Many organizations are racing today to build smarter, faster, and more resilient supply chains. Daily disruptions, demand swings, and global uncertainties among other challenges continue to push the need for more advanced planning capabilities. But before embarking on a digital transformation, one truth stands out: successful supply chain planning is impossible without strong enterprise integration.
More than a technical task, integration is the foundation that ties vision to execution, connecting data to decisions and powering strategic planning. Preparing for integration requires intentional steps, thoughtful alignment, and the right technology partner.
Here are five essential steps companies should take to help ensure a successful integration of their supply chain planning system across the broader enterprise ecosystem.
1. Ensure Data Readiness
Clarity has to be the first task. The initial step is to understand why the organization is pursuing a transformation initiative. Whether the goal is improving resilience and agility, forecast accuracy, lifting service levels, reducing costs, or preparing for growth, the why should guide the strategy.
From there, teams must translate strategic ambition into actionable planning requirements. This involves identifying what needs to be done to turn objectives into measurable results, and determining what data is required to achieve those objectives. Accessible data is the lifeblood of integrated, end-to-end planning. If the organization plans to bring in ERP data, weather projections, third-party market intelligence, or unstructured datasets, it must assess a) what you have access to today, b) the state of that data (e.g. are the connections stable, is the data standardized, and are the “pipes clean”, and c) what data is missing to achieve the stated goals and where can you find it.
2. Embrace Composability and The Ability to Plug-and-Play
Modern supply chains evolve rapidly, and rigid systems simply can’t keep up. That’s why composability has become a cornerstone of successful planning integration. Composability allows organizations to work with their existing systems rather than replace them, making integration both more flexible and more cost-effective.
Instead of forcing companies to operate within a single ecosystem, composability gives them the freedom to connect different systems to bring more agility and intelligence.
Beyond connecting to multiple ERPs, such as how the Atlas Planning Platform allows teams to connect to SAP, NetSuite, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor, and more, no matter how many instances exist across the business, the real power comes after your foundation is in place. As companies look to expand their planning capabilities, they’ll inevitably need to tap into new data streams, connect additional systems, and integrate emerging technologies. That’s where a strong composable architecture becomes essential, to easily layer new planning capabilities on top of core systems without worrying about complexity. This creates a more dynamic and agile planning environment that empowers teams to innovate, solve problems more quickly, and adapt to continuous change.
3. Take a Step-by-Step Journey Toward Your Supply Chain Goals
The most successful transformation initiatives follow a phased, intentional progression. John Galt Solutions supports this through the Pathways to Evolve methodology, which helps companies determine where they are today, where they want to go, and how fast they should move.
With Atlas, organizations can begin with the capabilities that matter most to them right now. For example, starting with demand planning, and expand from there. As needs evolve, companies can seamlessly add S&OP, inventory optimization, supply planning, or other modules without disrupting existing operations. Each step builds on the last, enabling growth at the pace that best aligns with the organization’s maturity and readiness.
This step-by-step approach replaces rigid legacy systems with a flexible, adaptable platform that stays with the business through every phase of its digital journey.
4. Select a Technology Partner With Proven Integration Experience
Integration becomes significantly more complex in organizations that operate multiple ERPs, regional instances, or highly customized environments. This is a common reality following acquisitions or expansions. Having an experienced partner is critical.
John Galt Solutions frequently works with customers who have two, three, seven, or even more ERP systems across their network. In these environments, Atlas becomes the central planning engine, consolidating data into one unified source of truth. This ensures consistency in planning, better visibility, and more reliable decision making. When evaluating partners, businesses should look for proven expertise across the full spectrum of ERP providers; SAP, NetSuite, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Infor, and beyond.
5. Prioritize Configuration Over Customization
One of the most overlooked aspects of integration is the balance between configuration and customization. Traditional planning systems often require heavy coding, long implementation cycles, and ongoing maintenance from technical teams.
Because many ERP environments are highly customized, planning platforms must be flexible enough to adapt without requiring new custom code. Solutions like Atlas offer low-code / no-code configuration, enabling teams to tailor workflows, templates, and processes without introducing complexity. This reduces implementation time, lowers costs, and makes future enhancements easier and more sustainable.
Bonus: Expand Through an Ecosystem That Unlocks Advanced Capabilities
As organizations mature, their planning needs expand beyond the basics. They may want to incorporate advanced scheduling, transportation management, manufacturing execution, or additional data streams. This is where a partner ecosystem becomes essential.
Atlas acts as the foundation for a broader planning ecosystem, allowing companies to integrate best-in-class technology partners. As businesses celebrate early transformation wins, they can easily extend their capabilities by tapping into this network, continually evolving their planning environment without major system overhauls.
Integration lies at the heart of modern supply chain planning. By ensuring data readiness, embracing composability, taking a phased approach and partnering with experienced experts, you can create a strong foundation for long-term success.
Let’s have a chat to help you get started and accelerate your digital transformation.
