Riding the Wave of Supply Chain Volatility: How Business Central Users Can Plan Smarter, Not Harder

It’s 2025, and the supply chain rollercoaster isn’t slowing down.

Container rates spike overnight. A port strike on the other side of the world is causing delays in the delivery of critical parts. Vendors stretch lead times “until further notice.”

Even companies running Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central—systems built for order and predictability—are feeling it. Forecasts that made sense last month? Out the window.

So here’s the real question: how do you plan with confidence when the world won’t sit still?

The Business Central Perspective

Business Central provides planners with solid tools—Planning Worksheets, Demand Forecasts, and MRP/MPS—to effectively balance supply and demand.

They’re great at generating suggestions based on defined parameters. But here’s the catch: those parameters assume the world behaves predictably.

When vendor data lags, lead times shift, or demand spikes unexpectedly, Business Central’s static settings can’t keep up. You end up reacting instead of planning.

And let’s be honest—you can’t fight today’s volatility with last quarter’s lead times.

Enter the Enhanced Planning & Forecasting Ecosystem

This is where Insight Works’ planning tools step in—purpose-built for Business Central users who need agility, not spreadsheets.

• Enhanced Planning Worksheet – Your command center for replenishment. It layers in vendor insights, supply/demand visuals, and multi-location visibility—all in one screen.
• Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet – Pairs Business Central’s forecasting with Azure AI. It predicts trends, fine-tunes safety stock, and updates planning parameters automatically.
• Item Planning Review – The fast, no-forecast way to review usage data, tweak reorder points, and adjust buffers on the fly.

Together, they turn Business Central’s native planning engine into a real-time decision system—where data isn’t just accurate, it’s actionable.

The outcome? Faster adjustments. Fewer shortages. Less guesswork.

A Day in the Life

Picture this.

A key supplier just pushed out deliveries by three weeks. Usually, that means panic and a scramble through Excel.

But with Insight Works’ planning suite:

1. The planner opens Item Planning Review and instantly sees which SKUs are affected by that vendor delay.
2. Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet recalculates demand using current sales velocity—no stale assumptions.
3. Enhanced Planning Worksheet recalibrates purchase orders, factoring in vendor reliability and available stock across locations.
4. Within minutes, the planner regenerates MRP and issues updated POs—before operations even feel the impact.

Result: agility replaces panic.

The Payoff

When Business Central gets smarter, planners breathe easier.

• Resilience: React instantly to supplier or shipping changes.
• Visibility: Identify vulnerable items before they stock out.
• Efficiency: Adjust plans without diving into spreadsheets or multiple cards.
• Confidence: Know your data reflects reality, not last week’s assumptions.

It’s not just about keeping up—it’s about getting ahead.

Reality Check

No app can eliminate volatility. However, the Enhanced Planning, Forecasting, and Review tools significantly reduce your reaction window from days to minutes.

And because each tool is modular, you can start small—maybe with the Item Planning Review—and layer in forecasting or advanced planning as your needs grow.

The Bottom Line

You can’t control geopolitics, freight costs, or the next vendor delay.

But you can control how your system responds.

So the next time the supply chain tide shifts, make sure Business Central isn’t the bottleneck—it’s the advantage.

Explore the Enhanced Planning Pack on Microsoft AppSource and see how Business Central users are planning smarter, not harder.