Planning has a major impact on companies' operational performance. And because planning is still largely a manual task, it is the planners of this world who largely determine how efficiently and effectively a company operates. But what do we really know about logistics planners? Not too much. Some companies see logistics planners particularly as a cost - these are particularly the kind of companies that consider just about everything to be a cost. They like to have planning done in low-wage countries - offshoring - and centralise it in a so-called control tower.
Integrating fuzzy information
There are also logistics companies that see planning as an almost magical process, which non-planners understand little about. Fortunately, there are also companies among them that understand that human planners have their strengths and weaknesses, and that the trick is to develop those strengths and support the weaknesses. Human planners are particularly good at integrating large amounts of fuzzy information. They can adapt their strategy to the situation and they are able to influence the planning problem themselves, by negotiating or finding creative solutions. They can be well assisted in this by planning systems, which can perform the large amount of calculations that result from a planning decision.
"I don't know of any companies that have specifically considered the job requirements of a logistics planner"
Preventing fires instead of putting them out
In most cases, the logistics planner remains the one making the decisions. I do not know of any companies that have specifically considered the job requirements of a logistics planner, even though the impact on performance is significant. When choosing a good planner, the following traits should be considered: a good memory, attention to detail, an open and fair attitude, stress-resistant, a balanced and stable personality that can take a beating, organised, skills to communicate and negotiate, an inquisitive attitude, creative, a penchant for puzzling, and a degree of modesty. A logistics planner should certainly not be a person who enjoys running from one fire to the next with a lot of noise - the logistics planner should instead make sure that that fire had not started at all. Persons who like to play the hero will unconsciously escalate problems until the smoke comes out!
What do you think makes a logistics planner good? Let me know!
