These days, there’s a lot of requirements for supply chain success. Even a supply chain that is carefully architected, supported by the best technology, and managed using the most modern (collaborative) process is not guaranteed to succeed. But whether the supply chain is in the public sector or the private sector, there is one fundamental requirement of success that does not change: talent.
I was reminded of this when reading a recent post over on the HBR blogs about the intelligence challenge where the authors, who were all Marine Corps Intelligence Officers in Iraq who now advise clients through the Mayflower Strategy Group, noted that the way ahead, for those who want success in the public sector and the military, is to emulate the lessons learned from the recent slim-downs in the private sector where the winning organizations were those that spent money on obtaining best-in-class collaboration tools and top talent to deploy them.
The reality is that there is no one (network) architecture, technology, or process that will guarantee success in today’s global supply chain that is wrought with risk from end to end. That means an organization’s best chance of success is having top talent in place who can quickly react to unpredictable occurrences and prevent minor hiccups from becoming major disruptions. A good supply chain runs on good people, so make sure you have some. And be sure to give them the best tools and training available, as they can never be over prepared.