Supply Chain Management: Can You Manage It Better?

Managing a supply chain is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination because it requires managing multiple and different moving parts of the entire system, as well as micromanagement so that the “chain” is not disrupted. Disruption of any supply chain can lead to loss of productivity, sales, and even a complete halt in manufacturing.

This is why it is important for new or aspiring supply chain managers to try and make their jobs simpler while improving the performance output of their own supply units at the same time. However, it’s easier said than done as always, so here are a few important considerations to make that could prove to be quite valuable in the field for both employees and business owners alike.

Make Sure You Complete Your Education in the Field

Nobody understands the importance of advanced education in supply chain better than the employers, because they have the most to benefit from hiring employees who have the extra advantage.

Those that appear in interviews after completing their masters in supply chain management have a significantly higher chance of getting appointed. However, the real use of education comes in when the new manager starts to make improvements in the core strategy, by applying what he/she has learned on the specialized course.

The online masters in supply chain management program by Kettering University has been specially created to provide advanced education and training to professionals working in the field, regarding customer and partner relationship management, logistics, procurement, risk management, collaboration, and the whole range of other key aspects that are necessary to form strategies for each link of the chain.

It’s one of the best online masters in supply chain management course available today, and the college also holds the number one position in terms of ROI for their online professional courses.

If you are the owner of a business, this is the kind of program that will let your most experienced supply chain workers stay on the job, while improving simultaneously.

On the other hand, if you are a supply chain executive with years of experience yourself, you should be glad to know that after completing an online masters in supply chain management, your salary could go up as high as $160,000+, as a VP-level manager. Newcomers can expect a salary that can range from anything between $80,000 - $100,000, post the necessary education.

Writing Down and Adapting the Strategy On a Regular Basis

The written down supply chain strategy can be defined as a definite plan that encompasses all parameters of resource allocation within the given time period. It is an agreed upon strategy and budget which clearly indicates how much of what is available and how they will be distributed.

Every supply chain needs a written down strategy to follow for each segment or year, but unless it is adapted regularly to accommodate the constant changes in real life scenarios, it will not be as productive, and will actually turn out to be counterproductive down the line.

While updating the plan regularly within a time period, the decision makers in the supply chain management team will come to notice the weaknesses and mistakes that they need to correct during their next supply chain strategy planning. It’s a gradual and dynamic process that refines the whole system, making it more productive with each segment.

Employee Assessment and Improvement

As a supply chain manager or the business owner, it is important to assess employees on their performance during each quarter. Based on their performance, it is possible to find the weakest links in the team and train them to be better.

If an employee isn’t performing as well as is required, it slows down the whole process, so the issue must be addressed by finding out what is causing the problem. More often than not, it’s a lack of experience or knowledge, both of which can be solved with some special training and educational programs.

Sometimes though, it is just better to rotate employees to see if they perform better in another division because the fresh start often helps them to overcome what was troubling them earlier.

Do Not Forget about Technology

All advanced training and education programs in supply chain management will teach their students about maximizing the huge potential of good warehouse management software and other associated modern technology used in every supply chain facility nowadays.

To ignore technological innovations in supply chain management now is like trying to fight a battle with swords, bows, and arrows against bullets! Warehouse automation, robotic devices and the recent integration of artificial intelligence in everything has changed supply chain management tremendously. Unless you are aware of and utilizing the best available tech in supply chain management, you are losing productivity and efficiency.

Internal Alignment

Incentivizing employees to perform better is a tried and tested method that works like a charm. However, the incentives should be planned in a way that it directs and encourages employees to follow the goals set forward by the sales & operations plan (S&OP).

This is extremely important because unless the incentives are carefully created and adapted in a way that makes employees work in perfect alignment with the S&OP, the supply chain will be out of sync with the market demands.

Individual incentive programs, clever employee assessment metrics design, and end to end incentive alignment are all effective strategies to consider.

Sometimes, even new supply managers can eclipse senior professionals who have more experience, because the newer generation of managers has the advantage of having completed their advanced education in supply chain management, while most of the earlier-generation supply chain managers only have their experience to rely on. This is in fact, one of the main reasons why most companies are spending money and encouraging their senior supply chain executives to get the online masters in supply chain management so that the business can benefit from both the experience and the advanced education simultaneously.