Driving Business Success with Sales and Operations Planning in Dynamics 365 Business Central

In today's fast-paced market, businesses can't afford to operate in silos. Sales teams need to know what operations can deliver, finance needs to forecast with accuracy, and executives need visibility to make confident decisions. That's where Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) comes in.

At its core, S&OP is about alignment—bringing together sales, operations, finance, and leadership to create one unified plan. Without it, companies risk overstocking inventory, missing demand opportunities, and mismanaging cash flow. With it, businesses unlock efficiency, collaboration, and growth.

To make this process seamless, WebSan has developed the Sales and Operations Planning app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Let's dive into why S&OP is critical, how the app supports it, and what practical steps organizations can take to implement a successful planning cycle. 

 Why Sales and Operations Planning Matters

The benefits of S&OP extend far beyond simple forecasting. It's about transforming data into actionable insights that improve every aspect of your business.

• Visibility across the business: Everyone—from sales to production—works from the same set of numbers, avoiding duplication and misalignment.
• Balanced supply and demand: By aligning forecasts with capacity and supplier performance, businesses prevent stockouts and reduce excess inventory.
• Stronger financial control: Accurate demand and supply planning feeds directly into financial forecasting, ensuring budgets are realistic and cash flow is protected.
• Executive decision-making: Leadership gets a full view of company performance, backed by real-time data from Business Central.

The result? A more agile, profitable business that can respond quickly to market changes. 

The Role of WebSan's Sales and Operations Planning App

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central already provides a robust foundation for managing financials, supply chain, and operations. The Sales and Operations Planning app builds on that foundation by delivering specialized tools designed to make S&OP more efficient and effective.

With the app, you can:

• Create sales budgets at the customer, item, location, and period level.
• Compare forecasts with financial budgets to identify gaps and variances.
• Track key supply chain metrics such as inventory turns, vendor performance, schedule attainment, and fill rates.
• Ensure executive alignment by tying sales and operations planning directly to financial outcomes.

By connecting every department through a shared platform, the app eliminates the guesswork and manual spreadsheets that often derail planning processes. 

Roles and Responsibilities in S&OP 

 S&OP is a team sport. Everyone plays a critical role in delivering a unified plan. Based on our Sales and Operations Planning Roles and Agendas guide, here are the key roles involved:

• Executive Management – Chairs the executive S&OP meeting and makes the final calls on sales and operations decisions.
• Demand Planner – Builds and presents demand forecasts, working closely with sales to ensure realistic projections.
• Operations Leader – Converts demand forecasts into supply plans, accounting for capacity constraints and operational efficiency.
• Supply Planning & Master Scheduling – Focuses on lead times, production schedules, and supplier performance to keep operations on track.
• Sales & Marketing Leader – Provides accurate sales forecasts and insights into market drivers.
• Sales Team – Updates forecasts, provides input on opportunities, and measures actual performance against targets.

Each role is supported by clear metrics—from forecast accuracy to vendor performance—that ensure accountability and transparency throughout the process.

 The Six Steps of the S&OP Process

To make S&OP successful, you need more than data—you need structure. The Roles and Agendas guide outlines a repeatable six-step process that ensures every meeting is focused and productive:

1. Product/Previous Period Performance Review

Examine how products performed in the previous period. Did demand match expectations? Were there quality issues or engineering changes that impacted production? This stage is about learning from the past before planning for the future.

2. Demand Review

Sales and marketing teams bring forward forecasts, factoring in historical trends, seasonality, campaigns, and market shifts. This is where the demand planner ensures expectations are realistic.

3. Supply Review

Operations and procurement validate whether supply can realistically meet demand. Capacity constraints, supplier performance, and material availability are reviewed to prevent bottlenecks.

4. Finance Review

Financial teams ensure demand and supply plans align with budgets, cash flow requirements, and broader company goals. This keeps the S&OP process grounded in financial reality.

5. Pre-S&OP Meeting

A cross-functional "rehearsal" where all departments align their plans before presenting to executives. This stage minimizes surprises and ensures consensus.

6. Executive S&OP Meeting

The final stage where leadership reviews demand, supply, and finance inputs, then makes strategic decisions. This meeting sets the direction for the organization moving forward.

Together, these steps create a closed-loop process that continuously improves planning accuracy and organizational alignment.

Key Metrics That Drive Success 

What gets measured gets managed. The app and the planning process rely on a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) that help businesses track progress and identify issues quickly:

Sales and Financial Budgets

• Financial Budget (by GL/Period)
• Sales Budget (Customer/Item/Location/Period)
• Variance analysis between sales forecasts and financial budgets
• Forecast accuracy reports

Supply Chain Metrics

• Inventory turns
• Vendor performance (on-time delivery)
• Schedule attainment (planned vs. actual production)
• On-time sales order shipments
• Fill rates (% of orders shipped complete and on time)

By tracking these KPIs directly in Dynamics 365 Business Central with the WebSan app, businesses can move beyond guesswork and drive continuous improvement. 

Bringing It All Together 

S&OP is not just a process—it's a discipline that ensures every part of your business works toward the same goals. The WebSan Sales and Operations Planning app with AI takes this proven methodology and embeds it into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, providing the structure, visibility, and metrics needed for success.

If your business struggles with misaligned forecasts, supply shortages, or missed financial targets, now is the time to take control with a structured S&OP process.

Get Started Today

Want to see how Sales and Operations Planning can transform your business?

Speak with our experts about how the S&OP app for Dynamics 365 Business Central can help your organization achieve greater alignment, efficiency, and profitability.

Take the first step toward a more connected, agile business today.