The Tale of Sir Balance-A-Lot

Once upon a time in the land of supply chain meetings, there existed a mystical realm known as IBP (Integrated Business Planning). Here, PowerPoint presentations reigned supreme, and each slide deck told a tale of strategy, numbers, and sometimes, a dash of whimsy. And each deck told a different tale, a mythical journey that took readers on an interesting and sometimes circuitous route

In this whimsical realm, there were two opposing factions: the Tight Deckers and the Loose Leafers.

The Tight Deckers were staunch advocates of uniformity and structure. They believed in templates, guidelines, and pixel-perfect alignment. Every font size, every bullet point, meticulously crafted to fit within the confines of the corporate brand guidelines. Their mantra was efficiency, their weapon of choice: consistency.

On the other side of the spectrum danced the Loose Leafers. They were the rebels, the creative souls who dared to defy convention. For them, each slide was a canvas, an opportunity for self-expression. They revelled in custom graphics, quirky animations (and slide transitions!), and witty anecdotes. Their presentations were a kaleidoscope of colours and ideas, never conforming to the mundane norms of corporate conformity.

The battle between tightness and looseness raged on, each side staunchly defending their beliefs. But amidst the chaos, a wise sage emerged—a seasoned IBP veteran known as Sir Balance-a-Lot.

Sir Balance-a-Lot understood the importance of structure, but also the necessity of creativity. He preached the gospel of balance, advocating for a harmonious blend of tightness and looseness in presentation decks.

In his quest to spread enlightenment, Sir Balance-a-Lot embarked on a journey across the corporate landscape, armed with his trusty clicker a PowerPoint remote, and a ThinkCell license.

At each site he visited, he imparted his wisdom, teaching the Tight Deckers the value of flexibility and encouraging the Loose Leafers to embrace a hint of structure.

He shared tales of decks so tightly wound that they suffocated creativity and the ability to think through an issue, and of decks so loose that they spiralled into chaos, shouting, and unresolved problems. But he also shared stories of decks that found the perfect equilibrium—where structure provided a solid foundation for creativity to flourish.

As word of his teachings spread, a new era dawned in the world of IBP presentations. Teams began to embrace the concept of "tight and loose," finding their own unique balance between structure and creativity.

And so, dear reader, the moral of this whimsical tale is this: in the enchanted realm of IBP presentations, let us not be bound by rigid rules or lost in a sea of chaos. Instead, let us strive for balance, for it is in the delicate dance between tightness and looseness that true magic is found. 

This may be a fictitious story written to illustrate the point of needing both structure and the opportunity to tell a story in IBP processes - characters names have been changed for anonymity