Quick warm-up — who’s in the room (so we don’t waste anyone’s time)?

• Which executive sponsors and functional partners will we need to engage for this initiative? Options: CEO/President, CFO/Finance Lead, VP Supply Chain, Director of Planning, Inventory Manager, Operations/Plant Leader, IT/ERP Lead, Sales/Commercial Lead, Customer Success/Account Lead, Other
• How would you describe the current level of alignment between finance, supply chain, and operations on inventory objectives? Options: Highly aligned (shared targets and cadence), Somewhat aligned (occasional coordination), Tension exists (competing priorities), Functionally siloed (rarely aligned)
• Which outcome(s) feel most urgent to your leadership team right now? Options: Reduce working capital, Improve fill rate/customer service, Reduce obsolete slow-moving stock, Improve forecast accuracy, Prepare for ERP/IT migration, Other
• Who will act as the day-to-day liaison for data requests, testing, and approvals? Options: VP Supply Chain, Director of Planning, Inventory Manager, Finance/FP&A lead, IT/ERP lead, Other
• Briefly describe a recent inventory decision or initiative (successes or failures) that shaped your thinking today.

If finance could choose one headline to show the board, would they pick lower inventory dollar exposure or better fill rates?

• Has finance quantified a specific working capital or inventory dollar target we should be measured against? Options: Yes — specific $ target, Yes — % reduction target, High-level expectation (no number), No target set, Unsure
• How would operations rank their tolerance for short-term service disruption in pursuit of lower inventory? Options: Comfortable for short, controlled periods, Reluctant but will consider tradeoffs, Unacceptable under current customer commitments, Depends by product/customer
• Tell us about a concrete tradeoff decision where finance and operations disagreed — what was the outcome and why?
• Who currently arbitrates inventory vs. service tradeoffs (role, committee, or process)? Options: Steering committee (cross-functional), Supply chain leader, Finance lead/CFO, Program manager, Ad-hoc leadership meetings, No formal arbiter
• How do you today translate service improvements into financial impact (e.g., revenue at risk, penalty avoidance, customer retention)?

Which three people or teams would push back hardest if fill rates dropped by 2% next quarter?

• List the internal and external stakeholders most sensitive to changes in service levels (name role or company).
• For each stakeholder you named, what minimum service level or tolerance do they expect?
• How are strategic customers currently involved in decisions that could affect their service (formal reviews, SLAs, executive touchpoints)? Options: Regular business reviews, Contractual SLA clauses, Ad-hoc communication, Customers not formally engaged
• What contractual KPIs, penalties, or critical customer commitments could limit our ability to reduce inventory for specific SKUs? Options: Fill rate SLA, On-time delivery, Service-level rebates/penalties, Consignment/stock ownership terms, None identified, Other
• If we saw a 1–3% drop in fill rate during a pilot, how would you expect that to impact revenue, renewals, or sales conversations (ballpark)?

If your ERP won’t let us implement recommended policies, who will have to explain that to the board?

• Which ERP(s) and planning modules are in scope for making replenishment and policy changes? Options: SAP ECC / S/4HANA, Oracle EBS / Oracle Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Infor, Blue Yonder (JDA), Kinaxis, Other
• Are there upcoming ERP upgrades, migrations, or major IT projects that could constrain parameter changes or data access? Options: Yes — in progress, Planned within 12 months, Planned but >12 months out, No plans, Unsure
• What IT/change-control or security requirements have blocked past attempts to change planning logic or data extracts?
• Who must formally approve configuration changes in the planning module (roles or committees)? Options: ERP Change Control Board, IT/ERP Team, Supply Chain Lead, Finance Approval, Cross-functional Steering Committee, Other
• How much custom code or bespoke configuration does your planning stack rely on today (versus standard module functionality)? Options: Mostly standard functionality, Some customizations, Significant bespoke development, Unsure

If we ran a 60–90 day pilot and results were mixed, what would make you confident the positive signals are real and scalable?

