Most organizations don’t set out to run critical planning decisions through spreadsheets, manual adjustments, and local workarounds. Yet regardless of the systems they use, these workarounds often become a routine part of day-to-day operations.
This is the Planning Reality Gap: the gap between how planning is intended to work and how decisions are actually made.
And it may be costing you more than you think.
Every spreadsheet or manual adjustment exists for a reason. Together, they reveal where planning systems, business processes, and operational reality no longer fully align.
Over time, these workarounds become embedded. The original gap is harder to see because the business has become dependent on compensating for it. Plans are adjusted. Decisions are made outside the system. Teams develop processes that keep operations moving.
The problem is that while the business continues to run, opportunities to improve service, reduce costs, increase capacity utilization, lower inventory, and improve margins often remain hidden.
Rather than treating workarounds as the problem, organizations should view them as evidence. They reveal where planning capability may be falling short of operational reality and where valuable opportunities for improvement may exist.
The question is simple:
What are your workarounds really telling you?
Read the full article to explore why these gaps persist, what they may be costing your business, and how leading organizations are bringing planning and operational reality back into alignment.