In all my years of implementing commercial grade SCM solutions, I have never seen two that are exactly alike. The "right" process as you might surmise, is different for every client. Some clients want more formalized processes while others tend toward the informal. Some have specific processes foisted upon them by regulating agencies and the like, while others are free to do what they like. Some organizations can tolerate more processes while others would buckle under their weight. Organizations that are engaged in designing (or redesigning) their SCM systems must be willing to customize their solution to meet the needs and capabilities of their organization. Vendors, academia, and well meaning peers can suggest processes until the cows come home but if it is not the "right" solution, it will fail every time.

So how does a company discover the "right" processes for them? The first thing I would say is to get professional help. When I redesigned my bathroom recently, I took the time and incurred the expense to get the advice of an expert from my local design center. While I could have struggled through the process and done it on my own, the project would have taken much longer, cost much more in the end, and I would not have been able to take advantage of the experience and wisdom of my valued expert. In the same way, I would suggest that organizations make use of a bona fide SCM expert to help them through the process. You will gain valuable insight, save money in the long run, and get the "right" SCM operational much sooner that you would otherwise. The challenges companies face when implementing an SCM solution are rarely unique. Having the help of an SCM expert who has solved similar problems before will give you a head start by a large margin.

Once you have the best SCM expertise you can find, the actual processes to form the "right" solution should be influenced by three sources. The first is industry best practices. There is a plethora of SCM industry best practices available at little or no cost. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and the Information Technology Information Library (ITIL) are two that I find most helpful. They both attempt to define the important criteria that describe a well functioning SCM solution albeit from different perspectives. In either case, very smart people have worked hard for many years to codify these SCM best practices and you should take advantage of them in your solution.

The second source of design inspiration should come from your trusted SCM expert. For the same reasons stated above, your SCM expert can bring a wealth of real world expertise and pragmatism to your process design decisions. Many vendors have fancy names for their preferred processes or best practices. Other vendors are less formal. In either case, vendors often have novel approaches to SCM dilemmas that are targeted to vertical markets or specific technology types. When woven into, these vendor specific best practices can fill an important role the fabric of a complete SCM solution. One note of caution when using vendor supplied best practices or processes is to avoid vendor "lock-in". SCM can be abstracted to a point where clients design an SCM methodology independent of vendor specific tools or services. This way a client buys into an SCM plan that can remain constant even as SCM vendors come and go.

The Third and most important requirement when designing SCM processes is the needs and wants of you - the client. The "right" solution is precisely that because it accommodates the peculiarities and well-worn political, technical, and cultural idiosyncrasies that exist in every organization. These differences should not be considered warts or shortcomings (although they can be); they are unique organizational personality traits that make that make the organization successful. Determine what specific needs your organization has and ensure that those are accounted for in the final design.

The "right" SCM system is the one that's "right " for you. By using an SCM expert and designing an SCM solution based on best practices from the industry, your chosen vendor, and your own hard learned lessons, you will ensure that your SCM solution works and will stand the test of time.

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