• What pilot design elements would convince you the sample is representative (choose all that apply)? Options: Representative product family, Representative DC(s)/region, Sufficient time window (60–90 days), Normal demand period (not seasonal spike), Full ERP parameter access, Other
• Which top 3 metrics will you use to decide pilot success? Options: Fill rate, Inventory turns, Working capital reduction ($), Days of inventory (DOI), Stockout incidents, Service by SKU cohort, Forecast error
• For each metric you've chosen, what minimum improvement would you consider a credible win (be specific where possible)?
• Who has the authority to approve scaling from pilot to enterprise rollout? Options: CFO/Finance, VP Supply Chain, Cross-functional Steering Committee, CEO/President, Other
• If the pilot shows early service degradation, what escrow, rollback, or pause decision path do you want in place?

How much disruption can your planning organization tolerate before you see morale or productivity collapse?

• How many planners, schedulers, and inventory analysts will be directly involved in execution and exception handling? Options: 1-2, 3-5, 6-10, >10, Unsure
• Describe your planners' current top pain points during replenishment and exception cycles.
• How many hours per week can planners reasonably allocate to pilot activities (data review, exception handling, meetings)? Options: <2 hours, 2-5 hours, 5-10 hours, >10 hours
• What training and enablement approach has proven effective with your planners in past rollouts? Options: Hands-on workshops, Train-the-trainer, Recorded modules + office hours, Embedded on-site support, Other
• What would 'minimal acceptable disruption' look and feel like to your team during the pilot?

What would make you regret committing to this program two quarters from now?

• Which implementation risks keep you awake at night (select all that apply)? Options: Poor data quality, ERP or integration limits, Stakeholder resistance, Supplier lead-time variability, Seasonal demand shocks, Regression after pilot, Other
• Have you experienced short-lived inventory wins before? If yes, what caused the improvements to disappear? Options: Yes — governance failed, Yes — data or ERP reverted, Yes — demand changed unexpectedly, No — improvements were sustained, Not sure
• What governance model (routines, owners, cadence) would give you confidence gains persist post-rollout? Options: Monthly exec review + KPIs, Weekly ops/exception cadence, Dedicated analytics owner, Quarterly steering committee, Other
• What ongoing metrics, dashboards, or alarms would you require to feel the program is controlled and improving?
• If we recommend automation of policy updates in your ERP, what safeguards or rollback mechanisms are non-negotiable?

If we guaranteed no net service loss while reducing inventory, how quickly could you realistically commit people and systems to start?

• What specific resource commitments are you prepared to make for a discovery and pilot (people, IT/admin time, data engineering)? Options: Named executive sponsor, Single POC for data, ERP admin time, Planner time allocation, Finance SME time, Other
• What approvals and legal/IT steps must be completed before we can extract 12–24 months of demand and inventory data?
• What is your preferred start window for discovery and pilot work? Options: Within 2 weeks, Within 1 month, 1–3 months, 3+ months, Unsure
• What single change or assurance would make it easy for your leadership to say 'yes' today?
• Are there blackout periods or non-negotiable dates (counts, sales peaks, audits, ERP freezes) we must avoid? Options: Year-end close, Peak sales season, Physical inventory counts/audits, ERP upgrade/migration window, Other

Tell Us About Your Systems — a quick snapshot

• Which ERP(s) are you running today? Options: SAP ECC / S/4HANA, Oracle EBS / Cloud, Microsoft D365 / AX, NetSuite, Infor, JD Edwards, Custom / Legacy, Multiple (hybrid), Other
• Which planning or execution tools sit alongside the ERP (e.g., Advanced Planning, APS, Excel overlays)? List names.
• How long has your primary ERP been in production for core supply chain planning? Options: < 1 year, 1–3 years, 3–7 years, 7–15 years, > 15 years
• Which ERP modules are actively used to manage demand, inventory, and replenishment? Options: MRP / Replenishment, Inventory management, Purchase order management, Sales order management, Production planning (MRP II), Advanced Planning / APS, Demand planning module, None / Excel-driven, Other
• Who is the day-to-day owner of planning parameters and who signs changes (role names)?

