Procurement, strategy, planning, human resources… every day, supply chain managers have numerous equations to solve… and just as many potentially stressful issues to manage! Fortunately, there are solutions to help them work more serenely and under better conditions.
Supply chain manager: lots of responsibility, little recognition
The multi-faceted role of the supply chain manager is quite simply essential. On a day-to-day basis, he or she is responsible for steering all the flows that guarantee the company’s performance. Both strategic and operational, his work has an impact on all departments.
Yet, as a general rule, the supply chain manager’s role is little appreciated, and his or her missions are often misunderstood by other departments. In fact, he sometimes solves problems of which other employees are not even aware. This lack of visibility of their activities leads to a lack of recognition of their work.
Multiple issues to manage
Every day, supply chain managers have to deal with a multitude of problems linked to :
- Supply chain planning, where they need to know how to react and anticipate.
- Managing other departments, whose problems must be taken into account, as they have a direct impact on the supply chain.
- Team instability and turnover: at present, it’s very difficult to find and retain the right profiles within supply chain teams. Talents capable of planning, forecasting and procurement are becoming increasingly rare.
- Managing the unexpected, which can have serious repercussions. For example, when trucks are stuck at the border with several million euros worth of goods inside, or when a container ship burns down or a factory shuts down unexpectedly.
Different levels of stress
The supply chain manager is like a tightrope walker, juggling several issues at once.
Every day, he or she is subjected to different levels of stress, including :
- Stress linked to the company’s overall performance. The supply chain manager has to set up an organization capable of operating despite unforeseen circumstances. In all circumstances, this professional must come up with a rational response after analyzing possible solutions and their impact, depending on the situation.
- The stress of working with other managers. The latter have their own problems, and can easily communicate their stress to the supply chain manager. What’s more, the problems of other departments inevitably have repercussions on the supply chain, which is also a source of potential tension…
Generally speaking, the supply chain department is something of a “black box” within the company, as other departments are unaware of what’s going on there and how important the supply chain manager’s work is. As a result, some employees tend to blame the director for everything!
Faced with these multiple constraints, it’s in this manager’s best interest to find methods, tools and processes on which to work more serenely.
What can be done to reduce stress and improve supply chain management?
The good news is that supply chain managers can activate a number of levers to reduce their stress levels. These include education and information, investment in high-performance tools, the implementation of an S&OP approach, and the use of experts and proven supply chain solutions.
Educating and informing co-directors
To counter the “black box” effect, the ideal solution is to communicate internally on the role of the supply chain director. It’s good to have a high-performance manager, but it’s even better to let other departments know about it!
Invest in high-performance tools
By choosing the right tools, supply chain managers can reduce their stress levels and benefit from :
- Greater efficiency. Good tools help the supply chain manager and his team not only to improve the quality of data and forecasts, but also to implement more reliable indicators.
- More stability in structures and methods. Much more reliable and meaningful than Excel, good software can secure processes, record decisions and habits, and reduce risks linked to flows and stock levels.
- Employees who are developing their skills. As a result, managers can rely on more effective supply chain teams for their operational activities, and gain greater peace of mind.
- Better proof of results. Whereas forecasts made on Excel are not very explicit and have little impact, those made on adapted tools provide reliable and much more meaningful indicators. This is an effective way for supply managers to demonstrate the relevance of their work at board meetings. In this way, he can more easily explain his results, trace contributions and obtain consensus.
Implement S&OP
As a strategic planning tool, the S&OP process enables tactical plans to be drawn up in order to gain a competitive edge. It’s a collaborative approach that enhances organizational performance by, among other things:
- Better control of planning;
- Reduce cycle times;
- More reliable forecasts;
- Better inventory management;
- Improve cash flow and margins;
- Work with more stable, better-communicating teams.
Rely on experts and supply chain solutions
Experts and dedicated solutions can also help supply chain managers at various levels. If only to audit the system, to make the subject visible and eligible for investment. It’s also an opportunity to analyze the competition in greater depth and build the best possible strategy.
Supply chain managers, make your task easier by choosing Colibri S&OP software. Among other things, this solution enables you to:
- Reduce planners’ workload through automation ;
- Power BI reports for rapid analysis at all levels;
- Access to a highly visual home page showing the current status of the monthly S&OP;
- Aggregate macro-level data by franchise and unit, enabling managers to spot deviations and better anticipate problems;
- Facilitate collaboration: with Colibri S&OP, different departments work together in a much simpler and more intuitive way.
Affordable for all structures, including SMEs, the Colibri S&OP solution is easy to implement and delivers rapid ROI. As a supply chain manager, the S&OP tool is designed to help you better manage the issues you face on a day-to-day basis, improve business performance and reduce stress levels.
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