Chronic stockouts and too much inventory at the same time.
Service issues persist despite "healthy" inventory levels. Stockouts and overstocks coexist. Expedites become routine. Different systems disagree on what's actually available.
Inventory rules don't reflect demand risk. SKUs aren't segmented in a way that drives behavior. KPIs optimize locally instead of end-to-end. Responsibility exists, but ownership of inventory decisions does not.
Working capital comes down without a service collapse. Fire drills drop. Conversations move from anecdotes to facts. Inventory becomes intentional instead of defensive.
You've already tried cutting inventory, improving forecasts, or adding tools — and the same SKUs still cause problems every month.