Show Me the Data — where it breaks down

• If you had to bet, where does your data most often betray your planning? Options: Incomplete demand history, Incorrect SKU master data, Unreliable lead times, Inaccurate on-hand counts, Inbound/PO receipt mismatches, Shipment not recorded, Other
• Do you consistently have 12–24 months of transaction-level demand (sales/shipments) across most SKUs? Options: Yes — for most SKUs, Partial — for high-volume SKUs only, No — gaps across the board, We have >24 months, Unsure / need to check
• At what cadence do you capture inventory snapshots and transactions that planners rely on? Options: Real-time / near real-time, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Ad hoc
• Which of the following data elements are reliably captured and usable for modeling? Options: Shipments / sales by SKU, PO receipts by SKU, Supplier lead times, Lot/batch traceability, Safety stock flags, Inventory age / obsolescence tags, None of the above
• Give one or two concrete examples of data surprises you've encountered that changed planning outcomes (what happened and impact).
• Are there legal, security, or contractual constraints that limit access to historic planning or supplier data? Options: No constraints, Some restrictions (vendor contracts), IT/security restrictions, Regulatory / compliance constraints, Unsure

Where the money is getting stuck

• What’s the single biggest contributor to elevated inventory investment in your business? Options: Excessive safety stock, Excess slow-moving / obsolete, Large batch / EOQ constraints, Supplier minimum order quantities, Unpredictable lead times, Forecasting error, Service-level targets set too high, Other
• Please estimate your current total inventory investment (or range) and the inventory days/turns you report.
• Which product families or DCs hold the largest share of working capital? Name top 3 if possible.
• Approximately what percent of inventory do you classify as slow-moving or obsolete today? Options: < 5%, 5–10%, 10–20%, 20–40%, > 40%, Unsure
• Who in finance formally signs off on inventory valuation, write-offs, or disposition decisions? Options: CFO, VP Finance / Controller, FP&A, Supply chain ops with finance oversight, No formal sign-off, Other
• Which financial KPIs would matter most to the CFO when evaluating an optimization project? Options: Working capital reduction ($), Days of inventory (DOI), Inventory turns, Cash conversion cycle, Gross margin impact, EBITDA impact, Other

When stockouts bite: stories that matter

• Which recurring scenario costs you the most customer goodwill or revenue? Options: Stockouts on high-revenue SKUs, Late deliveries from production, Distribution center misses, Unexpected supplier outages, Forecast bias, Other
• How often do service failures (stockouts or delayed shipments) meaningfully impact customers? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely
• Share a recent example of a stockout that had material commercial impact—what happened, and who was affected?
• Which portion of the business is least tolerant of stockouts (Sales, Key accounts, Field service, OEM customers, E-commerce)? Options: Sales / Commercial, Key Accounts, Field Service / Service Parts, OEM / Contract Manufacturing, E-commerce / Retail, All are equally intolerant
• What fill-rate target is currently used for priority SKUs, and how was that target chosen? Options: > 99%, 97–99%, 95–97%, 90–95%, < 90%, No formal target

Rules you live by — even when they hurt you

• Which planning rules do you rely on even if they occasionally produce poor outcomes? Options: Fixed safety stock %, Min/Max by spend band, Fixed reorder cadence, Forecast overrides by sales, Run-to-order for manufacturing, Manual exceptions accepted, Other
• How are service levels and safety stock policies currently calculated (method or responsible team)? Options: Statistical model (CI/SD based), Rule-of-thumb / % of demand, ERP default, Planner judgement, Not formally calculated / ad hoc
• How frequently are replenishment parameters reviewed and who participates? Options: Monthly with planners & ops, Quarterly with supply chain leaders, Only during crises, Never — ad hoc
• Describe a time when an automated rule created harm (overstock, stockout, lost sale). What was the root cause?
• Who has authority to override ERP-planned orders or parameters (roles)? Options: Planner, Planning manager, Operations manager, Procurement, Finance, Cross-functional approval, No clear authority / varies

