Category planning is policy governance—not spreadsheet maintenance
Category planners increasingly manage inventory, forecast and service policies that shape commercial outcomes.
Category planning is often treated as maintaining forecasts and inventory files. In practice, it is the governance of commercial and inventory policy at category level.
Observation
Central planning roles increasingly combine inventory optimization, forecast alignment and category decision support.
Operational implication
Changes to service targets, segmentation, safety stock or launch assumptions directly affect availability, margin and working capital.
Decision architecture
Each category policy needs an owner, effective date, approval path and measurable outcome.
Data requirements
Forecast, inventory, lifecycle, margin and service data must share consistent identifiers and versions.
What should remain lightweight
Exploratory analysis and alternative category scenarios can remain in a governed analytical layer.
What should be integrated
Approved policies and parameters should be integrated into Inventory Planning, APS and ERP.
The category planner is not maintaining a file. The role is maintaining a decision policy.