Resilient Supply Chain Podcast: Decision Latency as Operational Risk

The latest Resilient Supply Chain Podcast examines why slow decision-making is becoming a critical vulnerability in modern supply chains. Hosted by Tom Raftery, the episode features OMP’s Robbert de Looff. The discussion centres on decision-centric planning, supply chain resilience, and the operational consequences of waiting too long to act when volatility hits. For supply chain leaders facing cost pressure, geopolitical disruption, data gaps, and regulatory uncertainty, the issue is increasingly less about predicting every disruption and more about responding before options disappear. The full episode is available at www.resilientsupplychainpodcast.com

Tom Raftery and OMP’s Robbert de Looff discuss why faster, decision-centric planning is becoming essential for supply chain resilience in an increasingly volatile world. Take a listen

Decision Latency Moves from Process Issue to Strategic Risk

The central tension explored in the episode is the widening gap between the speed of disruption and the cadence of traditional planning. De Looff argues that volatility forces companies to make faster decisions, but those decisions still need structure, ownership, and reliable data. Speed without governance can create poor choices; excessive delay can remove choice altogether.

One of the clearest lines from the discussion captures the risk directly: “If you don’t make the decision yourself, the decision is made for you.” In practical terms, supplier selection, production allocation, and regional sourcing choices can become unavailable if leadership teams wait for the next formal planning cycle.

Resilience Beyond Forecast Accuracy

The episode challenges the common assumption that resilience is primarily about better forecasting. Forecasts remain important, but de Looff frames resilience as the ability to plan for agility. That means building scenario capability before disruption occurs, rather than treating exceptions as one-off emergencies.

The Rhine water-level example illustrates this point. Chemical companies dependent on river transport may need to decide whether to build inventory, secure warehouse capacity, or accept future logistics constraints. The trade-off is not abstract. A relatively modest cost upfront may avoid a far larger service or production failure later.

Where S&OP Still Works, and Where It Breaks

The discussion does not dismiss traditional Sales and Operations Planning. De Looff makes clear that structured planning remains necessary for portfolio review, contract prioritisation, margin optimisation, and operational alignment. However, the limitation appears when new events require decisions before the next monthly cycle.

Decision-centric planning is presented as a complementary model. Instead of asking every event to wait for the process, organisations assess whether the impact is large enough to trigger action. This distinction matters because acting on every signal creates operational nervousness, while ignoring major signals creates avoidable exposure.

Data, AI, and the Human Control Point

A recurring theme is that more data does not automatically improve decision-making. The more important question is what data is needed for a specific decision, who needs to see it, and how quickly it can be trusted. Poor data integrity remains a basic but persistent obstacle.

AI has a role in identifying relevant events, surfacing external signals, and helping planners run scenarios more efficiently. But the episode is careful not to overstate automation. De Looff stresses that relationships and judgement remain essential, particularly when decisions involve suppliers, customers, and commercial commitments. “Relationships, never,” is his answer to what should not be automated.

The strategic takeaway is that supply chain resilience increasingly depends on decision architecture: clear ownership, trusted data, scenario readiness, and disciplined escalation. Volatility will continue to test supply chains, whether through energy prices, logistics disruption, regulation, climate impacts, or supplier constraints. Organisations that reduce decision latency without creating operational chaos will be better positioned to protect service, margin, and accountability when disruption moves faster than the planning calendar.