Planning Job Descriptions — Letter O

O is the letter most likely to bring a planning student to the wrong page, because the category's most famous O phrase — open-to-buy — is a tool of the planning trade, not a job in it. No planning or allocation role description in this category begins with O. This page explains where open-to-buy actually belongs, and points onward to the fourteen roles that do the work.

More Planning Job Descriptions by Letter:

Open-to-Buy Is a Budget, Not a Job

Open-to-buy is the money a buyer may still spend on stock for a delivery period after orders already placed are counted against the plan. It is calculated, guarded and traded by the Merchandise Planner, whose description under M explains the concept in its working context, and it is overseen across departments by the Planning Manager under P. A visitor who arrived at O looking for open-to-buy will find it there — as the central balancing act of the planner's role, not as a standalone occupation.

The Shape of the Category Around O

Either side of this empty letter, the category is full: M holds market analysis, merchandise planning and the combined planning and allocation function; P holds planning management and project analysis; and A, C, F, I, R and S complete the fourteen. The Planning and Allocation hub gathers them on one page. An index that skipped its quiet letters would hide this shape, which is why O keeps its page, labelled empty, between them.