Things must be different now. The footy is back!
Whatever code ignites your interest or even your passion, it's nice to see that life is returning to normal. Or is it?
A Game Plan for the Conditions
In sport it is normally wise to start with a Game Plan that is going to suit the conditions in which the game is expected to be played and will take advantage of your strengths and hopefully exploit any weaknesses of your opposition. What will maximise your chances of winning?
Well let's understand what is likely to happen in coming months now that the threat of Covid-19, while still very real, appears to be held in check at least for the moment. How might the near term environment be characterised. Freeing up? Hopefully. Return to the old normal? In some areas, Yes, but in others customers and other stakeholders might be experiencing a new normal. Certainty? It would be prudent to plan for a wide variety of eventualities. How might competitors behave? Those that are still able to compete may well be scrambling for share.
In these sorts of circumstances how should you play? It will probably not be a good idea to spread all your stock to the extremities of every branch in your network. Probably far wiser to hold it back centrally so you can rapidly reinforce branches that run short. Reduce your depth in your branches and keep stock centrally or in support hubs. Operate just like the fullback who helps plug the gaps when defending, or chimes into the backline to make the extra man in attack. Holding back your stock and keeping your options open probably ought to be a key part of your game plan in the near term.
Play for the full Season
It is likely that Covid-19 will be a big part of our reality for many months to come. Air freight will likely be very expensive for a long while. So getting stock into one or a couple of DCs via sea freight will probably be much more important for many supply chains.
However domestic freight is likely to improve somewhat in coming months. So while getting stock into the country might well be a challenge for some time, getting stock around the country may well be easier over time.
So what might you do? Preserving cash and using working capital well makes sense pretty well all the time, but especially so right now. No point wasting your efforts and your resources on running all over the park right when a simple game plan that takes the ball up the middle in the forwards in the short term, and then spreading it later might be far wiser. It is important to look out 12-18 months to ensure you prosper in the new world into which we are all now venturing. The playing surface will free up and the head winds will abate. Make sure you are around for the finals.
Execution is Ultra Important
Teams that drop the ball and do not complete their sets ultimately get worn out through their own mistakes.
So too with managing your inventory and supply chain in a world recovering from Covid-19.
Quality execution is vital. Sending too much stock to a location or scrambling with too many emergency stock transfers simply saps your energy and your ability to play for the whole game.
So what are you doing to ensure you can easily move stock to where it is needed without substantial effort? How can you ensure your shipments to your branches are quick and reliable? Can you do better than what you had before Covid-19?
It's a Team Game
It is very important that your whole supply chain plays to the same game plan, and everyone plays their part.
In a team game the only score that finally matters is how well your team did versus the opposing team. Individual performances and a dash of speed can contribute but a missed tackle, poor positioning or a dropped ball can turn the game against you.
If one branch hoards stock and plays selfishly then everyone loses. If you plan to get replenishments to branches in just one day, but then the stock is not put away quickly enough the whole team suffers. One person dropping the ball can lead to ripple effects. You spend more time plugging gaps than converting scoring opportunities into points. It is important that the Coach and Leadership outline how you will win.
Build a winning edge
Top sportspeople and coaches know that sound preparation and some intelligent analysis feeding into your game plan can certainly help you achieve a winning edge. But if you have not done the hard yards before the game, it is very hard to win on the day.
If you have built the tools, techniques, team and leadership in the pre-season then you will give yourself the opportunity to win more readily as conditions change. Smart organisations have used the Covid-19 experience as a catalyst for change and to hold a winning position for the future.