Meeting

The primary purpose of the Executive S&OP meeting is decision making, not information sharing.

By the time you get to this meeting, the data gathering, demand planning, and supply planning should already be done. The "pre-S&OP" work is finished. This meeting exists to:

1. Resolve gaps: Address imbalances between the demand plan (what sales wants to sell) and the supply plan (what operations can make or buy).
2. Approve the plan: Executives formally commit to the operational numbers that will drive the business for the next 12-24 months.
3. Align on financial impact: Understand how the operational plan translates to revenue, margin, and cash flow.

If you find yourself debugging a forecast formula or correcting a typo in a SKU number during this meeting, you have failed the preparation phase.

Who Should Attend (and Who Shouldn't)

The attendee list for an S&OP meeting is a balancing act. Too few people, and you don't have the authority to make decisions. Too many, and it becomes a town hall.

You need "decision-makers," not "spectators."

The Core S&OP Team (Required)

| Role | Responsibility | |------|----------------| | Executive Sponsor (CEO/COO/GM) | The final tie-breaker. Owns the P&L and approves the final plan. | | VP of Sales / Commercial | Represents the demand side. Commits to the revenue targets. | | VP of Operations / Supply Chain | Represents the supply side. Commits to production and inventory targets. | | VP of Finance / CFO | Validates the financial impact and ensures budget alignment. | | S&OP Coordinator / Leader | Facilitates the meeting, manages the agenda, and documents decisions. |

Optional Attendees

Depending on your industry and company structure, you might also include:

• Product Management: If you have major new product launches (NPI) impacting the plan.
• Marketing: If marketing spend is a primary driver of demand variability.
• Demand Manager / Supply Manager: Often present to support their VPs with data, but they should speak only when called upon.

Pre-Meeting Preparation: The Secret to Success

The battle is won or lost before the meeting starts. The most effective S&OP leaders live by a simple rule: No surprises.

Before the executive meeting, you must run a Pre-S&OP meeting (sometimes called the Partnership Meeting). This is where the working team irons out the details, agrees on the numbers, and identifies the key decisions that need executive attention.

The S&OP Deck

Distribute the meeting deck 24-48 hours in advance. Your executives should have reviewed the numbers before walking into the room. The deck should not be a 50-page data dump. It should focus on:

• Executive Summary (1 slide)
• Key Decisions Required (1 slide)
• KPI Dashboard (1 slide)
• Scenario Analysis for unresolved gaps

The Ideal S&OP Meeting Agenda (Template)

Time is your most expensive asset. For a standard monthly executive S&OP meeting, a 90-minute time slot is usually ideal. It's long enough to dig into issues but short enough to maintain focus.

Here is a practitioner-tested agenda:

EXECUTIVE S&OP MEETING AGENDA (90 min)

1. Performance Review (15 min)

• Look backward: How did we perform against the plan last month?
• Review KPIs: Focus on Forecast Value Added (FVA), Schedule Attainment, and Inventory Turns.
• Accountability: If we missed the plan, why? Was it a one-time event or a trend?

2. Demand Summary (20 min)

• The "One Number" Forecast: Present the consensus demand plan.
• Changes: What changed significantly from last month? (e.g., "We pushed the launch of Project X to Q3.")
• Risks & Opportunities: What upside is Sales chasing? What downside are we hedging against?

3. Supply Summary (15 min)

• Capacity constraints: Are we red-lining any production lines or supplier capabilities?
• Inventory health: Are we building up too much stock in slow movers? Are we risking stockouts on A-items?
• Sourcing issues: Any geopolitical or raw material risks?

4. Gap Resolution & Scenarios (25 min)

• This is the most important section.
• Highlight the gaps where Demand ≠ Supply.
• Present scenarios:
  • Scenario A: Spend `50k on overtime to meet the demand surge (Margin hit, Revenue gain).
  • Scenario B: Constrain demand and delay shipments (Margin neutral, Revenue loss, Customer risk).
• Ask for a decision.

5. Decisions & Actions (15 min)

• Formal approval of the plan (or the modified plan based on decisions).
• Review open action items.
• Assign new actions with owners and due dates.

Facilitating the Discussion: How to Drive Decisions

As the S&OP coordinator, your job is to be the conductor, not the soloist. You don't need to have all the answers, but you need to ask the right questions.

Focus on Exceptions

Don't review every SKU or every region. Use "management by exception." If the North American forecast is within 5% accuracy and inventory is healthy, skip it. Spend your time on the APAC region where sales are down 20% and inventory is ballooning.

Use the "Parking Lot"

Executive discussions love to wander. When the VP of Sales starts complaining about a specific customer service issue from yesterday, gently interrupt: "That sounds important, but it's an execution issue, not a planning one. Let's put that in the parking lot and resolve it offline so we can finish the capacity decision for Q4."

Force the Decision

If the group is circling a problem without landing, summarize the options and call a vote. "We have Option A (Air freight) and Option B (Lost sales). We need to pick one today to hit our lead times. Sarah (CEO), which direction do you want to go?"

Common Meeting Failures (And How to Fix Them)

Even with a good agenda, S&OP meetings can derail. Watch out for these common traps:

1. The Rearview Mirror

The Symptom: Spending 60 minutes arguing about why last month's numbers were missed. The Fix: Time-box the performance review to 15 minutes strict. S&OP is about the future (months 3-24), not the past.

2. The Data Dive

The Symptom: Drilling down into SKU-level details or questioning the validity of the data during the meeting. The Fix: Institute a "1/10/100" rule. If the issue is less than`100k (or your relevant threshold), it shouldn't be discussed in the executive meeting. Handle data validation in the pre-S&OP meeting.

3. The "Updates" Meeting

The Symptom: Everyone goes around the room giving status updates on their projects. The Fix: Ban status updates. If it doesn't require a decision or impact the supply/demand balance, send it in an email.

After the Meeting: Closing the Loop

The meeting is over, but the work isn't.

Within 24 hours, distribute the S&OP Minutes. This is a crucial document that serves as the "record of truth." It should include:

• Decisions Made: e.g., "Approved hiring 2nd shift for Q3."
• The Final Plan: The agreed-upon revenue and volume numbers.
• Action Items: Who is doing what by when.

Without this step, people will leave the room with different interpretations of what was agreed upon.

Tips for Virtual S&OP Meetings

In a remote or hybrid world, running these meetings is harder.

• Cameras On: This is a negotiation. You need to read body language.
• Screen Share Data: Don't say "look at slide 12." Share it on screen and use your cursor to highlight exactly what you are discussing.
• Pre-wire Tough Topics: If you know a contentious issue is coming up, call the key stakeholders individually before the Zoom call to align them. Don't drop a bomb in a virtual meeting.

How Modern Software Improves S&OP Meetings

Traditionally, S&OP runs on PowerPoint and Excel. The problem is that static slides can't answer "what-if" questions in real-time.

Modern demand planning platforms allow you to run the meeting directly from the tool.

• Live Scenarios: Executive asks "What if we drop the price by 5%?" You can toggle a variable and show the margin impact instantly.
• Drill-down: If a question about a specific product family comes up, you can click through to the details without saying "I'll get back to you next week."
• One Truth: Everyone is looking at the same numbers, eliminating version control issues.

Conclusion

Running a great S&OP meeting is a skill that takes time to develop. It requires a mix of analytical rigor, emotional intelligence, and firm leadership.

But when you get it right, the transformation is powerful. Instead of fighting fires, your leadership team starts building firewalls. You stop reacting to every market ripple and start executing a proactive strategy.

Start with the basics: get the right people in the room, stick to the agenda, and focus relentlessly on decision-making.

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