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Planning manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Priya Nagaraj,

Daniel Stanton

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical planning manager skills. We ranked the top skills for planning managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.1% of planning manager resumes contained project management as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a planning manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 planning manager skills for your resume and career

1. Project Management

Here's how planning managers use project management:

Collaborated with customers, design, project management, documentation, product marketing during content negotiations.
Managed creation and implementation of new project management procedures for all capital projects.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how planning managers use customer service:

Facilitate communications with sales teams to understand customer requirements and make most cost effective decisions, while maintaining excellent customer service.
Resolved inventory discrepancies and worked closely with customer service team to ensure on-time shipping, resulting in customer service excellence.

3. Strong Analytical

Here's how planning managers use strong analytical:

Demonstrate strong analytical and written skills with the ability to communicate with internal and external customers.
Position required strong analytical skills and problem solving ability.

4. KPIs

Here's how planning managers use kpis:

Monitored performance at third-party manufacturing sites measuring on-time and accurate order fulfillment and ensuring that all critical KPIs are met.
Developed analytic and KPIs associated with human capital.

5. Demand Planning

Demand planning is the process of forecasting demand for a product or service and implementing an operational strategy throughout the supply chain to meet it. The goal is to find a balance between having enough inventory to meet customer needs without overstocking. Demand planners work in different departments of an organization to make sales forecasts, adjusting inventory levels to seasonal demand, materials planning, and procurement forecasts.

Here's how planning managers use demand planning:

Monitored inventory levels via demand planning forecasting to ensure optimum inventory levels for maximum cost control.
Demand planning manager responsible for sales forecast accuracy, revision, monthly reconciliation and reporting.

6. Capacity Planning

Capacity planning is the process or method that balances the available hours of team members against the project or program that they need to accomplish. It comprises the resources to do the work or project and the necessities to complete a particular task. Capacity planning assesses the resources and the skill of the team to decide whether to hire or purchase additional resources, defer or delay the project, push through with it or cancel the project.

Here's how planning managers use capacity planning:

Developed calculations and spreadsheets to do capacity planning and scheduling replacing the manual calculations done previously.
Led team of four in developing capacity planning process for centralized acquisition of infrastructure components.

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7. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how planning managers use continuous improvement:

Administered organizational continuous improvement and strategic planning programs and served as Emergency (Management) Program Manager for TTU Operations Division.
Provided continuous improvement to new workplace standards, improved technology processes and customer/client experience while decreasing project completion time.

8. Logistics

Logistics is a complete organization and implementation of a problem. Logistics are often considered in a complex business operation, as some works need detailed plannings. Logistics are also used in military action.

Here's how planning managers use logistics:

Developed and implemented an MRP system for planning requirements resulting in enhanced coordination of warehouse inventory and optimization of logistics operations.
Supervised factory Finished Goods Control and Shipping Departments, as well as external third party logistics and vendor managed inventory warehouses.

9. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how planning managers use product development:

Participated in relationship management with plan sponsors and customers, contributing to product development and process improvement efforts.
Supported New Product Development, Strategic Branding Segmentation* Introduced new methodologies to AB and enhanced research capabilities.

10. Technical Support

Technical support or tech support are the services provided by any hardware or software company to users. They help in solving the technical difficulties the customers face with their products or services. Moreover, the tech support employees maintain, manage, and repair the IT faults. They are also responsible for resolving the network problems, installing and configuring hardware and software.

Here's how planning managers use technical support:

Collaborate closely with technical support groups to identify and resolve capacity, storage and performance bottlenecks.
Provide technical support throughout implementation.

11. Process Improvement

Here's how planning managers use process improvement:

Led various process improvement teams that included cycle-time reduction, forecasting accuracy, demand/supply match management and accounting process flow improvements.
Develop process improvements - engage virtual teams to improve operations management, contribute to optimal inventory and working capital needs world-wide.

12. Financial Analysis

Here's how planning managers use financial analysis:

Created seasonal merchandise assortment profiles by category based on financial analysis and historical trends to assist Account Executives in market.
Performed financial analysis and justification for all capital improvement projects, requiring current cost accounting, ROI and depreciation techniques.

13. Direct Reports

Here's how planning managers use direct reports:

Managed Buyer/Planner direct reports through daily activities and aiding in there professional development.
Established career development plans for direct reports and measured individual and group performance.

14. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how planning managers use erp:

Key member of the implementation team transitioning a sister company to the JD Edwards ERP system Information and Technology skills:.
Maintained ERP systems, computers, laptops, installation of software, server backups, and email and phone system.

15. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how planning managers use business development:

Facilitated implementation of marketing plans and all programs, collaborating with Channel and Business Development teams to monitor and track records.
Experience in collaborating with key accounts to develop strategic communications and increase retention, business development, and revenue.

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What skills help Planning Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What planning manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Priya Nagaraj

Professor of Economics and Global Business, Website

One of the most important factors is some experience in the industry. An internship working in the logistics or supply chain area is a plus. Sometimes students' internships are not specifically in logistics, in such cases, it helps to have worked on a project in class that mimics real-life situations.

What type of skills will young planning managers need?

Daniel Stanton

CEO, Mr. Supply Chain

Of course, supply chain professionals need to understand the basics of logistics, procurement, and operations. But if I had to pick just three skills that I think are going to be critical for supply chain graduates in the years ahead, I'd say 1) Data Analysis, 2) Systems Thinking, and 3) Project Management. The amount of data that's available is growing quickly, and we need people who can access and analyze it. Then, we need to understand what that data means, and how it affects all of the different functions within our supply chains. And finally, in order to use that data to make changes, supply chain professionals need to be able to launch and manage projects effectively.

What soft skills should all planning managers possess?

Dr. Richard Conde Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Houston - Downtown

The need for soft skills are consistent through time. With our societal focus on social media, texting, emojis, etc. It appears to me companies are looking for the following:

- Active listening skills

- Willingness to be self-reflective and accept feedback

- Accept different perspectives. The collision of ideas creates knowledge

- Communicate to the listener (at their level). Flex communicators

- Cultural intelligence. Demographics changes will require better understanding of team member's, boss', customer's, etc. cultural context

Do you want to know more?

List of planning manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a planning manager resume and required skills for a planning manager to have include:

Project Management
Customer Service
Strong Analytical
KPIs
Demand Planning
Capacity Planning
Continuous Improvement
Logistics
Product Development
Technical Support
Process Improvement
Financial Analysis
Direct Reports
ERP
Business Development
HR

Supply Chain Planning
On-Time Delivery
MRP
Inventory Management
Strategic Plan
Production Planning
Real Estate
Customer Satisfaction
Hyperion
Sigma
Lean Manufacturing
Regional Planning
ROI
Inventory Control
Business Plan
R

Production Schedules
Media Planning
Due Diligence
Cost Savings
Executive Management
Product Line
POS
Enterprise Resource Planning
Distribution Centers
Earned Value Management
Customer Orders
RFP
ISO
Brand Marketing

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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