From the Top Down

It's Project Management 101: Executive sponsorship is one of the most critical factors for a business initiative to succeed. Achieve cross-functional collaboration and you up your chances for victory even more. In our cover story this month (Page 8), senior executives from the supply chain and IT teams at Del Monte Foods tell us how they were able to effectively collaborate on a demand-driven operating model, which enabled its customers to operate at 98 percent to 99 percent in stock during promotional periods, among other benefits. The rest of this issue is also focused on best practices in supply chain and you'll read success stories from Carter's (Page 11), Organic Valley (Page 12) and Welch's (Page 13). Plus, check out our Supply Chain Planning Technology Solutions Guide, which can help you choose the right technology partner for your future supply chain projects.