IBF Editorial Team
At the October 2025 IBF Business Planning, Forecasting, and S&OP Conference, a small group of planning leaders gathered for a different kind of conversation.
- No slides.
- No audience.
- No polished talking points.
Instead, IBF hosted an S&OP Unplugged discussion—an off-stage, closed-door dialogue among selected conference speakers and attendees designed to surface what planning professionals are actually grappling with as forecasting, S&OP, and IBP evolve in an increasingly uncertain, AI-enabled world.
What emerged was not a debate over tools or techniques, but a candid exploration of how people, processes, and technology must evolve together if planning is to deliver real business value.
AI Is Not the Strategy — Clarity Is
One of the strongest themes running through the discussion was concern over how quickly AI can become a black box in planning organizations.
Participants emphasized that AI delivers value only when the problem being solved is clearly defined. Without clarity around decisions, assumptions, and trade-offs, even advanced models simply accelerate confusion.
Rather than asking, “How do we apply AI?” the more productive question was, “What decision are we trying to improve, and what information actually changes that decision?”
This distinction matters. Forecast accuracy alone is not the objective. Decision quality is.
Forecasting as a Decision Support Capability, Not a Scorecard
Another recurring theme was the need to move beyond treating forecasting as a performance scoreboard.
Planning leaders acknowledged that organizations often over-index on forecast error metrics while under-valuing whether forecasts are useful. A forecast that is directionally right, clearly explained, and tied to decisions often outperforms a statistically “better” forecast that lacks context or credibility.
The discussion reinforced a critical reframing: forecasting is not about being perfect. It is about being useful at the moment decisions are made.
Being “Wrong With Confidence” in an Uncertain World
Uncertainty was not treated as an exception. It was treated as the operating environment.
Participants spoke candidly about the need to normalize being wrong — not recklessly, but confidently and transparently. In volatile environments, waiting for perfect information often means acting too late.
What matters more is having a disciplined process to sense change, revisit assumptions, and adjust decisions as reality unfolds. Learning cycles, not hindsight accuracy, are becoming the true measure of planning effectiveness.
The Human Side of Planning Still Matters Most
Despite the focus on AI, the conversation repeatedly returned to people.
As automation takes over more mechanical tasks, planners are increasingly expected to exercise judgment, curiosity, and influence. Participants emphasized the growing importance of:
- Asking better questions
- Challenging assumptions constructively
- Explaining trade-offs to leadership
- Building trust across functions
AI can surface patterns. It cannot replace judgment, context, or credibility.
Developing these human capabilities is becoming one of the most important investments organizations can make in their planning teams.
Integration With Finance Remains a Work in Progress
The discussion also reinforced a familiar but unresolved challenge: meaningful integration between planning and finance.
While alignment is often discussed, true integration — shared assumptions, synchronized scenarios, and aligned decision cycles — remains uneven across organizations. Participants noted that technology is rarely the limiting factor. Process design, governance, and incentives are far more often the root cause.
Without intentional alignment, even integrated platforms struggle to drive integrated decisions.
Why S&OP Unplugged Conversations Still Matter
Finally, the group reflected on why conversations like this are difficult to replicate inside organizations.
The value of S&OP Unplugged lies not in definitive answers, but in creating space for honest reflection, shared experience, and learning across industries. These forums allow leaders to pressure-test ideas, admit uncertainty, and learn from peers facing similar challenges.
In a world of constant change, this kind of community-based learning is becoming an essential part of building both planning capability and planning talent.
Looking Ahead
The S&OP Unplugged discussion underscored a clear message: the future of planning will not be defined by technology alone.
Organizations that succeed will be those that combine clear decision focus, disciplined process, strong human judgment, and thoughtful use of AI. Getting any one of those right in isolation is not enough.
As uncertainty becomes the norm rather than the exception, planning leaders will need to be comfortable navigating ambiguity — and confident enough to keep learning along the way.
To learn more about upcoming IBF events and forums in 2026, including opportunities to continue these leadership-level discussions, visit the IBF 2026 forecasting and planning conference schedule:
https://ibf.org/forecasting-and-planning-conferences-2026
Editor’s Note
This article reflects themes discussed during a panel session at the IBF Leadership Forum in Orlando, held alongside the annual Institute of Business Forecasting Business Planning, Forecasting, and S&OP Conference. The forum convened senior planning leaders from multiple industries to examine how demand planning, business forecasting, and AI are evolving in practice.
The discussion included practitioners from organizations such as GE Appliances, T-Mobile, Bumble Bee Seafoods, DUDE Wipes, and the Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning.
Check out a preview of the discussion. Become an IBF member to get full access to our unplugged video series and enjoy many other member benefits.