Usage of information technology and business analytics within sales and operations planning: a systematic literature review

Goal: This paper aims to analyze to which extend the usage of information technology (IT) and business analytics (BA) have been explored in the context of sales and operations planning (S&OP). Design / Methodology / Approach: This study conducts a systematic literature review to synthesize the state of the art of IT and BA in S&OP. The review follows the rigorous approach by Thomé et al. (2016). Through the literature search, 442 results were retrieved, of which 57 were selected for the analysis. The results containing analytics techniques are classified by the planning tasks of S&OP that they address. Results: The analysis provides an overview of the dominant themes in the field of IT, BA and S&OP and leads to a classification of the existing research in the field of BA for S&OP. This study finds that IT can be an enabler of S&OP and that most analytics techniques address S&OP through fully-integrated optimization approaches. Yet, the impact on the S&OP process has not been explored. This study thus identifies gaps for future research and proposes a research agenda on BA on S&OP. Limitations of the investigation: The systematic literature review is restricted to the Elvesier SCOPUS database. SCOPUS has excellent coverage regarding relevant journals for this study. Despite SCOPUS being a prominent scientific database, other databases might reveal additional studies and further insights. Practical implications: The findings of this study provide insights on how IT and BA can support and influence the S&OP process. Originality / Value: In recent years, S&OP, IT and BA have seen a growing interest by scholars. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the number of published literature reviews on S&OP and BA is scarce. This study provides an overview of how IT and BA are used within S&OP.