<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Catalyst Point]]></title><description><![CDATA[We help growing companies increase market share, reduce costs, release working capital, improve operations, and use AI to deliver measurable results.
]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/briefings</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:50:53 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Why Excess Inventory Exists - the hidden cost of broken trust]]></title><description><![CDATA[Excess inventory can signal a lack of trust in forecasts, suppliers, and replenishment. Discover why teams stockpile and what leaders should ask before cutting.]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/why-excess-inventory-exists-the-hidden-cost-of-broken-trust</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ad276bd5f4dfa83f782dd8f</guid><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:19:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_b3d9516bbbcd4aec8a049ad588399a64~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Revenue Growing but Profit Declining - what is really happening?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Revenue growing but profits declining? Discover the underlying causes of this common CEO challenge and why the real problem may not be what you think.]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/revenue-growing-but-profit-declining-what-is-really-happening</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ace5c24563851b15edf1466</guid><pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:39:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e4d554_42c0500c9e064d0ea3df80120d0d1c59~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_896,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Supply Chain Transformation Really Needs: Alignment, Accountability, and Risk Readiness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most supply chain programs do not fail because the software is weak, the process maps are incomplete, or the team lacks effort. They fail because the business never truly agrees on what should change, who gets to decide, and what tradeoffs it is willing to accept. A supply chain can look technical from the outside. Forecasts, inventory targets, network models, transportation lanes, planning systems, supplier lead times, and service levels all sound like operational details. Yet the biggest...]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/what-supply-chain-transformation-really-needs-alignment-accountability-and-risk-readiness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6acd5f0bbb41f91b0dce9960</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 22:30:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e4d554_7d7bbe87bd8a40e29dd22a562e25a54c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_896,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hiring a Head of Supply Chain Won't Fix Your Supply Chain]]></title><description><![CDATA[You know the symptoms: Inventory is too high. Working capital is tied up. Customer service is inconsistent. Margins are under pressure. So you decide to hire. But there is a catch: A Head of Supply Chain cannot repair decisions the executive team keeps making in isolation. Before hiring, ask the harder question: Are we prepared to change how our executive team makes decisions, or are we expecting one person to fix the consequences of decisions made in silos? That question matters because...]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/hiring-a-head-of-supply-chain-won-t-fix-your-supply-chain</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6acd5c78edc361913df40131</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 22:21:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e4d554_0db54af343a24376bbaf66225a332e6b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_896,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Forecast Accuracy Is Not Enough for Faster Demand Planning]]></title><description><![CDATA[Improve forecast accuracy with AI by reducing demand planning latency, automating manual workflows, and turning real-time signals into faster supply chain decisions.]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/why-forecast-accuracy-is-not-enough-for-faster-demand-planning</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa1b484bff3e9c5b1b9f61e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:36:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_e22d866a38b6486eb40d62d9d0cdb014~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to win Market Share when Competitors are Discounting]]></title><description><![CDATA[How to gain market share when competitors continue to discount price]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/how-to-win-market-share-when-competitors-are-discounting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa09dbcff357ecb174d7bde</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:45:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_3724e67489b74e71aae0c7f20a3db50c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Reduce Manual Demand Planning with Smarter Automation]]></title><description><![CDATA[How to automate demand planning the smart way]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/how-to-reduce-manual-demand-planning-with-smarter-automation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa09cc339c0537d50eadfff</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:40:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_273edbcc0af24f1a95f1a110438a8f98~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Automation Cannot Replace Human Judgment]]></title><description><![CDATA[How do I automate demand planning without losing control?]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/why-automation-shouldn-t-replace-human-judgment-in-grey-areas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa09bf339c0537d50eade01</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:38:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_0a16bf41749d48859d8901118e2c6189~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Porter’s 5 Forces Is Outdated and What to Do Instead]]></title><description><![CDATA[A market analysis that sits still can make a moving market look safe, dangerous, or attractive for the wrong reasons. That is the core problem with Porter’s 5 Forces. It can help explain why an industry looks profitable at a given moment. It can show where pressure comes from, such as competitors, substitutes, suppliers, buyers, and new entrants. But for many companies, that is no longer enough. The deeper issue is not that the model is “wrong.” The issue is that it often stops right when...]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/why-porter-s-5-forces-is-outdated-and-what-to-do-instead</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9b5e7acdf183e0230a4df2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:12:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1d74c0_9d774cbdf44542b5af7c243cdd4c83fe~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mastering Wicked Problems: Hands-On Problem Solving for Unpredictable Business Environments]]></title><description><![CDATA[A tariff changes the cost of a key material overnight. A factory fire stops production with no clear restart date. A major customer leaves just as payroll comes due. No spreadsheet, policy manual, or leadership offsite fully prepares a business for that kind of week. These are wicked problems. They are messy, urgent, and full of tradeoffs. There may be no clean owner, no perfect data, and no single right answer. Solving them requires more than technical skill. It takes judgment, calm, speed,...]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/mastering-wicked-problems-hands-on-problem-solving-for-unpredictable-business-environments</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9b5db8950c73fdcf7b587a</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:09:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1d74c0_3f5d139ed8144cc9bf4f39349f044c80~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Curiosity Is the New Superpower in an AI Enabled Workplace]]></title><description><![CDATA[A process can be followed perfectly and still produce the wrong result. That is one of the hardest lessons for organizations to learn, especially after years of building controls, checklists, approval flows, and standard operating procedures. Process discipline matters. It gives teams consistency. It reduces avoidable errors. It keeps people from reinventing the work every time they touch it. But process discipline has a blind spot. It assumes the conditions around the process still match the...]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/why-curiosity-is-the-new-superpower-in-an-ai-enabled-workplace</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9b5c42cdf183e0230a4862</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:05:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1d74c0_24a9e3981a294ab09090d00cb102b192~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How AI Is Transforming Demand Forecasting]]></title><description><![CDATA[A forecast can look perfect right up until a supplier delay, a viral product trend, a price change, or a sudden shift in consumer confidence makes it wrong. For years, demand planning teams have tried to close that gap with spreadsheets, historical sales reports, and careful judgment. Those methods still matter, but they struggle when demand changes faster than the planning cycle. AI changes the job of forecasting by pulling more signals into the forecast, finding patterns across messy data,...]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/how-ai-is-transforming-demand-forecasting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9b5bccd055a51adf150cab</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:01:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1d74c0_e7247b0cacca4bc2bcfe502331f70eab~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI Won't Fix a Broken Supply Chain Process]]></title><description><![CDATA[AI can help a supply chain move faster. That is true! But there are limitations! If the process is fragmented, the data is late, and teams do not trust the signals in front of them, AI may only accelerate the confusion. It can make bad handoffs faster. It can surface more exceptions than people can use. It can automate work that should have been redesigned first. I recently read IBM’s The New Supply Chain Equation, and one point stayed with me: the supply chain operating model that worked in...]]></description><link>https://www.thecatalystpoint.com/post/ai-won-t-fix-a-broken-supply-chain-process</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9b5a93cdf183e0230a444e</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 23:57:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1d74c0_fa3471239d014775a628d13d376be2af~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dorothy Mashburn</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>