Supply variability and lead-time blackholes

• Where in your supply network does unpredictability do the most damage? Options: Raw material suppliers, Tier-2/3 suppliers, In-house production variability, Transportation / carriers, Customs / imports, Third-party manufacturers, Other
• Do you measure lead-time variability by SKU or by supplier? If yes, how (PTP, supplier promise vs actual)? Options: Yes — SKU level, Yes — supplier level, Both, No formal measurement, Unsure
• Do you currently have alternate sourcing, safety stocks, or expedited lanes for critical SKUs? Options: Alternate suppliers for many SKUs, Limited alternates for select SKUs, No alternates, Expedited options exist but costly, Unsure
• How often do supplier performance issues trigger emergency buys or production reschedules? Options: Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely, Never
• If someone on your team wanted to reduce lead time variability, what internal barriers would they face?

Inventory profiles — which SKUs tell the truth?

• How do you currently segment SKUs for planning decisions (what dimensions: value, variability, criticality)? Options: ABC by $, CV2 / demand variability, Intermittent demand / lumpy, Strategic / critical, Service parts categorization, Not formally segmented, Other
• Approximately what percent of SKUs account for 80% of demand value in your catalog? Options: Top 5%, Top 10%, Top 20%, Top 30%, Unsure
• What share of SKUs experience intermittent demand (many zero-months then spikes)? Options: < 10%, 10–25%, 25–50%, > 50%, Unsure
• Which SKU families would you consider a priority for a 60–90 day pilot (high value, high variability, or strategic)? Please name up to three.
• Would you be open to a pilot that changes replenishment rules for those families while keeping the rest of the business unchanged? Options: Yes — full pilot, Yes — limited scope, Maybe — need more guarantees, No

Systems & integration — can your ERP play along?

• How easy is it to load new replenishment parameters into your ERP/planning module? Options: Automated & API-driven, Semi-automated via templates, Manual via planner entry, Requires IT change request, Unsure
• Do you have a sandbox or test environment where we can validate parameter changes before going live? Options: Yes — full sandbox, Limited test environment, No — only production, Unsure
• What level of IT support is typically available for integrations and data extracts? Options: Dedicated integration team, Shared IT resources, Contractor / external support, Minimal / not timely
• Can your systems export transaction-level data (orders, receipts, shipments) in a format we can ingest (CSV, API, database)? Options: Yes — multiple formats, Yes — but limited to CSV, Only manual exports, No / not currently
• Are there particular ERP constraints we should know (customizations, unique master data rules, or non-standard MRP logic)?

Acceptable disruption — what can we and can’t we change?

• If an optimization requires short-term process changes, how much planner time can be dedicated to the pilot? Options: Full-time for several planners, Part-time (1–2 days/week), Minimal (ad hoc), We cannot reassign planner time
• How tolerant is the organization of process experimentation that may temporarily shift orders or inventory? Options: Very tolerant — innovation encouraged, Moderately tolerant — with guardrails, Low tolerance — must be low-risk, Not tolerant
• What stakeholders must be engaged before we change replenishment parameters (roles/departments)? Options: Supply Chain / Planning, Finance, Operations / Production, Sales / Commercial, IT, Legal / Compliance, All of the above, Other
• Describe any non-negotiable constraints (e.g., service levels for top customers, regulatory limits, contract terms) that would limit changes.
• What communication cadence would you prefer during a pilot (weekly, biweekly, monthly, milestone-based)? Options: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, Milestone-based only, Ad hoc as needed

Imagine inventory that satisfies both CFO and Sales

• If we could reduce working capital by a specific percent without harming fill rates, what range would be compelling to your leadership? Options: < 5%, 5–10%, 10–20%, 20–40%, > 40%
• What minimum fill-rate improvement (or tolerance for small dips) would Sales need to sign off on a pilot? Options: No decline acceptable, 0.1–0.5% dip tolerated, 0.5–1.0% dip tolerated, Willing to accept short-term dip if long-term improves
• What success metrics and thresholds would you require to greenlight scaling after the pilot (list KPIs and thresholds)?
• Who will make the final decision to scale after a successful pilot and on what timeline does that decision need to happen? Options: CFO, VP Supply Chain, Cross-functional committee, Executive sponsor, Unsure
• What would you consider a realistic timeline from pilot start to enterprise rollout if results meet expectations? Options: 3–6 months, 6–12 months, 12–18 months, Longer than 18 months, Unsure

