Supply Chain Strategy & Road Map
The supply chain strategy details, where the supply chain needs to be to support the corporate strategy. This is commonly done by putting together a roadmap, which starts by understanding current performance across key metrics and detailing the transformation, with the list of initiatives that need to be put in place across governance, process, people, technology, data and metrics to get from the current state to the desired transformed state. This is usually a multi-year journey.
Target Operating Model (TOM)
The target operating model (TOM) takes the strategy and roadmap and provides the framework across the pillars of governance (policies, procedures, controls), process (as-is and to-be), people (organization structure and performance), technology (cloud, platform, security), data (master, transactional) and metrics (finance, commercial, operations) to deliver each of the initiatives detailed within the roadmap.
Business Process Design
This is very often the starting point of many implementations, even those involving people and technology. It usually begins with understanding how the given process under question is currently working, what are the gaps and issues being faced by the users and based on the strategy and desired metric performance detailing what needs to be put in place to get the process to where it needs to be. Frequently, this will involve revising the organization structure and implementing technology to support the new process and achieve the required level of decision making.
Technology Selection & Implementation
The technology process typically involves two main steps, first determining the required technologies and then implementing those technologies.
The technology selection process involves working with our clients’ business teams to understand the processes the technology will support, providing guidance to select suitable vendors, the business requirements that need to be supported and the specific use cases that need to be proven. Next it would be working with the clients’ business and IT teams to review each of the vendors and then support them with the short listing and final selection process.
The technology implementation involves working with the selected vendor(s) and implementing their software. The key steps include building the required unit test cases with the corresponding user interface (UI) screens, reviewing these with the users and ensuring the required data is available to support these capabilities. Creating user acceptance testcases and training the users before going into parallel run, then go live and providing the required post go live support before handing over the solution to the team that will run and maintain the new technology and process.
Supply Chain Training & Development
The supply chain training service has two main components. The first component is training our clients on the new process and technology capabilities. This will involve data management, i.e., information that needs to be reviewed and updated, test case development and acceptance, i.e., ensuring the required capabilities are being achieved by the plan and decision making through user interface screen navigation. Most commonly a day in the life of a planner (DILOP) process is developed detailing the steps the user needs to follow across their respective planning period.
The second component is not necessarily related to a given project and looks to address the growing need for supply chain planning talent. This is done by making people new to supply chain, i.e., students fresh out of school or those already in the industry but not involved in supply chain, business and industry ready for supply chain planning. We provide supply chain planning learning sessions across a number of functional and technical areas such as planning concepts, key data elements, definition of key terms, technical architecture and data flow.
Program & Project Governance
Following a defined project methodology, which typically involves the following stages: Prepare, Design / Assess, Construct / Build, Review / Validate, Implement / Deploy and Run / Maintain the required integrated program and project plans are built and tracked ensuring time, scope and budgets are maintained, the required status communicated to relevant stakeholders across all teams, defined methodology deliverables created at the required step in the project life cycle and the appropriate escalations made when things are not progressing as planned.
Change Management
Very often the change the client needs to go through is underestimated and overlooked. We support our clients and ensure they are ready for the new process, structure and technology by ensuring there is executive sponsorship and stakeholder alignment with the new end state, users are bought into the new end state and are part of the to-be decision making process, they are fully trained on the new end state, understand what they need to do and what is expected of them and throughout the change there is clear and frequent communication of what is being done and what is expected from the users and their leadership.