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How to audit SCRM? Conducting the Audit (6/9) – List of questions (part a/c)

Below is a list of questions that can be used to audit the SCRM, concerning the topicsTransparency of supply chain structures and processes, Information and dependencies of suppliers and Identification.

Transparency of supply chain structures and processes Are the most important, value-creating corporate processes defined (e.g. development to production to sales)?
  Is there accountability in these operational processes, i.e. are the potential risks and their impacts on different departments known and addressed?

Information and dependencies of suppliers

Is there a list of all direct upstream suppliers?
  Is the most important company data of the upstream suppliers documented (corporate headquarters, production facilities, local contact persons, cell phone numbers, etc.)?
  Are the supplier contacts with decision-making authority known?
  What are all of the value creation processes of the direct upstream suppliers?
  What are the dependencies between upstream suppliers?
  Have they been properly identified?
  Is information about the suppliers obtained on a regular basis?
  Who are the most critical suppliers (critical suppliers can be characterized as the highest proportion of sales, or as the supplier of the material for the most products which cannot be easily replaced, etc.)?
  If the most critical supplier fails, what are the financial consequences?
  How often does the operational business check whether certain deadlines have/will expire?
  How often are the supply contracts checked to see if they need to be transferred to a new company standard?
  Is information about suppliers regularly shared with other departments?
  Does an on-site visit of the most critical suppliers take place every three to five years?
  Is there a structured guidelines in place for communicating with suppliers?

Identification

Are operational supply chain risks systematically identified at regular intervals?
  Are strategic supply chain risks systematically identified at regular intervals?
  Is there a catalog for the systematic identification of supply chain risks?
  Are external as well as internal corporate risks considered during the identification of risks?
  Are the interfaces with supply chain actors considered during risk identification?
  Is it always possible to add newly identified supply chain risks to the catalog?
  Are the results of the supply chain risk identification from each individual workplace recorded in writing?
  Are the results of the supply chain risk identification from the entire department recorded in writing?
  Are risks from supply chain partners that may have a negative impact on the company considered in the identification process?
  Is the identified supply chain risk list up-to-date?
  Is the operational supply chain risk assessment complete?

Extract from Schröder, M. (2019): Structured improvement of supply chain risk management. In: Supply Chain Management – Contributions to Procurement and Logistics, Series-Editor: Essig, M.; Stölzle, W., Kersten, W., Springer Gabler: Wiesbaden

How to audit the SCRM? Preparation of an SCRM Audit (Part 1/9)

Long-term efficiency of the SCRM process can only be achieved if comprehensive monitoring of the SCRM implementation process is performed in all phases. To this end, SCRM-related auditing is a suitable method.

In risk management literature, the additional process monitoring for the risk management process is being actively discussed but has not yet been applied to SCRM. Since there has been no attempt to date to develop SCRM auditing, either within the scientific literature or in practice, this topic has been addressed as part of our research.

Extract from Schröder, M. (2019): Structured improvement of supply chain risk management. In: Supply Chain Management – Contributions to Procurement and Logistics, Series-Editors: Essig, M.; Stölzle, W., Kersten, W., Springer Gabler: Wiesbaden

How might the use of Blockchain technology affect supply chain risks and their management?

https://decisionsciences.org/annual-conferences/national-dsi/

Transparency in the supply chain is essential to maintain efficient supply chain risk management (SCRM). Blockchain technology can be applied to improve visibility in supply chains. But with increased transparency, SCRM is faced with new challenges. In our new article, the application of blockchain technologies’ effects on supply chain risks are analyzed. For this purpose, a fictitious case is created in which blockchain technology is applied to a manufacturer of medical technology products’ supply chain. The findings of the paper include (1) the effects on supply chain risks (2) recommendations for the implementation of future SCRM in blockchain.

Today, I will present our research results at 2020 DSI Annual Conference – Decision Sciences in the Age of Connectivity https://decisionsciences.org/annual-conferences/national-dsi/

If your are interested in our research, just contact us.

MBP 7/16 Measures and Best Practices for “Supplier Information“

“Nobody gives out company data to the outside world as publicly as either employees associated with a production facility that was closed down or a new one that was set up, or as a new customer, who is not doing well. […] This is information that you get […] on the sidelines. […] this important information must be considered.” (Interview – Senior Director Supply Chain Management, Engineering)

An important prerequisite for successful SCRM is transparency. This should relate to both the value-creation processes themselves as well as the inclusion of comprehensive information about suppliers or customers and a visualization of the supply chain.

In the numerous expert interviews and focus groups with company representatives and scientists for the development of the maturation model, the following measures were identified:

  • Regularly assess your suppliers’ possible risks using self-assessment templates or internally developed scoring procedures.
  • Conduct telephone conferences with critical suppliers at least once a week to identify problems which could lead to an interruption in daily operations well in advance.
  • Compile important information about your suppliers into a collective summary (e.g. emergency numbers, decision-making powers, sales volume, delivery quality, etc.).
  • Carry out supplier evaluations at regular intervals.
  • Carry out a supplier audit at regular intervals to identify possible weaknesses in your delivery dates that could lead to a supply chain interruption.
  • Gather information from different departments and aggregate and organize it in a way to increase the quantity and quality of the information.
  • Ensure that the information is accessible to the relevant employees from different departments (for example, Purchasing and Logistics).
  • Check whether you can also access external sources of information (with up-to-date and reliable details) when reviewing vendors (for example, Dun&Bradstreet).  
  • In addition to vendor evaluations, you should–where appropriate–perform a structured vendor management review in which you work with the vendor to identify development potential and improve growth capabilities.
  • Make sure that all contracts with your supply chain partners are up-to-date (for example, pricing details and the obligations of the supplier to inform you of major changes, such as the relocation of the production site, sustainability requirements, working conditions, etc.).
  • In addition to suppliers of production materials, you should also include other suppliers or service providers (e.g. IT service providers) in the information list.
  • Search for development potential together with the supplier. A Win-Win situation promotes motivation and increases both parties’ commitment.

Extract from Schröder, M. (2019): Structured improvement of supply chain risk management. In: Supply Chain Management – Contributions to Procurement and Logistics, Reihen-Hrsg.: Essig, M.; Stölzle, W., Kersten, W., Springer Gabler: Wiesbaden