What is the creative strategy planning?

At what stage is it best for a business to employ Integrated Business Planning? What software should a startup be looking at to facilitate IBP strategy?

• Answer:

  There is no best time for a business to adopt IBP.  There will almost certainly be gaps in the sub-processes such as Demand and Capacity Planning, but just because you don't have all the data in perfect order does not mean you can't start.  There is no need either to have software to facilitate the process.  There will certainly be a time when software will help you to take IBP to a new level of maturity, but you should spend yoour money on getting the process right and above all making sure that the business is completely bought in to IBP.  If you don't do that, you will have an expensive reporting system and no IBP process.