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Assess, Plan, and Execute Supply Chain Improvements

The hardest part of improving Supply Chain Planning is getting started. Some quick metrics that you can use to benchmark your current state are available in the diagnostics section. Knowing the potential impact provides a good basis for developing a plan for improvement.

one-two-three Guide for Improving Supply Chain Planning

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ASSESS
YOUR
SUPPLY CHAIN

DEVELOP
A REALISTIC
PLAN

EXECUTE IN
DIGESTIBLE
STEPS

Compare your costs

Costs indicate how well your supply chain is operating. Compare your supply chain costs by category with accepted standards in the diagnostics section.

Assess your inventory

Inventory is a symptom of planning and coordination issues. The amount of inventory is important, but so is the quality of the inventory and where it is positioned. Measure the inventory health to see where you stand.

Measure Uncertainty

No improvement can be made without understanding demand variability. Compare your forecast accuracy to industry standards to assess where you are.

Create a plan

Create an incremental improvement plan with each step being no more than 3 months. Tie specific, measurable and realistic improvements to each step.


SCC's Supply Chain Planning Assessment



Case study: This paper describes the supply chain planning improvements over the course of 4 years at a billion dollar unit of a major chemical company.

One Link at a Time: A Supply Chain Success Story for a Process Industry

 Execute both process and software improvements simultaneously


Process improvements cannot be sustained without supporting software. At the same time, software alone is never the complete answer.


Zemeter Software provides a step by step process for putting in place a Sales and Operations Planning process.

Institutionalize Improvements

Allow time between steps to embed the new practices within the organization. Sustainable improvements require a constant attention to training and education.

Training Services