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OPS 202 · Unit 3 of 6

Inventory and Planning

Supply Chains and Global Operations

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Learning objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • Plan inventory and S&OP with service-cost tradeoffs
  • Apply the frameworks in "Inventory and Planning" to a real management decision
  • Make progress on your Resilience roadmap memo integrating six unit tools applied project

Why this matters

Inventory and Planning builds applied supply-chain fluency with Atlas Outdoor Gear examples, reconciled models, and unit assessments.

Lesson

Unit overview

Complete all 5 lessons in order. Each lesson follows the OPS 202 gold standard: conceptual prose, Atlas worked examples, practice problems, and managerial judgment prompts.

Connection to applied work

This unit feeds directly into Resilience roadmap memo integrating six unit tools. As you read, capture notes, examples, and data you can reuse in that deliverable. Strong students finish each unit with a draft section of their project, not just highlights.

Practice

  1. Write a one-page summary of this unit in your own words without looking at the lesson.
  2. Find a real company example (public filing, news article, or personal experience) that illustrates the main concept.
  3. Draft one paragraph recommending an action a manager should take based on this unit.
  4. Add at least three terms from this unit to your course glossary.

Knowledge check

Answer these without notes before marking the unit complete:

  1. What is the central idea of "Inventory and Planning"?
  2. What mistake do beginners most often make when applying this material?
  3. How does this unit help you complete Resilience roadmap memo integrating six unit tools?
  4. What is one decision you face this month where this unit applies?

Key takeaways

  • Plan inventory and S&OP with service-cost tradeoffs
  • Business concepts only matter when they change a decision.
  • Your OPS 202 assessment (Design and manage global supply networks from sourcing through customer fulfillment, with Atlas Outdoor Gear as the anchor company.) rewards applied understanding, not memorization.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

40% applied project35% knowledge checks25% reflections

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Inventory and Planning45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Inventory and Planning**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under OPS 202.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Inventory and Planning30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your OPS 202 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Model / spreadsheet

Build or extend a spreadsheet model tied to this unit.

ModelStructured model: Inventory and Planning60 min
Create a structured analytical model for **Inventory and Planning**. Document your assumptions, calculations, and conclusions in a format appropriate to OPS 202 (diagram, table, or written model). Connect outputs to a decision a manager would make.

Deliverable

Structured model document (2+ pages) · One-paragraph summary of key insight from the model · Screenshot or export saved to portfolio

Rubric

  • • Assumptions stated explicitly
  • • Logic is auditable (formulas or steps visible)
  • • Output answers a specific business question
  • • Sensitivity or scenario considered

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. Atlas Reno showed weeks of cover but zero safety stock on bestsellers. Customer service risk is driven by:

2. ROP = d × L + SS. Atlas triggers PO when:

3. Raising service from 98% to 99% on all SKUs raised inventory $0.9M for $180K stockout savings. Atlas should:

4. S&OP executive meeting output should include:

5. Flash sale planned for 25K units with ATP 18K. Best coordination response:

6. If lead time doubles with unchanged demand variability, safety stock at fixed service level:

7. Wholesale allocations reduce DTC nettable inventory. Atlas should:

8. Consensus forecast in S&OP means:

Next unit: Logistics and Network Design →