# Anti-Patterns

Anti-patterns are recurring mistakes that seem like good ideas at the time but consistently undermine IBP implementations. They show up across industries, company sizes, and maturity levels — often because the underlying temptation is real and the failure mode is delayed.

Each anti-pattern in this section follows a consistent format:

The Pattern — What it looks like in practice
Why It's Tempting — The legitimate reasoning that leads organizations here
Why It Fails — What goes wrong and when
What To Do Instead — The proven alternative
Warning Signs — How to detect it before it's too late

# The anti-patterns

Anti-Pattern	The Short Version
Technology Before Process	Buying planning software before defining the planning process
Missing Executive Sponsorship	Running IBP without sustained VP/C-level involvement
The Spreadsheet Trap	When the spreadsheets that launched IBP become the thing that stalls it
Siloed Planning	Functions plan independently and call it "integrated"

# How to use this section

If you recognize your organization in one of these, you have a targeted improvement opportunity. If you recognize your organization in three or more, your IBP process likely needs a fundamental reset before incremental improvements will stick.

These anti-patterns aren't mutually exclusive — they often travel together. An organization that starts with Technology Before Process frequently ends up with Siloed Planning because the tool was configured without cross-functional process design.

For the positive side — what good looks like — see the Concepts section, particularly Governance & Decision Rights and Management Business Review.

anti-pattern