SAP Integrated Business Planning Supply Chain Training Course

Course overview

Supply chain teams often plan demand, inventory, supply and capacity in separate spreadsheets or disconnected systems, then spend critical planning cycles reconciling numbers rather than resolving constraints. SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) provides a common planning environment, but its value depends on planners understanding how demand signals, supply plans, inventory targets, alerts and executive decisions connect. This course equips participants to use SAP IBP to turn planning data into feasible, financially aware supply chain actions.

Across five instructor-led days, participants work through the core SAP IBP planning processes: demand planning, supply planning, inventory planning, response and supply planning, and sales and operations planning. They learn to navigate IBP planning areas and views; work with master data, key figures and time profiles; create statistical forecasts and planner adjustments; assess constrained supply scenarios; interpret inventory policy outputs; and use alerts, dashboards and what-if simulations to support decision-making. The course also explains how IBP processes integrate with execution systems and cross-functional planning governance.

Training is delivered through guided demonstrations, structured sandbox exercises and a running end-to-end supply chain case based on a multi-product manufacturer. Participants build and test planning views, investigate exceptions, model supply constraints and present an integrated planning recommendation. They leave with a completed SAP IBP supply chain planning workbook, including planning-view specifications, exception-management rules, a scenario comparison and a 90-day workplace application plan.

The course is suited to supply chain professionals who need practical working knowledge of SAP IBP, as well as managers responsible for improving planning discipline, visibility and responsiveness across demand, supply, inventory and S&OP cycles.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Configure SAP IBP planning views using attributes, key figures, filters and planning levels
• Maintain planning master data, time profiles and key-figure calculations for a supply chain planning model
• Generate and evaluate statistical demand forecasts using forecast models, forecast error measures and planner overrides
• Create supply plans that balance demand, supply capacity, production constraints and transport lead times
• Interpret SAP IBP inventory planning outputs to review service-level targets, safety stock and inventory exceptions
• Run what-if scenarios in Response and Supply Planning to assess shortage, allocation and capacity decisions
• Design alert definitions and exception-management workflows for material, capacity and demand risks
• Produce an integrated planning recommendation supported by SAP IBP dashboards, scenario results and decision actions

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Supply Chain Planners — who need to translate demand and supply signals into feasible replenishment and production plans
• Demand Planners — who manage forecasts, forecast overrides and consensus demand inputs
• Supply Planners — who assess capacity, sourcing, lead-time and material constraints
• S&OP or IBP Analysts — who prepare cross-functional planning packs and scenario comparisons
• Inventory Planners — who balance service-level commitments against safety-stock and working-capital targets
• Supply Chain Managers — who need to govern IBP planning cycles and challenge planning assumptions

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic supply chain concepts, including demand forecasting, inventory, production or replenishment lead times, capacity constraints and the purpose of an S&OP or IBP cycle. Familiarity with Excel is expected because SAP IBP commonly uses the Microsoft Excel add-in for planning views and data analysis. Previous SAP IBP experience is not required; this course starts with navigation, planning areas and core terminology before progressing to scenarios. Participants do not need SAP configuration, ABAP development, advanced statistics or prior SAP APO knowledge. Complete beginners should expect a structured introduction followed by hands-on planning work.

Training methodology

The course combines instructor-led explanation with guided work in SAP IBP planning views and the Microsoft Excel add-in. Each day uses a continuing manufacturer case in which participants review master data, forecast demand, model supply constraints, examine inventory outcomes and prepare S&OP decisions. Short demonstrations are followed by individual sandbox tasks and small-group decision workshops. The final day includes an application-planning session in which participants map one live planning problem, required data, stakeholders, KPIs and first actions for use in their own organisation.

Course outline

Day 1: SAP IBP foundations and planning model

• SAP Integrated Business Planning process architecture and planning applications
• Navigation through SAP Fiori launchpad, planning areas and planning views
• IBP master data types, attributes and product-location planning combinations
• Key figures, stored calculations and calculated key figures
• Planning levels, aggregation logic and disaggregation behaviour
• Time profiles, planning horizons and calendar configuration concepts
• Microsoft Excel add-in functions for opening, filtering and editing planning views

Workshop: Participants build a product-location planning view in the sandbox and document the key figures, attributes and planning level required for a chosen planning question.

Day 2: Demand planning and forecast management

• Demand planning process design from history through consensus demand
• Historical sales cleansing, outlier review and missing-data treatment
• Statistical forecasting models and model-selection principles
• Forecast accuracy measures including MAPE, bias and forecast value add
• Demand sensing inputs and short-term demand signal considerations
• Planner overrides, collaboration inputs and forecast version comparison
• Demand alerts and exception thresholds for forecast change and accuracy risk

Workshop: Participants generate a statistical forecast, apply documented planner adjustments and compare baseline and consensus demand using forecast-error measures.

Day 3: Supply, response and inventory planning

• Supply planning logic for production, procurement, distribution and deployment
• Response and Supply Planning heuristics, priorities and constrained planning concepts
• Capacity, component availability, sourcing and transport lead-time constraints
• Shortage analysis, order prioritisation and customer allocation decisions
• SAP IBP for Inventory concepts including service levels, safety stock and inventory targets
• Inventory exceptions and trade-offs between service, cost and working capital
• Supply and inventory plan reconciliation across product-location networks

Workshop: Participants resolve a constrained supply case by comparing allocation options, capacity actions and inventory impacts for a priority product portfolio.

Day 4: Scenario analysis, alerts and S&OP decisions

• Version management for baseline, simulation and approved planning scenarios
• What-if analysis for demand shocks, supplier disruption and capacity changes
• SAP IBP alerts, alert definitions and alert-monitor prioritisation
• Exception-based planning workflows and escalation rules
• SAP Analytics Cloud dashboards and SAP IBP planning visualisations
• S&OP meeting inputs, decision logs and executive planning outputs
• Financial alignment concepts for volume, revenue, margin and inventory trade-offs

Workshop: In groups, participants build two disruption scenarios, prioritise the resulting alerts and present a recommended S&OP decision with assumptions and risks.

Day 5: Operational adoption and workplace application

• End-to-end IBP planning cycle design and monthly planning calendar
• Roles, data ownership and approval responsibilities in IBP governance
• Integration touchpoints between SAP IBP and SAP S/4HANA execution processes
• Data-quality controls for master data, transactional history and key figures
• Planning KPIs for forecast accuracy, service, inventory, adherence and exception closure
• Planning-view design standards and reusable Excel add-in templates
• SAP IBP adoption roadmap, pilot scope and continuous-improvement backlog

Workshop: Participants complete an individual SAP IBP application plan containing a planning use case, required data, planning-view design, KPIs, stakeholders and 90-day implementation actions.

Tools & standards covered

SAP Integrated Business Planning, SAP Fiori, Microsoft Excel with SAP IBP Add-in, SAP Analytics Cloud

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions