Supply Chain Brief

UNIVERSAL RULES (apply to every brief task)

• ALWAYS include specific recommended actions with deadlines in every output -- observations without actions are not acceptable
• NEVER delay an escalation alert to include it in the next weekly brief -- time-sensitive signals require immediate notification

MANDATORY OUTPUT HEADER

TASK:          [e.g. Weekly Supply Chain Brief -- Week of 2024-03-18]
CONFIGURATION: [Loaded: supply-chain.local.md / Not configured]
DATA SOURCES:  [ERP / AP / TMS / Contract register / Risk monitoring]

WEEKLY SUPPLY CHAIN BRIEF WORKFLOW

Data Pull (automated via MCP -- every Monday morning)

FROM ERP:

• Vendor OTD by tier (prior week + 13-week rolling average)
• Quality rejection rate by tier (prior week + 13-week rolling)
• Open purchase orders overdue (count + value)
• Stock-outs or near-stock-outs flagged (where inventory tracking enabled)

FROM AP SYSTEM:

• Invoices processed (total / straight-through / exception rate)
• Exception rate by type (price variance / qty variance / PO not found)
• Open disputes (count + value + age)
• AP ageing: invoices approaching payment term deadline
• Early payment discounts captured vs. missed (where applicable)

FROM TMS / LOGISTICS:

• Carrier OTD by carrier (prior week + 4-week rolling)
• Damage and claim rate
• Cost per kg vs. prior week and vs. contracted rate
• Expedited freight % of total shipments

FROM CONTRACT REGISTER:

• Contracts expiring within 90 days (with notice deadline)
• Certifications expiring within 90 days
• Any contracts where notice deadline is within 30 days (URGENT)

FROM VENDOR RISK MONITORING:

• New risk signals this week (count by severity)
• Active escalations (count + vendor names)
• Contingency plans active (count)

Executive Brief Output Format

SUPPLY CHAIN WEEKLY BRIEF -- Week of [Date]
Prepared: [Day] [Time] | For: CPO, COO
================================================================

TRAFFIC LIGHT SUMMARY
Vendor Performance:    [GREEN / AMBER / RED]  OTD: [X]%  Quality rej: [X]%
Invoice Processing:    [GREEN / AMBER / RED]  Exception rate: [X]%  Open disputes: [X]
Logistics:             [GREEN / AMBER / RED]  Carrier OTD: [X]%  Cost/kg: [X]
Vendor Risk:           [GREEN / AMBER / RED]  Active alerts: [N]  Escalations: [N]
Contract Calendar:     [GREEN / AMBER / RED]  Renewals due 90d: [N]  URGENT: [N]

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

WIN:
[The single most positive supply chain development this week -- specific]

RISK:
[The single most important issue requiring CPO/COO attention -- specific,
 with recommended action and deadline]

DECISION REQUIRED:
[One thing leadership needs to decide or unblock -- specific]

LEADING INDICATOR STATUS
Vendor OTD trend (13-week):  [Improving / Stable / Declining]
Invoice exception trend:     [Improving / Stable / Declining]
Active risk alerts trend:    [Improving / Stable / Declining]

AT-RISK SITUATIONS REQUIRING LEADERSHIP ATTENTION
[Vendor / Issue]  [Risk level]  [Time-sensitivity]  [Recommended action]

CONTRACT CALENDAR -- URGENT (notice deadline within 30 days)
[Contract]  [Expiry]  [Notice deadline]  [Decision needed]

SAVINGS PIPELINE THIS WEEK
New opportunities identified: [X]
Savings captured this week:   [X]
YTD savings captured:         [X]  vs. target: [X]
================================================================

Full Operations Report Format (monthly -- for operations meeting)

Expand the weekly brief with:

• Month-on-month trend charts (described as data for chart generation)
• Category-by-category vendor performance
• AP exception analysis with root cause breakdown
• Logistics: carrier comparison, lane performance, expedited root cause
• Risk matrix: all monitored vendors plotted by likelihood x impact
• Savings pipeline: all active opportunities with owner and status
• Forward look: key decisions and actions required in next 30 days

Escalation Alert Format (immediate -- not in weekly cycle)

Trigger escalation alert immediately for:

• Any Tier 1 Strategic vendor OTD below 75% in any single week
• Financial distress news on any Strategic or Bottleneck vendor
• Bank detail change attempt on any active vendor (fraud alert)
• Invoice fraud attempt detected (duplicate + amount manipulation)
• Logistics disruption affecting >20% of weekly shipment volume
• Contract notice deadline missed (requires legal consultation)

ESCALATION ALERT -- [Timestamp]
---------------------------------------------------------
Alert type:    [Category]
Severity:      RED CRITICAL / AMBER HIGH
Description:   [Specific facts only -- no speculation]
Immediate action required: [What must happen in next 24 hours]
Escalate to:   [Named individuals]
---------------------------------------------------------

NEVER DO THESE

• NEVER produce a supply chain brief that is longer than one page for the CPO/COO audience -- they need the headline, the risk, and the action; not the full analysis (link to detail if needed)
• NEVER present metrics without comparison to target or prior period -- a number without context is meaningless
• NEVER omit the DECISION REQUIRED section -- the brief exists to drive decisions, not to report history
• NEVER delay an escalation alert to include it in the next weekly brief -- time-sensitive signals require immediate notification

ALL OUTPUTS REQUIRE REVIEW BY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USE IN BUSINESS DECISIONS.