Let’s face it—most traditional planning models just aren’t built for the world we live in today. They’re too rigid, too reliant on precise forecasts, and they don’t drive operations based on what the customer actually wants. Most companies end up in “Excel hell,” constantly updating plans that are already out of date by the time you hit save.
That’s why more and more companies are shifting to a Demand-Driven Operating Model. Instead of trying to plan everything using a forecast-driven push system, you flip the model: you let real demand pull inventory through your operations.
One of the most significant breakthroughs in this approach is called Demand-Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP). And once you experience it, there’s no going back.
So, What Is Demand-Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP)?
DDMRP is a multi-echelon planning and execution method that protects and promotes the flow of relevant information by managing strategically placed decoupling point stock buffers. It blends key elements of MRP and DRP with the pull-based visibility of Lean, the flow focus of Theory of Constraints, and the variability control of Six Sigma. These are combined through key innovations that make DDMRP the supply order engine of the Demand Driven Operating Model (DDOM).
It’s not about getting every number right. It’s about creating a system that adapts, flows, and delivers—even when things change.
Here’s how it works:
- Pull-based planning: You use actual demand to trigger decisions—not forecasts. That means more stability and less nervousness.
- Decouples your supply chain: Strategic buffers break the dependency between supply and demand. No more bullwhip effect.
- Clear prioritization: Real demand sets real priorities. This cuts out guesswork and keeps teams focused.
- End-to-end visibility: Merges Lean and MRP into one integrated end-to-end flow model—no more planning silos.
- Easy to use and understand: It’s visual, simple, and anyone on your team can pick it up quickly.
Instead of constantly reacting to chaos, your system becomes proactive, visual, and responsive. Planners spend less time-fighting fires and more time making smart decisions.
When you connect it to your S&OP process (using a tactical hub we call DDS&OP), everything aligns—from the shop floor to the boardroom.
5 Ways b2wise DDMRP Improves Your Process
1. Built for Today’s Reality
DDMRP is made for VUCA environments—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. It handles disruption instead of collapsing under it.
2. Faster, Smarter Decisions
You plan and execute with the demand you actually have, not the one you guessed six weeks ago. That means better decisions, faster.
3. Stability Without Sacrificing Agility
Buffers absorb the chaos so your system stays stable. You stay agile without spinning out of control.
4. Clarity Across the Business
Visual tools and clear priorities help planners, sales, operations and finance get aligned fast—and hold the course together.
5. You Stay in Control
No more being held hostage by your spreadsheet. With DDMRP, your planning process is in the field, in the system and is less dependent on tribal knowledge of key resources to hold the ship steady.
DDMRP isn’t just a new tool—it’s a smarter way to run your supply chain. It brings structure to chaos, clarity to decision-making, and confidence to your team.
You don’t need to control the future. You need a system that can flow with it. That’s what DDMRP delivers.
Think flow,
Kevin Boake