Getting Oriented: Your Inventory Story

• In one sentence, what is the single highest-priority inventory outcome you need us to help you deliver right now?
• Which range best describes your current gross inventory investment? Options: $50M–$200M, $200M–$500M, $500M–$1B, >$1B
• What are the explicit targets your leadership has set (e.g., DIO reduction, turns increase, fill-rate uplift, working capital $)? Please list numeric targets and timeframe.
• When you think about this work, what specific recent event or recurring moment makes you feel we must act now?
• Who on your team will feel most relieved if this engagement succeeds—and who will feel most threatened?

Are You Comfortable With the Trade-offs You’re Making?

• Which do you find yourselves conceding to more often: cash (lower inventory) or service (higher fill rates)? Options: We prioritize cash aggressively, We prioritize service aggressively, We oscillate between the two, No clear priority
• Describe a recent instance where that trade-off caused visible friction between Finance, Sales, and Supply Chain—what happened and who pushed back?
• What minimum fill-rate or service level thresholds does Sales insist on by customer/segment, and how strictly are those enforced? Options: Company-wide target only, By customer tier, By product segment, Not formally defined
• What is the CFO’s tolerance for inventory reduction that may risk short-term fill-rate drops? Please quantify if possible or describe in words.
• How does the organization decide which risk (stockout vs cash) wins when confronted with a specific SKU decision? Options: Finance decision, Sales decision, Operations decision, Cross-functional governance

Where the Hidden Inventory Costs Live

• Which inventory pockets create the most surprise—costly overstock that sits unseen, or recurrent stockouts that trigger firefighting? Options: Overstock pockets, Recurring stockouts, Both equally, Unsure
• Walk me through the product groups, DCs, or stages (raw/WIP/FG) you suspect hold the biggest opportunity—why those specifically?
• What percent of SKUs in your catalog are classified as slow-moving, and how often do you run disposition or obsolescence cycles? Options: <5%, 5–15%, 15–30%, >30%
• Which supply-side issues most often drive excess inventory or stockouts: lead time variability, minimum order quantities, supplier lot-sizing, or inbound reliability? Options: Lead time variability, MOQ/lot-sizing, Supplier reliability, Forecast error, Other
• Tell us about a SKU or small family that perfectly illustrates the root cause you want fixed—what made it a problem and how did you respond?

How Decisions Actually Get Made Here

• When someone proposes changing replenishment parameters, who has the final sign-off and why do they hold that authority?
• Which formal governance or review cadences exist today (e.g., weekly planner huddle, monthly S&OP, quarterly finance review)? Options: Daily planner reviews, Weekly replenishment meetings, Monthly S&OP, Quarterly finance review, No formal cadence
• If we recommended a new segmentation and policy set, how would decisions about exceptions and overrides be handled day-to-day?
• How quickly can policy changes be made in your ERP or planning system when a business case is approved? Options: Same day, Within a week, 1–4 weeks, >1 month, Depends on IT
• Describe a time when a data-driven recommendation was rejected—what were the reasons and what would have changed the outcome?

What Success Feels Like — Beyond the Dashboard

• Imagine this engagement was a clear win in 12 months—what story would your CFO and your Head of Supply Chain each tell at the executive meeting?
• Which of these outcomes is most important to you right now? Options: Reduce working capital $, Improve fill-rate, Increase turns, Reduce planner time, Reduce obsolescence
• For your top metric, what is a concrete, minimally acceptable improvement and what would be a stretch goal? (Please provide numbers if possible.)
• Beyond numbers, what cultural or behavioral changes would count as success (e.g., planners trusting models, cross-functional alignment)?
• How important is predictability of results versus magnitude of initial improvement when you evaluate pilot success? Options: Predictability > Magnitude, Magnitude > Predictability, Both equally important, Depends on stakeholder

What Would It Take to Pilot with Confidence?

