Effective supply chain event management is similar to supply chain management, but focuses on specific events. It involves assessing and preparing for process disruptions, developing alternative action plans, and using technology to manage the entire supply chain as one process. Timing rules and backup systems are crucial for success.
Effective supply chain event management is very similar to effective supply chain management. The latter is used by operational staff to manage an ongoing supply chain; the former is used by project managers for specific events. Effective management helps supply chain project managers to consider all possible events that could cause supply chain failure or bottleneck. A good system can both improve financial controls and reduce operational risk.
Supply chain event management is correlated and coordinated rather than linear, as supply chain management tends to be. Instead, view the supply chain as an organization and each transaction as an event. This allows project managers to model supply chain events with what-if analysis, which can help improve event management in the future. This is especially true for contingency planning scenarios.
Event management involves assessing and preparing for supply chain process disruptions. It also includes developing alternative action plans in the event of a bottleneck or issue with a particular vendor. In this way, it is similar to contingency planning for the supply chain.
Common supply chain events include selecting a new supplier or implementing a new supply chain solution. If not planned properly, these events can have devastating effects on a company’s ability to meet customer demand. Demand failure is a supply chain manager’s nightmare which is why good event management is necessary for business success.
One way supply chain managers keep track of the entire supply chain is with technology and software applications that help manage inventory, order fulfillment, and delivery. The goal is to manage the entire supply chain as one connected process. That is, when stocks run low, the supply chain systems in place help provide an automatic alert, which initiates the order process. Similarly, when a customer places an order, the system provides an automatic alert to trigger the order fulfillment and delivery process.
The backbone of a successful supply chain event management system is time. Each event failure triggers an alert facilitated by a set of timing rules. If one of the triggers fails, a backup system helps monitor the overall event and alert supply chain managers before the bottleneck or other issues spiral out of control.
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