Configuring Planning Strategies, Requirement Types, and Consumption Logic

Explanation

Once the basic concept of PIRs is understood, the next essential skill is configuring and correctly assigning planning strategies, because the strategy determines how demand from forecasts and actual sales orders interacts during MRP. In SAP, this configuration chain runs from requirement class, to requirement type, to strategy, to strategy group, and finally to the material master (MRP3/MRP4 view, Strategy Group field). A requirement class (configured via transaction OVZG in customizing) defines technical attributes such as whether the requirement is relevant for MRP, whether it triggers availability checks, and account assignment behavior for make-to-order scenarios. A requirement type (configured via OVZH area) links the sales document item category and material type to a specific requirement class, effectively determining which planning logic applies to a given demand element. Strategies (configured via OPPT-related customizing) bundle together a requirement type for independent requirements (PIRs) and a requirement type for customer requirements (sales orders), plus consumption parameters. The strategy group (assigned in the material master, configured via OPPS) groups multiple strategies together and defines which one is the default (main strategy) for that material. The most common strategies consultants configure are: Strategy 10 (Make-to-Stock production, net requirements planning)—PIRs alone drive MRP, and sales orders simply consume PIR quantities without creating separate demand elements, meaning total planned production is not doubled when orders arrive. Strategy 40 (Planning with final assembly)—similar to 10 but explicitly designed for scenarios where production is anonymous until an order triggers final assembly. Strategy 20 (Make-to-order production)—PIRs are typically not used at the sales-relevant level; each sales order creates its own individual, order-specific requirement, often with a costing/account assignment (sales order stock). Strategy 50 (Planning without final assembly)—used for configurable or make-to-order-like scenarios where components are planned but final assembly starts only at order receipt. Mixed strategies (e.g., 60 series) allow simultaneous planning at multiple BOM levels. Consumption logic is controlled by consumption mode (forward, backward, or both) and consumption periods, defined at the requirement type or strategy level and sometimes overridden at the material master level (MRP3 view, Consumption Mode and backward/forward consumption period fields). Backward consumption means a sales order looks backward in time within the defined period to find an existing PIR to consume; forward consumption looks ahead. If no matching PIR is found within the consumption window, the sales order may create additional unplanned demand, which is a frequent root cause of over-planning if consumption periods are configured too narrowly. In S/4HANA, the underlying configuration objects (requirement classes, requirement types, strategies, strategy groups) remain conceptually the same as ECC, but S/4HANA introduces enhanced fiori-based demand planning integration (e.g., with SAP Integrated Business Planning feeding PIRs via integration rather than manual MC74/MC94 transfers) and, in PP/DS scenarios, additional heuristics can incorporate PIRs alongside sales orders in optimization-based planning runs. Public cloud editions typically restrict custom strategy configuration to SAP-delivered scope items, so consultants should verify configurability limits before promising customization in a cloud engagement. Troubleshooting consumption issues requires checking the requirements list (MD04) to see whether PIRs are being consumed as expected, reviewing the strategy assigned in the material master, and verifying consumption period settings. A frequent support scenario is a planner reporting 'double demand'—this is almost always traced to either a mismatched strategy group, a sales order requirement type inconsistent with the intended strategy, or a consumption window too short to net order quantities against forecast quantities.

Code example

* Configuration chain overview (customizing, not executable code) 1. Requirement Class (OVZG)   - Defines MRP relevance, availability check, account assignment   Example: KMS = 'Configure-Make-to-Stock class' (illustrative) 2. Requirement Type (OVZH linkage)   - Links item category + material type to requirement class 3. Strategy (OPPT-related customizing)   - Strategy 10: Req type for PIR = LSF, Req type for sales order = KSV   - Consumption mode: 2 (backward then forward)   - Backward consumption period: 10 days   - Forward consumption period: 5 days 4. Strategy Group (OPPS)   - Group '10' -> Main strategy '10' 5. Material Master MRP3 view   Strategy Group: 10   Consumption Mode: 2   Bwd Consumption Period: 10   Fwd Consumption Period: 5 * Verification: MD04 stock/requirements list shows PIR line* reduced by matching sales order quantity within window.

Real project scenario

During a rollout, the planning team reports that MRP is creating far more planned orders than expected for a make-to-stock finished good. Investigation in MD04 shows sales orders are not consuming the PIRs at all—they appear as separate additional demand lines. The consultant traces the issue to the material's consumption periods being set to zero (a data migration default), meaning sales orders fall outside any consumption window and never net against forecast. Correcting the backward/forward consumption periods in MRP3 and rerunning MRP resolves the over-planning without any code changes.

Common mistakes

• Assigning a strategy group to a material without verifying its requirement types match how sales orders are actually being entered for that material. • Setting consumption periods to zero or leaving them blank, which effectively disables consumption and causes duplicated demand. • Mixing make-to-order and make-to-stock strategies at different BOM levels without understanding the account assignment and stock segregation implications (sales order stock vs plant stock). • Changing a material's strategy group mid-lifecycle without cleaning up existing PIRs and open orders, causing MRP to misinterpret residual planning elements. • Assuming S/4HANA public cloud allows the same custom strategy configuration freedom as on-premise, leading to scope surprises late in a project.

Best practices

• Always validate consumption mode and periods against realistic order lead times, not just defaulted customizing values. • Use MD04 as the primary diagnostic tool to confirm PIR consumption behavior before assuming a configuration bug. • Keep a clear mapping document of which strategy group applies to which material category, reviewed with business stakeholders. • Test strategy changes in a non-production client with representative PIR and sales order data before mass material master updates. • For S/4HANA cloud projects, confirm early which strategy configurations are available within the standard scope to avoid mid-project rework.

Interview angle

Expect scenario-based questions such as 'a planner sees double demand in MD04, what do you check first?' Strong candidates walk through requirement type/class alignment, strategy group assignment, and consumption period configuration in that order, rather than jumping to code or generic MRP troubleshooting. Also be ready to explain the practical difference between strategy 10, 20, and 40 in plain business terms.