• What would make you immediately say "yes" to running a 60–90 day pilot rather than postpone it?
• Which pilot concerns keep you from signing up today: disruption to planners, data accuracy, ERP access, executive buy-in, or risk of service degradation? Options: Planner disruption, Data quality, ERP access, Executive buy-in, Service risk, Other
• How many full-time planner-days per week can your team realistically dedicate to a pilot without harming operations? Options: <1 day/week, 1–2 days/week, 3–5 days/week, Dedicated resource
• What criteria should we use to choose a pilot scope (e.g., revenue at risk, complexity, variability, critical customers)? Please rank or describe. Options: Revenue at risk, Demand variability, Lead time variability, Strategic customers, Operational simplicity
• Who will own measurement and sign-off during the pilot (name or role), and how will success be reported to executives?

Data, Systems, and Risk — Can We Execute?

• If we asked for 12–24 months of transactional demand, receipts, shipments, and inventory snapshots today, what would most likely delay delivery? Options: IT bandwidth, Data quality/cleanliness, Access/security approvals, Disconnected systems, Other
• Which ERP or planning systems are you actively using for replenishment and forecasting? Options: SAP ECC/S4, Oracle/NetSuite, JDA/Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, Manhattan, Homegrown/Other
• Do you have a sandbox or test environment where we can model changes without impacting live orders? If yes, how mature is it? Options: Yes—fully usable, Yes—partial data, No sandbox available, Unsure
• How complete and accurate are these fields in your master data: lead times, supplier MOQs, alternate sourcing, and ABC segmentation? Options: Mostly complete, Patchy, Mostly missing, Unknown
• Describe any security, compliance, or audit controls that would shape how we handle data extracts and ERP access.

Commitments & Roadblocks to Scale

• Who must change roles, KPIs, or behaviors for improvements to persist after pilot handover?
• Which of these governance elements are currently missing but would be required for sustained improvement? Options: Monthly KPI review, Exception management workflow, Policy ownership, ERP automation, Training program
• If ERP parameter changes are approved, how quickly can your IT/ERP team implement automation for rollouts across sites? Options: Days, 1–2 weeks, 1 month, >1 month, Not sure/needs consultation
• What internal objections or inertia do you anticipate when we recommend moving from spreadsheet rules to automated, statistical policies?
• What training and handoff format helps your planners adopt new policies: live workshops, recorded modules, job-aids, or shadowing support? Options: Live workshops, Recorded modules, Job-aids/cheatsheets, Shadowing support, Combination

Deciding the First Pilot — Let’s Choose Wisely

• If you had to pick one product family or DC that would prove our approach fastest, which would it be and what makes it a strong candidate?
• Which selection criteria matter most for that pilot? Options: High inventory $, High variability, Strategic customers, Operational simplicity, Representative demand patterns
• How many SKUs and what revenue volume would you expect in a meaningful pilot sample? Options: <100 SKUs, 100–500 SKUs, 500–1,000 SKUs, >1,000 SKUs
• What metrics will you want updated weekly versus monthly during the pilot (choose all that apply)? Options: Fill rate, Inventory $, Turns, Stockout incidents, Order lead-time, Planner time spent
• Assuming pilot success, what internal decision or governance step will be required to approve enterprise rollout? Options: Executive steering approval, Finance sign-off, IT/ERP plan, Pilot replication plan, Other
• When would you be realistically ready to begin a pilot (calendar window)? Options: Immediately, 1–3 months, 3–6 months, 6+ months

