Implementation Plan
An Implementation Plan develops actionable strategies for the execution of supply chain recommendations. Incorporating all recommendations simultaneously might not be the most efficient or effective process, so it is important to develop a clear action plan and timeline for implementation. The recommendations can be long- or short-term, they may require localized changes as well as large-scale global changes, they may target processes involving only internal stakeholders or they may also involve external partners--and an implementation plan can help detail the sequence of recommendations, the resources required, the anticipated impact on stakeholders and any processes to follow in implementing them.
Strategic Issues in Developing Implementation Plans
As discussed earlier, an organization initiates a supply chain analysis project because it wants to identify key areas for supply chain improvements. This helps increase efficiency and effectiveness, and helps the organization better meet its goals and objectives. A supply chain analysis project is clearly a significant investment of resources and time, and the Implementation Plan can help ensure that the research findings are translated into real supply chain improvements. It is therefore essential that the Implementation Plan be prioritized as one of the most important steps of the project, and that it is carefully developed and executed.
- Timeline for implementation: The timeline for an implementation plan can either be a few months or extend into a year or more depending on the kind of changes required and the resources available. Typically recommendations to improve supply chain performance include some changes to existing processes that can be made in as little as 6 months, while other recommendations might require establishing new processes and realignment of functions or strategies that could take up to a year or more to implement.
- Stakeholder impact: Some recommendations may impact certain stakeholders more than others. For example, changing how inventory is held might have less impact on stakeholders than changing where the inventory is held. In the latter case, there are additional costs (in creating new facilities and logistics infrastructures) which require new fundraising, and this would also impact stakeholders like local and global transporters. Since buy-in from key stakeholders is so important in ensuring that recommendations are implemented, it is necessary to map the impact of each recommendation on the map of supply chain stakeholders.
- Resources-- Time, money, personnel: Implementing recommendations to improve supply chain performance requires stakeholders to contribute time, money and personnel. It is also important to understand stakeholders’ resource constraints when developing a timeline for implementation. As discussed in the Funding flow section, financial resources may only be available on a certain timeframe, while other resources like personnel might be available on a rolling schedule. A viable implementation plan should take into account all such resource constraints and timing.
- Changes (short-, medium- and long- term): Not all recommendations can provide the same “bang for the buck.” The process of prioritizing recommendations to develop an implementation plan also involves assessing the potential supply chain improvements afforded by each recommendation. Complementing the impact of stakeholder involvement and available resources on the timeline for implementation, each recommendation’s relative importance should also be considered. Earlier research with stakeholder feedback and quantitative data can help identify key bottlenecks in the supply chain. These should become priority recommendations, while ongoing activities like relationships with other stakeholders in the supply chain might be a longer-term goal for the implementation plan.