Synchronized planning for businesses looking to navigate the turbulent and choppy waters of supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainty is absolutely essential.
And part of this elevated approach, importance also lies in the SCM user experience – which is no longer resigned to the more consumer-facing digital platforms.
User experience has broken into new regions such as historically slow-at-adapting B2Bs and digital platforms such as supply chain management solutions.
It’s all about that (inter)face
When it comes to supply chain synchronized planning, the user roles have begun to converge. That’s because now, pretty much all roles have access to the planning and execution of data and visibility that stretch across the whole lifecycle from design to operation. 
At our fingertips is all the information that comes from technology and integrated environments. As such, it might not be relevant that organizations maintain so many different roles for managing the tiny tasks of supply chain management.
The best platforms of today bring all information together into one, singular user experience. A place for all data and analytics needed to make better decisions.
Better responsiveness
Picture the following: Company A receives an emergency customer order from a key customer. As such, you need a way to carry through with this added order without neglecting commitments to current customers.
Many questions are quickly thrown at Company A, such as: what does this customer need? How much? Do we currently have enough inventory?
And these questions spawn more questions, such as: can we deliver on our promises to other customers? Can logistics handle it?
But an emergency is an emergency and thus urgent. So how to respond with an accurate answer within a few minutes rather than a few days?
The old response would involve grabbing data and pasting it into spreadsheets before sharing it with colleagues through email.
The modern response, with a centralized view of everything from long-term strategic plans and mid-term tactical plans to short-term operations, decisions can be made in minutes.
Accessing data can be done much faster and is boosted by collaboration tools built into the platform, being able to work with co-workers in real time. 
All this enables businesses to accelerate their processes in supply chain management.
It also highlights the importance of the interface, because if it isn’t prioritized, it runs the risk of putting businesses behind when it comes to its ability of agility and responsiveness to change.
And change is a constant in today’s current landscape, and responding quickly has never been more important.
PS: ArganoUV is one of the world’s leading SCM solutions consultancies. Contact us to see how we can work together.
