Supply Chain Metrics that Matter

Chapter 2Managing Metrics on the Effective Frontier

It was spring. The Kwanzan cherry trees were in full bloom as I walked to Joe's office. While Joe and I had actively communicated over the past three months, this was our first time to meet together face-to-face since our winter session.

I knew as I opened the door to Joe's office that he was thinking hard about the concepts, but he was struggling with how to make them actionable. While he knew that he needed to manage a portfolio of metrics and improve the potential of the organization to conquer the Effective Frontier, his question was, “How?” For him, it was a new way of thinking, and while the concepts stimulated a lot of thought, Joe wanted to take them to the next step. Our goal on this warm spring day was to continue the discussion and formulate a plan to use the concepts as the foundation for his new project.

With so many new products in the pipeline, Joe's company was busy executing a growth strategy. To me, the air in a company feels different when it's growing. It just seems that there is more spring in the step of employees and more enthusiasm. Working with companies in this stage is just more fun. This was the case here: The organization's excitement was running high. The market potential of new products was great, and as a group, they wanted to make a difference.

Joe was being put on a special assignment. While the new position was under wraps, and a secret to the larger organization, he was excited. It was a ...