i-suite

Touchless Planning: redefining control in the modern supply chain

A strategic shift from coordination to intelligent automation

insight
October 08, 2025
9 min read

Author


Ashish Agarwal
Managing Director at Nagarro, he drives non-linear growth across strategic geographies and leads global sustainability initiatives, having previously headed global business, HR, and post-merger integrations.

 

 



Ritika Bansal 
Principal Consultant at Nagarro, operates at the crossroads of AI, retail, and supply chain strategy, helping organizations evolve toward intelligent and human-centered ecosystems.

Supply chain is under pressure

Global volatility, ranging from shifting trade policies and geopolitical disruptions to climate shocks, talent shortages, and growing digital complexity, is creating significant headwinds. As a result, supply chain businesses that lack agility are struggling to keep pace.

 

Despite the rapid advancement of digital tools, planning processes remain fragmented and heavily reliant on manual coordination. When disruptions occur, be it a delivery delay, a plant shutdown, or a peak in demand, companies are forced to act reactively. Decisions are made instinctively, so by the time the teams react, the damage has often already been done in terms of lost sales, higher costs, or dissatisfied customers.

In this volatile environment, supply chain leaders are under increasing pressure to manage costs, capital, or services, and to deliver resilience, agility, and sustainability. That’s a tall order. Traditional S&OP methods can’t keep pace.

Why global volatility needs Touchless Planning today.

Disruptions aren’t isolated; they cascade all together. From canal blockages to waves of employee attrition, modern supply chains face multi-directional shocks that ripple across operations. As more supplier tiers are added, linear response mechanisms begin to fail. What was once a straightforward pipeline suddenly becomes a complex, interdependent network. In this environment, cost and margin pressures intensify, and mid-to-long-term responses must be built not around individual events, but around systemic adaptability.

This calls for interconnected planning systems, where data, decisions, and simulations flow across functions without friction, enabling real-time, automated responses that are both strategic and scalable. Here are the growing global pressures:

Geopolitical disruptions and political volatility

Regional conflicts, trade tensions, or cyberattacks destabilize supply. Wars, sanctions, along with sudden policy shifts, undermine global trade, demanding faster responses. Planning systems must adapt immediately to border closures, tariffs, restrictions, to remain resilient. Already, 72% of supply chain leaders are investing in AI and automation to mitigate these risks, boosting agility (Gartner).

ESG regulatory pressure

The EU CBAM could increase the cost of aluminum by 70%, steel by 40% by 2030 (McKinsey). ESG mandates now require emissions control, ethical sourcing, waste reduction. AI-supported planning integrates costs, compliance, and sustainability into day-to-day decisions. UPS, for example, uses AI-powered route optimization to save millions of gallons of fuel, cut emissions while improving logistics.

Climate instability

Climate shocks are increasing in frequency and severity, leading to delivery bottlenecks, higher costs, revenue loss. Autonomous planning based on real-time data can anticipate floods, droughts, extreme weather, then adjust networks to ensure continuity. McKinsey finds that companies that incorporate resilience into planning outperform their peers, turning environmental uncertainty into a managed, proactive advantage.

Talent shortage and digital complexity

Ninety percent of organizations lack the digital talent needed for transformation (McKinsey). Meanwhile, supply chains face swelling data volumes, fragmented systems, rapid tech change. Touchless planning reduces reliance on scarce expertise, enabling intelligent agents to orchestrate data-driven decisions at scale with minimal intervention, closing talent gaps while increasing speed, accuracy, resilience.

Regionalization and network complexity

Nearshoring and friendshoring are on the rise as companies move their supply closer to demand. While control improves, multi-regional networks increase complexity across inventory, logistics, compliance. Autonomous planning helps optimize these distributed systems, balancing resilience with efficiency. The ability to coordinate seamlessly across regions is becoming a key differentiator in today’s volatile landscape.

What is Touchless Planning?

Touchless planning is AI-powered, real-time supply chain planning that operates autonomously, transforming how decisions are made and who makes them.

It replaces fragmented workflows with integrated, intelligent automation, enabling organizations to respond to real-time signals. Instead of coordinating fire drills across silos, planners can rely on networked systems that anticipate incidents and proactively suggest actions: an approach increasingly supported by AI in supply chain applications.

AI in supply chain

The planning breakdown.

The coming wave of touchless planning will disrupt traditional supply chain models.

 

Global institutions have made it clear what is at stake. The IMF links recent inflation shocks to imbalances between supply and demand, while the World Economic Forum points to growing uncertainty caused by strikes, extreme weather, and geopolitical unrest. In this climate, businesses need planning systems based on real-time signals and intelligent automation, tools that not only work, but also adapt to cope with change (Sources: WEF.org and IMF.org).

Touchless planning

How Touchless planning changes this equation?

With real-time data, artificial intelligence, and end-to-end integration, a planning system built on the principles of touchless planning can detect disruptions early, assess the impact on inventory, production, and delivery schedules, while also automatically rescheduling, rerouting shipments, reallocating inventory, and adjusting forecasts — all through its agentic AI capabilities built on a comprehensive enterprise data layer. This shift frees humans to focus on continuous improvement and the generation of long-term business value.

Touchless planning is rewiring the Supply Chain response

It redefines how supply chains work by increasing their speed, adaptability, and resilience. Touchless planning automates routine tasks, expands the range of variables considered in each planning cycle, and significantly reduces the time between those cycles. The result is a more responsive, self-adapting system that strengthens integrated business planning, making it more robust and reliable in the face of constant change.

