Factors influencing planning process design and their impact

The acknowledged lower acceptance of centralized planning approaches by independent companies participating in networks raises the question: In which cases is it optimal to use a central planning approach, as opposed to a local planning approach, for an integrated planning process in networks? Many planning fields also require intensive information exchange. Therefore, by trying to cooperate in all fields, companies risk inefficient planning; thus, raising another question as to which fields should and should not be collaboratively planned. This context also presents the following interesting question: According to which criteria can orders be allocated to various production sites? Addressing these questions, this paper identifies and categorizes factors influencing the design of sales, capacity and transportation planning processes, and finally suggests solutions regarding decisions on possible combinations of compatible characteristics.