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Supply Chain

The Pitfalls of Traditional Supply Chain Planning Software

Published on December 2024
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Supply chain planning is more complex than ever, with disruptions, demand volatility, and fragmented data posing significant challenges. While 73% of supply chain professionals still rely on spreadsheets for planning, legacy planning software often fails to deliver speed, affordability, and ease of use. Boardwalk Velocity AI-driven forecasts increase top line revenue by 3-5% and improve margins by reducing obsolete inventory by 2-4%.

1. Slow and Expensive Implementation

Traditional supply chain planning systems, such as SAP IBP, Oracle SCM, and Kinaxis, require 12-24 months for full implementation, $3M+ in licensing, consulting, and training, and extensive IT resources. In contrast, Boardwalk Velocity is 15x faster, offering deployment in weeks—not months.

2. High Costs and Low ROI

Traditional supply chain planning software often ranges from $100,000 to $3 million per year for large-scale implementations. Yet only 37% of companies see a positive ROI within three years. Boardwalk Velocity costs a fraction of traditional software and reduces TCO by 60-70%.

3. Low User Adoption

A survey by Forrester found that 72% of supply chain planners still prefer Excel over traditional planning software because legacy systems are too complex and IT-driven solutions are not intuitive for business users. Boardwalk Velocity boasts high user adoption rates because it retains Excel's usability while eliminating version control issues.

4. No Real-Time Synchronization

Most organizations juggle multiple disconnected tools like ERP, SCM software, and spreadsheets. Boardwalk Velocity's real-time synchronization means every update in your spreadsheet is automatically reflected across all users in real-time.

5. Cost-Effective and Scalable Collaboration

Traditional ERP-based supply chain planning software is rigid and expensive. Boardwalk Velocity enables seamless integration with ERP (Oracle, Dynamics, others) and significant savings on IT and infrastructure spend, reducing planning cycle time by 40%.

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