Leverage the full potential of SAP PP/DS in production planning
Does your team use SAP PP/DS but hasn’t yet unlocked the system’s full potential in their daily work?
We offer a training program designed to help you better understand the planning logic within SAP PP/DS and translate it into practice: from capacity planning and order sequencing to responding to exceptions, resource constraints, and shifting priorities.
This training has one goal: to help your team work in a way that ensures SAP PP/DS truly supports production planning, rather than being just another tool in the background.
The program is suitable for:
1. Production Planners,
2. Planning Leads,
3. Supply Chain Managers,
4. Operations and Production Leaders,
5. SAP Key Users,
6. Individuals responsible for planning process development,
7. Managers who want to better understand how SAP PP/DS impacts plan feasibility.
It is effective both when a team is just beginning to organize their workflow in PP/DS, as well as when the system is already in place but its potential has yet to translate into the quality of daily planning.
We show how to interpret the plan within the context of production constraints and how to better utilize PP/DS functions to make the plan more operationally realistic.
Result: Fewer theoretical plans, more executable ones.
When every change requires a series of manual shifts, the system isn’t relieving the planners’ workload as it should.
Result: Less reactive work, more control over the plan.
The training helps organize the way of thinking about the plan: what the system considers, what can be configured, and what requires a user decision.
Result: Better capacity utilization and more informed planning decisions.
In many organizations, teams stick to basic functions while more advanced capabilities remain untapped.
Result: Greater value derived from the system already running in the company.
Participants learn how to interpret system signals and how to react more quickly to issues within the plan.
Result: Faster risk detection and fewer surprises during execution.
The training helps transition from simply operating the tool to consciously utilizing it in daily planning.
Result: The team works with more confidence, consistency, and independence.
Participants will learn:
1. How to understand the planning logic in SAP PP/DS
2. How to work with resource and capacity constraints
3. How to better sequence orders and operations
4. How to interpret exceptions and alerts
5. How to distinguish between a system-correct plan and an operationally feasible plan
6. How to use functions that automate planning tasks
7. How to evaluate where PP/DS provides the most value in a given production model
8. How to better align the system perspective with the shop floor and business requirements
This is not a training about “clicking through screens.” It is a training about how to better use SAP PP/DS to make informed planning decisions.
How to plan with the precision that matters in daily operations — focusing not just on the daily level, but on specific operations, sequences, and execution times.
How to manage the plan when resources are not “infinite,” and how machine or line availability directly impacts order feasibility.
How to arrange the production sequence to minimize wasted time, including the impact of frequent changeovers and setups.
How to understand the influence of critical resources and bottlenecks on the overall plan.
How rules-based planning works and when it helps streamline repetitive decision-making.
Which problems can be solved using optimization engines and how to evaluate the results from a business perspective.
How to more quickly identify issues with deadlines, availability, and plan consistency.
How to better understand the dependencies between plan elements and where the real risks lie.
How PP/DS fits into the broader planning and execution process within the SAP environment.
If your organization also uses SAP IBP, we demonstrate where network-level planning ends and where detailed plant-level scheduling takes over.
1. A more executable production plan, based on real-world constraints.
2. Fewer manual adjustments and less “workaround” activity outside the system.
3. Better utilization of production resources.
4. Greater transparency regarding the root causes of delays and overloads.
5. Faster response times to changes and disruptions.
6. Improved on-time delivery (OTD) performance.
7. More informed decision-making regarding production priorities.
8. Increased independence and maturity of the planning team.
9. Higher ROI on your SAP investment.
10. A stronger alignment between planning and the operational realities of the plant.
Example Modules:
– Where PP/DS provides the most value
– How it differs from simpler planning approaches
– How to interpret its role from both business and operational perspectives
– Resources, timings, sequences, and constraints.
– Dependencies between material planning and capacity.
– The most common sources of plan inconsistency.
– How the system schedules operation timings.
– How to manage order sequencing.
– Understanding the impact of changes on the rest of the plan.
– Finite capacity planning in practice.
– Bottlenecks and critical resources.
– Determining when a plan is realistic versus merely formally correct.
– Which decisions the system can support.
– When to use built-in rules.
– How to reduce unnecessary manual work.
– When optimization makes sense.
– Evaluating trade-offs between deadlines, changeovers, and resource utilization.
– Interpreting results from a business perspective.
– How to prioritize reaction strategies.
– Ensuring critical issues are not overlooked.
– Working based on system signals rather than just intuition.
– Examples from daily planning routines.
– Analysis of typical problems.
– Discussion of practical team workflows.
We don’t stop at function descriptions. We show how SAP PP/DS impacts the daily work of planners, production staff, and decision-makers.
Our approach focuses on real-world scenarios: shifting priorities, resource constraints, plan quality, and exception handling.
Training looks different for a team just beginning to organize their work in PP/DS compared to a company looking to dive deep into advanced scheduling, sequencing, and optimization.
Thanks to our experience in SAP projects across planning and logistics, we translate complex technical topics into clear language for business and operational users.
The goal of the training is not just to transfer knowledge, but to improve how the team interacts with the system and to leverage its capabilities where they matter most.
Is this training suitable for companies just starting out with SAP PP/DS?
Yes. The program can be tailored both for teams that are just beginning their journey and for those already working in PP/DS who want to better leverage its functions.
Is the training technical?
Not in a programming or configuration sense. We approach the topic from a practical and process-oriented perspective. Where system-specific aspects arise, we explain them in plain language and demonstrate their direct impact on daily operations.
Is the training for planners or managers?
For both groups, but it is worth tailoring the scope. For planners, we typically place more emphasis on the day-to-day management of the plan. For managers, the focus shifts to how PP/DS impacts plan feasibility, on-time delivery, and the overall organization of the team’s work.
Does the training also cover the relationship between SAP PP/DS and SAP S/4HANA or SAP IBP?
Yes, if this is relevant to your organization. We can demonstrate the specific role PP/DS plays within the broader planning model.
Can the training be based on our real-life use cases?
Yes. This is the best approach if you want your team to quickly translate their newly acquired knowledge into practice after the session.
Does this training replace an optimization project?
No. The training focuses on developing the team’s competencies. It can be an excellent step before a transformation project or a key element of post-implementation development, but it does not replace configuration or design work.
Is the training dedicated to a specific industry?
No. The program can be tailored to the specific nature of production, the degree of process complexity, and the planning model used within a given company.
If you want your team to better understand the potential of SAP PP/DS and use it more effectively in production planning, let’s discuss a training program tailored to your organization.
We will help you design a program that addresses the real needs of your team — from establishing a basic workflow in PP/DS to implementing more advanced approaches to scheduling and managing constraints.
