Build a Reusable Demand Review Template with Claude

Before building the template, look at your last 2-3 demand review presentations. Note:

• What sections does your S&OP process require?
• What level of detail does your leadership expect?
• What's the typical length? (1 page briefing? 10-slide deck? 15-page report?)
• What's your planning cycle (weekly/monthly)?

Open claude.ai. Start a new conversation:

I'm a demand planner at a [CPG/retail/pharma/manufacturing] company. I run a [monthly/weekly] S&OP demand review. My audience: [VP Supply Chain, Sales Director, CFO, etc.]. The review covers [X categories / X SKUs / X regions].

I want to build a reusable template for the demand review narrative sections — the parts I have to write fresh each cycle, not the charts (which come from our planning system).

My current process takes 3+ hours. Help me design a fill-in-the-blanks template for:
1. Executive Summary (opening slide narrative)
2. Category Performance Commentary (for 3-4 categories)
3. Top Risks and Opportunities (3-4 bullets each)
4. Forecast Assumptions Summary
5. Key Actions and Decisions Required

Ask me questions to understand my specific format needs before designing the template.

What you should see: Claude asks you 4-8 clarifying questions about your process, audience, and format preferences.

Answer specifically. Examples:

• "My executive summary needs to be 3 bullets max. my VP doesn't read long paragraphs"
• "Category commentary follows this pattern: performance vs. plan → primary driver → what we're doing about it"
• "Risks are ranked by probability × impact, with an owner name next to each"

Claude will produce a complete template draft. Read through it carefully. For each section, ask yourself:

• Does this match how I actually talk in our demand review?
• Are the fill-in prompts (the [brackets]) specific enough to remind me of exactly what to put there?
• Is it the right length for my audience?

Refine with follow-up prompts:

• "The executive summary template is too long. condense to 3 bullets maximum"
• "Add a [Supply Risk Implication] field to each category commentary section"
• "The risks section needs an 'owner' and 'by when' field for each risk"

Copy your final template into Google Docs (or Word). Title it "Demand Review Template: [Year]."

Now test it: Fill it in using last month's numbers. Does it work? Does it capture everything? Time yourself, how long did it take vs. your normal process?

Adjust anything that felt awkward or didn't capture what you needed.

At the top of the template, add a checklist of the data you need to gather before you can fill it in:

• Category actuals vs. forecast (from planning system report)
• Top variance drivers (from your exception report)
• Promotional calendar updates (from Marketing)
• Supply constraints this period (from Supply Planning)
• Finance target vs. demand plan gap (from Finance)

Now you know exactly what to pull before sitting down to write.