Pick the planning system that keeps you fast and in control.

Atomic combines enterprise-grade optimization with spreadsheet-level flexibility—live in weeks, not years.

↓ 30%

finished-goods inventory

↑ 95%

in-stock rate

4-week

go live

Five Options for Supply-Demand Planning Tech

Here’s how they stack up on speed, control, and total cost of ownership.

Feature	DIY Spreadsheets	In-House Build	Traditional Planning Suites	Out-of-the-Box SaaS	Atomic
Who it's for	< $25 M brands, founders still hands-on.	Orgs that can spare 5–10 engineers (Wayfair, Tesla).	Fortune 500, change projects measured in years.	Simple SKUs, dashboard-first teams.	Growth-stage CPG needing Big-Tech sophistication, fast.
Pros	Total flexibility Zero license cost Iterate rapidly on formulas	Perfect custom fit Direct system hooks Infinite customization path	“Everything & kitchen sink” features Global consulting support Established vendor reputation	Quick start-up Nice visuals & dashboards Lower initial cost	First views < 24 hrs, go-live ≈ 8 wks Planner-in-the-loop overrides Transparent math & logic
Cons	50%+ manual effort daily Version-control chaos (#REF!) No optimization engine	Expensive recruiting & payroll Internal priority drift Long development cycles	12–18+ month rollout Multi-million dollar invoices Often a black-box engine	Plateaus at ~50% solution fit Side-car spreadsheets linger Limited customization	Expanding module by module, so currently best suited for CPG, apparel and food & beverage brands only
Time-to-Value	Immediate	6–12+ months	12–24+ months	4-6 months	Days–weeks
Typical All-In Cost	$$ (hidden labor & errors)	$$$$$ (engineering team)	$$$$ (licenses & services)	$$$ (includes significant implementation cost and time investment)	$$ (Value-based, rapid ROI)

Configures to your business instantly, no costly rewiring or year-long “phase 0.”

Override any forecast, PO, or rule at any level of detail; every change stays auditable.

Nightly data refresh keeps the plan pointed in the right direction without manual imports.

Every run is saved as a version; compare any plan to any other plan (or to history) in seconds.

Modular apps—Forecasting, PO Generation, S&OP, and more—plug into one evolving core, so you scale capabilities, not complexity.

WEEKS 0

Securely connect to your ERP/WMS. Initial data validation.

WEEKS 1-2

First-pass Atomic forecasts. Configure business rules.

WEEKS 3-4

Hands-on training for your team. Validate outputs.

WEEKS 5-8

Fine-tune models. Parallel run and cut-over.

WEEKS 8+

Measure impact. Continuous support and improvement.

Schedule a personalized discovery call to see how Atomic can transform your planning process and get a tailored forecast for your business.