Supply chain quarterbacks
It’s NFL playoff time, so this analogy that someone shared the other day is appropriate this time of year. If you think about the role of an NFL quarterback today, it has a lot in common with the role of a front-line supply chain decision maker.
NFL coaches are notorious for their maticulous planning. You hear a lot of stories of how many hours they spend watching game film, developing the game plan and then practicing it over and over again with the team. The quarterback is the field general that leads the implementation of the offensive game plan.
Yet, despite all of their planning, teams need to be able to respond to change. Plans never actually unfold exactly as envisioned - whether it be injury, weather conditions, what the other team throws at them or a myriad of other unexpected changes that need to be accounted for. Great quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are exceptional at coming to the line and being able to manage at the moment. They come to that situation with not only a plan, but the tools to do risk tradeoff and response to the unexpected changes they are going to encounter. It is their ability to audible that frequently determines their success.
There’s a lot in common here with today’s supply chain professional. It’s rarely the case that the gameplan unfolds exactly as developed and practiced. It’s the supply chain professional that can audible, that can sense and respond to frequent and unexpected change that is going to win. They need to be able to quickly determine what is going on and then make quick and accurate decisions that balance the risks and opportunities for their company.
Success today has very much become a function of your ability to respond to the unexpected. Are you arming your supply chain quarterbacks with the tools that they need to audible at the line?
