Aligning Organisational Strategy and Supply Chain Strategy

I am often asked to speak to senior executives about organizational strategy and supply chain strategy, and how to effectively achieve alignment of the two.

Its complex nature requires a lengthy presentation or workshop, but I like to summarise at the end with a ten-point summary:

1. Articulate & share the organisations Vision & Mission with every employee and partner, again and again.
2. Express in detail & share the organizations strategy with the mid and senior Management Team; the Supply Chain Team should contribute.
3. Understand and align all employees and partners motivations, resolve any conflicting objectives between departments or stakeholders.
4. Ensure the efforts at every hierarchical level contributes upwards towards the strategy, Mission and Vision. “If you are not contributing to the strategy or helping someone who is contributing to the strategy, then you’re probably not needed”.
5. Scope and analyse the end-to-end supply chain, including that of your suppliers and customers.
6. Avoid silo thinking: work horizontally across the verticals.
7. Establish two-way communication and information flows: up, down and across the verticals.
8. Anticipate the development of future advantage.
9. Continuously revise the conceptual design of your Supply Chain, conduct gap analyses and resolve the gaps.
10. Every Supply Chain is unique, and it should form part of the organisations key competitive advantage; continue to cultivate that competitive advantage.