IBP is not just a set of meetings, it is an ongoing process that includes some formal, calendarized decision-making forums. It must also be tailored to fit the organizational structure and decision rights. However, there are some common attributes across the process.
Each month, key decision makers come together to review what has changed of significance since the previous cycle, how that affects their ability to deliver the business plan and strategic goals and, crucially, what to do about it. These decision-making forums are clustered around the core business areas; Product & Portfolio Management; Demand (Commercial) Management, and Supply Chain Management. Wherever possible decisions are made in these forums. Where this is not possible issues and opportunities are escalated through a process called Integrated Reconciliation which gathers up and prioritizes decisions which are then brought to the Management Business Review, which is the leadership forum.
Organizations must have the right structure, people, and information flows pitched at the right level of altitude and materiality. Accountabilities and decision rights must be clear. The reviews should be 2-3 hours in length and focused on making decisions about significant issues and opportunities, not just sharing information, so preparation is crucial. Each activity and all the reviews along with their inputs and outputs need to happen ‘on the clock’ i.e., to the agreed timetable every month. The process map brings efficiency, the content brings effectiveness, decision-making delivers value.