Quick Orientation — Who You Are and What Counts

• What's your role and day-to-day scope when it comes to inventory and planning? Options: VP Supply Chain, Director of Planning, Inventory Manager, CFO/Finance Lead, Operations/Plant Manager, Other
• How would you describe the scale of inventory you manage today (total inventory on the balance sheet)? Options: <$50M, $50M–$250M, $250M–$1B, >$1B, Prefer not to say
• Which product types are most material to your inventory investment right now? Options: Finished goods, Raw materials, Work-in-process, Spare parts/service parts, Packaging/consumables, Other
• What ERP or planning systems do you currently rely on for replenishment and forecasting? Options: SAP ECC/S4, Oracle (EBS/Cloud), Blue Yonder/JDA, Kinaxis, Microsoft Dynamics, Homegrown or spreadsheets, Other
• When you think about the last 12 months, what single outcome would you say matters most to the business—reduce working capital, improve fill rate, reduce obsolescence, cut expediting costs, or something else? Options: Reduce working capital, Improve fill rate/service levels, Reduce obsolescence/slow-moving stock, Lower expedite/expedite costs, Improve planner productivity, Other

Are We Comfortable With the Numbers?

• If your current inventory numbers were a story, what hidden chapter do you think executives are missing?
• What KPIs do you track monthly to measure inventory health (select all that apply)? Options: Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO), Turns, Fill Rate / Service Level, Stockout incidents, Obsolescence $, Safety stock % of inventory, Working capital impact, Other
• Which of those KPIs do you trust to tell the whole truth about your inventory performance? Options: All of them, Most of them, A few (specify in next question), None — we lack trust
• Where do you have the most difficulty trusting the numbers? Tell us an example or a discrepancy you've seen.
• Do you have 12–24 months of clean transactional data (demand, receipts, shipments, lead times) available for analysis? Options: Yes, ready to extract, Partial (some months or modules missing), No, requires cleanup, Not sure — need to investigate

What’s Causing the Tension Between Cash and Service?

• Which single problem creates the most tension between your CFO and your operations team right now? Options: Too much cash tied in inventory, Repeated stockouts on key SKUs, High obsolescence, Expensive emergency replenishment, Inaccurate forecasting, Other
• How often do stockouts meaningfully affect customer deliveries or sales targets? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely/Never
• Where is excess inventory concentrated—by product family, geography, DC, or lifecycle stage? Please give a brief snapshot.
• What root causes do you suspect are driving excess capital or recurring stockouts (select up to three)? Options: Forecast error/variance, Long/unreliable lead times, Overly conservative safety stocks, Decentralized replenishment rules, ERP misconfiguration, Slow-moving product policies, Supplier constraints, Other
• How does this tension make you or your team feel—stressed, resigned, motivated to change, or something else? Options: Stressed/urgent, Resigned/used to it, Motivated to change, Curious/exploratory, Other

If Planning Was an Algorithm, Where’s the Bug?

• What part of your planning process do you think causes the most incorrect orders or misaligned stock (forecast, safety stock calc, lead time inputs, manual overrides, other)? Options: Forecasting model, Safety stock calculation, Lead time assumptions, Manual overrides/exceptions, Min/max policies, Other
• How frequently do planners override system recommendations, and why do they do it? Options: Daily — often, Weekly — regularly, Monthly — sometimes, Rarely, Never
• Who typically makes the final call on inventory exceptions (planner, planning manager, operations, finance, sales)? Options: Planner, Planning Manager/Director, Operations/Plant Manager, Finance/CFO, Sales/Commercial, Cross-functional committee, Other
• Describe a recent example where ERP configuration or master-data issues led to an inventory surprise. What happened?
• Are your replenishment rules automated in ERP (reorder points, safety stock, lot-sizing), or mainly manual/spreadsheet-driven? Options: Fully automated in ERP, Partially automated, Mostly manual/spreadsheets, Not sure

What Would Real Success Feel Like to Your Team?

