Learn how well-defined, mature business processes can help you drive improved performance and provide insight you can use to develop requirements for supporting technology.
Image alt text: Woman in face mask working from home Photo by Engin Akyurt from Unsplash
Right-sizing inventory and wrangling a complex supply chain are challenging in normal times. But the ongoing COVID pandemic is making these core functions even more difficult to handle. Today, the key to surviving – and thriving – is to optimize your processes. But, ERP experts say, the first step is not a new software. It is an honest, thorough and detailed assessment of your business processes, followed by a focused business process improvement effort. According to research from Deloitte, 79% of organizations with superior supply chain capabilities are able to grow their revenue well above average. But what happens when you have to manage a far-flung supply chain remotely? If you have a mature supply chain, this is much easier to do. Depending on the size and complexity of your supply chain, you can use best practices, metrics, and measurements to achieve a degree of maturity. If a crisis like a pandemic, war, or extreme weather disrupts part of your supply chain, it can bring the entire operation to a halt. Supply chains are supposed to operate repetitively, with every element aligned toward one goal: delivering the products to the end customer. If you’re not effectively managing and mitigating the risk in your supply chain even before a crisis, when one happens, you’re going to struggle to manage it remotely.
Image alt text: Automatic warehouse Photo by Arno Senoner from Unsplash
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Slide Deck. SuiteSuccess _WD_Proposal (We don’t disagree with the NetSuite approach…but we do advocate for true understanding/application. A managed service is the best approach to unlocking value consistently)
Assessing Your Supply Chain Maturity The first thing to do is to assess your supply chain maturity. There are five levels that your organization may fall under. The first level is where you’re able to get basic material replenishments, but you’re not integrating with transportation, logistics, or the overall planning process. At the top level, your supply chain is lean and focused on service optimization. Everything is neatly integrated. Unfortunately, most organizations fall somewhere in the middle. Many of them struggle if the supply chain team has to work remotely because they’re not adequately prepared or capable of doing so.[1] Managing Your Supply Chain Remotely The more mature your supply chain is, the easier it will be to manage it remotely. You’ll need to hone your focus to drive productivity and keep your eye on moving forward. We’re seeing a lot of changes in the marketplace, and you’ll have to decide to pause ongoing projects or move forward with them. If you are in the process of moving to a platform and supply chain software that makes remote supply chain management possible, stopping the project now could bring your supply chain down. By the time you are able to resume normal operations, it may be too late to make up the lost ground. As part of your remote management, you will also want to consider how you are collaborating with your internal and external teams. Along with choosing technology that lets you communicate with each other and share documents and files in real-time, as well as update statuses, you will work to maintain morale as they work to hold up the supply chain. It may seem like everything is quiet to an outsider, but inside your organization, a lot is happening as you work to keep your supply chain operating. When you are ready to assess your supply chain, and bring it to the top level of maturity, contact us and let us help you provide end-to-end visibility and access to information.