11.29.11
Flying off The Shelf
[Cartoon]
Marketing loves to refer to products as “flying off the shelves.” The merchandiser hears this as meaning the products were great ones to buy for the stores, but the prices could have been higher. Logistics hears this and knows they will be challenged to keep the product in stock. The store manager interprets this to mean the product will probably be out of stock when customers want it. The IT manager hears it and knows that the supply chain software will be blamed for any delays in delivery.
The Enterprise Architect knows that there will always be some delays in the supply chain. Some delays are expected and are irritating. Other delays can be catastrophic. The media and bloggers can be unmerciful if they interpret the unavailability of a product as a form of “bait and switch.”
This is why Enterprise Architects view the supply chain from a production perspective and a risk perspective. The production perspective is to have in place the appropriate monitoring tools to keep every participant aware of the current state in the flow of products. This includes all participants including third party providers and shippers. Risk analysis evaluates the potential costs when there are disruptions in the supply chain.
Monitoring of the supply chain can provide the alerts needed to be aware of unavoidable problems. Some problems can only be reported as alerts where others may require action to avoid having empty shelves.
Risk analysis opens the opportunity to devise alternative sources and routes. These alternatives can then be used either automatically by the supply chain software or manually by those receiving the alerts.
Even the organization’s media relations group can notify the media of problems. They can receive alerts when serious problems might erode the integrity of the organization’s brand. The alternatives to address the problem should already have been considered during the risk analysis so there should be no delays in communications with customers.
Enterprise Architects realize that everything possible should be done to allow products to “fly off the shelf.” This first means having a well-defined and optimally tuned supply chain. Secondly, it means to continuously perform risk analysis to uncover the potential losses due to delays in the flow of products.
Enterprise Architects are well-aware of the continuing evolution of technology. They creatively look for technology convergence that can provide breakthroughs in thinking. We are at one of those convergent junctions today. What is about to happen will give non-professional information technologists control of their use of automation in their business. No longer will they simply peer through windows and see only what applications let them see. They will be able to go inside, see how things work, and control their automation. – Enterprise Architects Masters of the Unseen City
Closing the Business / IT gap.