Touchless planning recognizes disruptions such as shipping route blockages or tier-N supplier bankruptcies and makes proactive adjustments automatically.

These systems resemble advanced, AI-enabled digital twins that simulate scenarios and quickly determine the best course of action. Through AI-augmented decision-making, touchless planning equips supply chains not only to withstand disruption but also to respond intelligently, staying ahead.

Touchless Planning, seamless business: How to build a system that works

Strategic shift for business-wide impact.

It starts with data:

Not just more data, but data that is structured, consistent, and connected across the organization. Without this, even the most advanced models struggle. In many cases, initial efforts focus less on the AI itself and more on the fundamentals: cleaning historical datasets, linking sources, and\ automating validation. When the foundation is solid, the intelligence layer can function as intended.

Thriving cross-functional integration:

When planning is siloed and demand isn’t synchronized with supply, or procurement isn’t aligned with logistics, agility suffers. The most effective implementations link these areas to create a living, end-to-end view. It’s not just about visibility; it’s about flow that enables systems to respond dynamically without the usual handoffs or delays. In successful programs, touchless planning isn’t viewed as an operational project or IT initiative but as an integrated business planning strategy supported by top management.

Then there's the human side: 

The touchless way of working doesn’t replace the planner completely; rather, it repositions them. It’s more about redefining the human role than automation. Instead of managing spreadsheets or reconciling reports, planners focus on decision-making, validating edge cases, and collaborating across functions. When this transition is supported with the right tools, training, and mindset, teams embrace instead of resisting it.

 

Many organizations make the mistake of starting with technology instead of planning. A great forecasting tool is helpful, but it’s not sufficient on its own. Planning is the ideal entry point because when planning becomes more autonomous, it drives improvements in procurement, logistics, order fulfillment, as well as customer service. However, to achieve this, companies need to assess their maturity, not only in terms of tools but also in how ready their people and processes are to adapt. Strategy cannot evolve without execution, nor can execution evolve without planning. That’s why Walmart and other leading organizations use scenario simulations to make strategic planning decisions that cascade into day-to-day execution with clarity and speed.

Agility

AI-driven planning shortens decision cycles from weeks to hours. Plans stay alive and responsive, enabling real-time reallocation, faster fulfilment with proactive response to risk. Speed is not an option in volatile markets; it’s a competitive edge. 

Efficiency with cost savings

Touchless systems streamline supply chain operations through automation, significantly increasing efficiency and responsiveness. According to McKinsey, companies that set up advanced AI-powered “nerve centers” or control towers, that leverage real-time data and automated decisions can achieve a 5–10% improvement in service outcomes or cost metrics. (source: McKinsey)

Service reliability

Fewer stock-outs, faster replenishment and better demand matching — all with less manual effort. The system anticipates risks and adapts before a disruption occurs. 

Better decisions

AI improves strategic planning by quickly processing complex data which allows planners to focus on high-level decision-making. These comprehensive insights and recommendations by AI result in faster, accurate, and stronger decisions. For example, companies implementing AI-driven supply chain solutions have reduced lead times by up to 60%, significantly increasing operational efficiency. (source: Bain) 

Competitive advantage

Touchless planning increases growth, profit margin, and market responsiveness. It enables dynamic scaling and protects revenue while promoting strategic flexibility. Leading companies don’t just adapt; they thrive. 
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Agility

AI-driven planning shortens decision cycles from weeks to hours. Plans stay alive and responsive, enabling real-time reallocation, faster fulfilment with proactive response to risk. Speed is not an option in volatile markets; it’s a competitive edge. 

Efficiency with cost savings

Touchless systems streamline supply chain operations through automation, significantly increasing efficiency and responsiveness. According to McKinsey, companies that set up advanced AI-powered “nerve centers” or control towers, that leverage real-time data and automated decisions can achieve a 5–10% improvement in service outcomes or cost metrics. (source: McKinsey)

Service reliability

Fewer stock-outs, faster replenishment and better demand matching — all with less manual effort. The system anticipates risks and adapts before a disruption occurs. 

Better decisions

AI improves strategic planning by quickly processing complex data which allows planners to focus on high-level decision-making. These comprehensive insights and recommendations by AI result in faster, accurate, and stronger decisions. For example, companies implementing AI-driven supply chain solutions have reduced lead times by up to 60%, significantly increasing operational efficiency. (source: Bain) 

Competitive advantage

Touchless planning increases growth, profit margin, and market responsiveness. It enables dynamic scaling and protects revenue while promoting strategic flexibility. Leading companies don’t just adapt; they thrive. 

The leadership opportunity

It’s not about what’s possible— it’s about who leads

 

Touchless planning offers supply chain leaders a rare opportunity to redefine performance, not incrementally, but from the ground up. This starts with a small, targeted pilot project, such as a product line, region, or planning segment with real problems and reliable data. Clear goals, like shortening lead times or reducing inventory, help build trust early on. From there, scaling becomes less about technology, more about mindset.

 

But mindset alone isn’t enough. For restructuring to create meaningful value, it’s not just about calculating the value, but about realizing it. That depends on effective implementation. Initiatives must align with the organization’s maturity, across people, processes, and technology. When projects are designed with this maturity in mind, acceptance improves, increasing the likelihood of a sustainable impact.

Supply chain- leadership imperative

 

When planning becomes autonomous, the role of employees changes. Planners shift from manual firefighting to strategic insight, collaboration, interpretation, and supply chain optimization. Successful transformations are defined by how well this shift is supported through thoughtful change management and a culture of trust.

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