What is requirements ascertainment in SAP SCM-APO - Advanced Planning and Optimization?

SAP Term: requirements ascertainment

• Component: SCM-APO

• Component Name: Advanced Planning and Optimization

• Description: Term used in make-to-order planning. Requirements are planned at customer level in Demand Planning. These requirements could originate from outline agreements with the customer. However, before the requirements are procured or produced, the customer is obliged to ascertain them by issuing a purchase order, which enters the system as a sales order. This process must usually occur within a fixed period, the requirements ascertainment horizon. After this period has elapsed, the remaining demand is deleted in PP/DS, so that these planned orders that resulted from these requirements are not converted to production orders.

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• Key Concepts: 
  Requirements ascertainment is a process used in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SCM-APO) to identify the needs of a business. It involves gathering information from stakeholders, analyzing the data, and creating a plan to meet the requirements. The process helps businesses to identify their current and future needs, and develop strategies to meet them. 
  
  How to use it: 
  Requirements ascertainment is an important part of the planning process in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SCM-APO). To use it, stakeholders must first be identified and consulted. This includes customers, suppliers, and other relevant parties. Once the stakeholders have been identified, their requirements must be gathered and analyzed. This can be done through surveys, interviews, or other methods. The data should then be used to create a plan that meets the requirements of the stakeholders. 
  
  Tips & Tricks: 
  When using requirements ascertainment in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SCM-APO), it is important to ensure that all stakeholders are consulted. This will help to ensure that all requirements are taken into account when creating the plan. Additionally, it is important to keep track of changes in requirements over time, as this can affect the plan. 
  
  Related Information: 
  Requirements ascertainment is an important part of the planning process in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SCM-APO). For more information on this process, please refer to SAP’s official documentation on Advanced Planning and Optimization (SCM-APO). Additionally, there are many online resources available that provide further information on this topic.