---
id: what-happens-in-the-walk-phase-of-supply-chain-transformation
title: "What happens in the Walk phase of supply chain transformation?"
category: guide
subtopic: walk-phase-expansion
page_type: guide
source_url: "https://neosbyargonandco.com/crawl-before-you-run-a-mid-market-roadmap-to-supply-chain-planning-success"
tags: ["walk phase", "S&OP", "collaboration", "expansion"]
questions:
  - "What's the second phase of supply chain planning?"
  - "How do we expand planning across departments?"
  - "What is S&OP and IBP?"
related: [phased-supply-chain, crawl-phase-focus, run-phase-optimization]
---

Once you've proven value in the crawl phase, the walk phase expands your capabilities and brings more stakeholders into a responsive planning culture.

Typical walk-phase initiatives include formalizing S&OP (Sales & Operations Planning) or IBP (Integrated Business Planning) cycles, connecting financial and operational planning, introducing supply/demand balancing logic, and extending the platform to new business units, regions, or product lines.

You're not just adding technology-you're building a more agile, collaborative planning process. Companies at this stage often reduce stockouts by 15-25% and cut inventory carrying costs by 10%.

The walk phase brings teams along in manageable stages, avoiding the overwhelm of a big-bang rollout while maintaining momentum. Ready to expand your planning capabilities? Contact us to explore what's next for your supply chain.