• If we achieved the right balance between cash and service, what would be the first tangible thing your finance leader would celebrate? Options: Lower working capital, Improved cash flow, Reduced obsolescence write-downs, Better forecast accuracy, Other
• What fill rate, turns, or working-capital improvement would you need to justify scaling a pilot to full rollout?
• How important is protecting customer service during inventory reduction efforts (select one)? Options: Top priority—service cannot degrade, High importance—small temporary dips acceptable, Moderate—short trade-offs OK, Low—focus on cash first
• Which downstream metrics would signal success after deployment beyond inventory and fill rate (select all that apply)? Options: Order-to-delivery lead time, Customer satisfaction/NPS, Expedite spend, Planner productivity, Forecast bias reduction, Other
• If a pilot showed mixed results (turns improved but fill rate lagged), what outcome would you accept as a net win?

Pilot Readiness — Are We Set Up to Learn Fast?

• If a 60–90 day pilot were run tomorrow, what would be the single biggest obstacle to executing it well?
• Do you have a candidate product family or DC that we could reasonably pilot (stable demand, representative mix, manageable SKUs)? Options: Yes — product family identified, Yes — DC/location identified, Not yet — we need help selecting, No suitable candidate currently
• Which data extracts can you provide within two weeks for a pilot (select all that apply)? Options: 12–24 months demand history, Receipts and PO history, Lead time records, Inventory snapshots, Sales orders/fulfillment data, Master data (BOM, item attributes)
• Who would own the pilot day-to-day from your side (name/role) and who signs off on pilot success?
• What guardrails must remain in place during a pilot to protect customers and finance (e.g., min fill rate thresholds, dollar caps, manual approvals)?

People & Process — Who Will Change and How?

• Who across supply chain, operations, and finance will be most impacted by new replenishment rules or ERP parameter changes? Options: Planners, Planning managers, Procurement/sourcing, Operations/warehousing, Finance, Sales/Commercial, IT/ERP support
• What internal concerns do you anticipate from those groups—job risk, loss of control, data quality, training time, or other? Options: Job/security concerns, Loss of manual control, Data quality worries, Training/time constraints, ERP integration fears, Other
• How do you prefer training and adoption to be delivered—hands-on in ERP, role-based workshops, train-the-trainer, or digital microlearning? Options: Hands-on ERP sessions, Role-based workshops, Train-the-trainer, Digital modules/microlearning, Combination
• How often do you want a governance review after rollout to ensure the new policies persist (monthly, quarterly, biannually)? Options: Monthly, Bi-monthly, Quarterly, Biannually, Other
• Describe one recent change initiative at your company that stuck—and one that didn’t. What made the difference?

Commercial & Decision Signals — What Will Close the Deal?

• What would make you comfortable signing a mutual commitment after a pilot—specific ROI, governance terms, ERP access, or references? Options: Specific ROI threshold, Governance cadence/agreement, Confirmed ERP/data access, References/case studies, Clear rollout plan
• How does your procurement or legal team prefer to structure consulting engagements—SOW + milestones, T&M, fixed fee, or outcome-based? Options: SOW with milestones, Time & Materials, Fixed fee, Outcome-based/at-risk, Other
• What internal approvals are required for a pilot and who signs them (budget owner, procurement, operations, finance)?
• Are there budget windows or fiscal timing that would make starting a pilot easier or harder? Options: Immediate/flexible, Next quarter, Next fiscal year, Depends on approvals
• Which types of external proof do you value most—industry case studies, vendor references, before/after KPI dashboards, or technical methodology reviews? Options: Industry case studies, Vendor references, Before/after KPI dashboards, Methodology/technical review, Third-party validation

Final Check — Readiness, Risks, and Next Steps

• What is the single biggest risk to moving forward in the next 30 days, and why?
• On a 1–5 confidence scale, how ready are you to engage in a diagnostic and 60–90 day pilot? Options: 1 — Not ready, 2 — Low readiness, 3 — Somewhat ready, 4 — Ready with minor steps, 5 — Fully ready
• Who should be in the kickoff meeting from your side (name and role) to get the pilot started without delay?
• Which immediate next step would be most useful to you right now—data extraction, pilot scoping call, ROI sketch, or reference review? Options: Data extraction, Pilot scoping call, ROI sketch/estimate, Reference/case study review, Other
• Is there anything else about your current reality, constraints, or hopes that we haven’t covered but you believe is critical for us to know?