I've had this feeling of disconnect between myself and the rest of the world for some time now with regard to the word "visiblity". I think I just put my finger on it. Here are two definitions from Encarta dictionary:

visibility (noun)
1. ability to be seen
2. distance it is possible to see

If you do a Google search on the term “supply chain visibility”, you’ll see references to RFID, advance ship notices and real time tracking and tracing. In other words making sure your current inventories and shipments have the “ability to be seen”.

When we talk about visibility within the context of Flowcasting, we're talking about using continuously updated projections of consumer demand at store/item level to model all future product movements in the supply chain – from the manufacturing plant to the store shelf. In our view, visibility means looking far beyond your current inventory and shipments and simulating product movements that have yet to happen for weeks and months. In other words, maximizing the "distance it is possible to see".

Wayne Gretzky had a great quote:

"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be."

It's not really a question of which definition of "visibility" is right. They both are - one from an execution perspective and one from a planning perspective.

The more important question is: Do you want to be a good player or a Great One?