Perimattic
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Scenario Planning

Model the full range of outcomes before you commit to a plan

Single-point forecasts express false precision. Scenario Planning lets teams create named scenarios with tracked assumptions, compare their inventory impact side-by-side, and commit to a plan only after the range is visible.

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Named

Scenarios with configurable demand assumptions tracked and compared side-by-side

Side-by-side

Inventory impact comparison before any plan is committed

Full audit

Trail of which scenarios were considered before a plan was locked

What does scenario planning do in demand AI software?

Scenario planning in demand AI software lets planning teams create named scenarios with configurable assumptions, see the inventory, service-level, and working-capital impact of each side-by-side, and commit to a plan only after the full range of outcomes is visible — with every scenario considered preserved in the audit trail. No spreadsheets. No single-point forecasts.

The Problem

Why single-point forecasts leave teams exposed

One number with no visibility into the range
A consensus forecast expressed as a single number tells planners nothing about the uncertainty around it. When the actual falls outside the single point, the team is reactive. When it falls within a visible range, the team is prepared.
What-if analysis done in disconnected spreadsheets
Modeling scenarios in spreadsheets requires duplicating data, maintaining version control, and manually reconciling outputs. The scenario assumptions and the inventory impact calculations live in different files — often owned by different people.
No record of scenarios considered before a plan was committed
When a demand plan turns out to be wrong, the question "what alternatives did we evaluate?" should have a documented answer. Without named scenarios in the planning system, the answer is usually "we ran the base forecast."
S&OP consensus process that debates the data rather than the decision
When scenarios are not visible to all participants in the S&OP review, the meeting is spent establishing a shared view of the data rather than deciding between options. Named, shared scenarios turn an alignment problem into a choice.

The Capability

How Scenario Planning structures the decision before the commitment

WITHOUT IT
A single optimistic or base-case plan with no built-in view of what happens if demand comes in above or below it.
PLANNING CAPABILITY
Named Scenarios
Each scenario is created with a name, a set of demand assumption adjustments (uplift percentages, volume changes, event overlays), and a time horizon. Assumptions are visible to all planners with access to the scenario set, and every change is tracked and timestamped.
WITHOUT IT
Comparing scenarios means exporting each one to a separate spreadsheet and reconciling them by hand.
PLANNING CAPABILITY
Side-by-Side Impact Comparison
All active scenarios are displayed simultaneously with their inventory, service level, and working capital implications calculated against the current supply plan. Planners see the cost of each assumption set before committing.
WITHOUT IT
Once a plan is committed, the alternatives that were considered — and why they were rejected — disappear.
PLANNING CAPABILITY
Scenario Audit Trail
When a plan is committed, the scenarios that were evaluated at the time of commitment are preserved in the audit trail. The decision record shows not just what was chosen, but what alternatives were on the table and what assumptions drove the choice.

The S&OP Shift

The S&OP meeting should debate the decision, not the data

When all participants in an S&OP review can see the same named scenarios with the same inventory and financial implications, the meeting changes character. It stops being a session to establish a shared view of the numbers and starts being a session to choose between documented options. Scenario Planning makes that shift possible by giving every participant the same view before the conversation starts.

In Practice

A fashion retailer avoids a markdown crisis with pre-season scenario planning

The Situation

A fashion retailer managing 4,000 SKUs across 80 stores was running a single optimistic demand plan into the season buy. When early-season sell-through came in 15% below plan, the team had no pre-built response scenario and no visibility into what inventory actions the slower start required. Markdowns were reactive and deeper than necessary.

What Demand OS Did

Before the following season, the planning team created three named scenarios in Demand OS: fast start (sell-through 20% above baseline), base case (on-trend), and slow start (15% below baseline). Inventory impact for each scenario was calculated against the current buy plan. The slow-start scenario pre-defined the markdown trigger points and reorder hold thresholds before the season opened.

The Outcome

When the following season opened 12% below the base case, the team activated the pre-built slow-start response within 48 hours. Markdown depth was 9 percentage points lower than the prior season's unplanned response. The S&OP review that week focused on executing the pre-committed plan rather than building one under pressure.

Key Metrics

What planning teams gain from structured scenario visibility

3common scenario types modeled — optimistic, pessimistic, and base case — all visible simultaneously
60%reduction in S&OP meeting time spent on data alignment when scenarios are pre-shared
Fullaudit trail of scenario assumptions and the plan ultimately committed, for every planning cycle
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Demand OS vs SAP IBP

Native SAP S/4HANA and ECC integration without the consultant-dependent IBP rollout.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Scenario planning questions answered

How many scenarios can be active simultaneously in Demand OS?+
There is no hard limit on the number of named scenarios that can be maintained simultaneously. In practice, most planning teams work with three to five active scenarios at any time — typically optimistic, base case, pessimistic, and one or two event-specific scenarios (a major promotional event, a supplier risk scenario). All active scenarios are visible side-by-side in the planner workbench.
Can scenarios be shared with stakeholders outside the planning team?+
Yes. Scenarios can be shared with read-only access for finance, commercial, and supply chain stakeholders without giving them the ability to modify assumptions. This allows S&OP participants to review the scenario set before the meeting rather than seeing it for the first time during the presentation.
Can Demand OS model the inventory impact of a specific promotional event as a scenario?+
Yes. A promotional event scenario is created by defining the SKU scope, the expected demand uplift multiplier, and the event date range. The system calculates the pre-position inventory required, the working capital cost, and the risk if the promotional volume does not materialize. The scenario can be compared against a no-promotion baseline to evaluate whether the promotion is worth running from an inventory economics perspective.
How does Scenario Planning connect to the consensus process?+
The consensus forecast can be set to draw from any active scenario rather than the base statistical forecast. When commercial or sales teams provide top-down adjustments, those adjustments can be modeled as a named scenario before being applied — so the inventory team can see the impact of the adjustment before it enters the planning system.
Is there an audit trail of which scenarios were considered when a plan was committed?+
Yes. When a plan is committed, the system logs the active scenario set, the assumptions in each scenario, and the scenario that was selected as the basis for the committed plan. This record is available for review in the audit trail and can be exported for S&OP documentation purposes.

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Ready to plan with confidence?

Talk to a demand planning specialist and see scenario planning live on your own data. You leave with accuracy benchmarks, a scoped pilot plan, and published pricing — all in one conversation.

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