How can you use feedback to create a culture of continuous improvement in supply chain management?

Collect Diverse Feedback: Gather feedback from customers, suppliers, employees, and data sources. Analyze Data: Use analytics to identify trends and areas for improvement. Engage Stakeholders: Share results and collaborate with your team and partners. Prioritize Improvements: Focus on critical areas for enhancement based on feedback. Implement Changes: Translate feedback into action through process adjustments and innovations. Continuous Feedback Loop: Foster a culture of ongoing feedback and adaptability. Training and Technology: Ensure your team is skilled and use technology for efficiency. Celebrate Successes: Recognize achievements driven by feedback. Regular Review: Periodically update goals and processes to stay competitive.

Gather feedback from all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and suppliers, to identify areas for improvement. Act on this feedback by implementing changes, tracking performance, and regularly reassessing to ensure ongoing improvement in efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction.

Allowing the people who are doing the day jobs in and out to not only feedback their opinions on how things could be done better, but to follow up and respond with actions. For example, warehouse environments will often have a place where colleagues can write about their ideas for improvement. But it is rare that each person's point is responded to in a genuine, proactive and personal way. Even if an idea cannot come to fruition, explaining why this is and thanking them for their contribution will encourage people to keep putting their ideas forward and not feel as though they will be disregarded in the future. Small changes in a busy environment can greatly impact productivity and colleague wellbeing.

What I have experienced in my career a clear feedback mechanism that collects, analyzes, and communicates feedback from various sources, such as surveys, interviews, reviews, and reports will be effective approach. We should define key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and evaluate feedback results and improvement actions and involve supply chain stakeholders in the feedback process, soliciting their opinions on current and future issues. They implement a continuous feedback loop, allowing managers to act on feedback, implement improvement actions, measure results, and repeat the cycle for further improvement. Establishing Kano Model can be a solution of effective feedback mechanism.

To build a culture of continuous improvement in supply chain management through feedback: 1. Establish a Feedback System 2. Encourage Open Communication 3. Define Clear Expectations 4. Regularly Review Performance 5. Analyze Feedback Data 6. Identify Root Causes 7. Collaborate on Solutions 8. Implement Changes 9. Invest in Training 10. Recognize and Reward 11. Monitor Progress 12. Share Best Practices This fosters adaptability and efficiency in the supply chain.

Todo servicio o producto debe adecuarse a las necesidades de nuestros clientes o público objetivo; por ello es muy importante obtener el feedback del cliente, con el fin de conocer si éste está satisfecho con el producto o servicio, y si éste a su vez fue brindado en el tiempo y forma esperados. Identificar los puntos de dolor de nuestros clientes o mercado objetivo, permitirá a las empresas mejorar constantemente, así como encontrar oportunidades de mejora o nichos de mercado aún no explorados. Sin embargo, la recopilación de información no debe agotarse en los clientes, sino también en todos aquellos involucrados en la cadena de suministro, quienes también obtienen de primera mano información relevante.

Your own sales team had better have their compensation plan tied to their knowledge of a customer’s supply-chain, and how that affects their own product/service supply chain. Account managers are generally responsible for gathering org charts, roles & responsibilities, and insuring there is a peer identified in their organization to connect to their peers at customer sites. A professional sales-person will always have up-to-the-minute knowledge of their accounts, how customers buy things, and how customers make budgeting decisions which affect their comp plans. Follow-up with customers, by senior sales executives, is mandatory…everyone is subject to “trust but verify” enforcing accountability up to the C-suite.

For a truly holistic view of the supply chain performance, it's crucial to listen to: the customers who provide insights into their experiences, the suppliers who share the realities of providing materials, and the employees whose perspectives can lead to greater workplace satisfaction. Engaging with these stakeholders through surveys, discussions, and regular interactions. Supplement this with data analytics for a complete picture, ensuring the supply chain not only meets standards but is also attuned to the people it serves.

Solicit input from various stakeholders within and outside your organization. You should consider sources such as: 1. Internal teams: Your employees across various supply chain functions can provide valuable insights into operational challenges, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement. 2. Suppliers: Engage with your suppliers to understand their perspective on your partnership, including product quality, on-time deliveries, and communication. 3. Customers: Collect feedback from your customers to gauge their satisfaction with your products, services, and overall experience. 4. Industry peers: Benchmarking with industry peers and competitors can offer insights into best practices and areas for improvement.

The key here is to remember that there are multiple customers within any supply chain. Internal stakeholders are customers and should be included in the feedback loops, as much as external stakeholders and the final customer. Internally, feedback should be solicited from the operational logistics team, the warehouse team, packing teams, custom and commercial teams, sales teams, and of course, research and development. Externally, parts suppliers, transport suppliers, customs brokers, external warehouses or bonded warehouses should all be considered as well. And finally, what does your customer define as success? Everything should support the final customers requirements, but any disruption along the chain can jeopardize this success.

Every artifact of information gathered must necessarily be coherently measured in a fashion which empowers management to meet customer needs and controls costs to manage their accounts. SWOT is great, but, no diagram can replace tight personal relationships between customers and their account managers. Blunt validation of assumptions and measures must necessarily occur to insure whatever analytic methods used are getting good data in, to insure good data out. I was trained in Miller-Heiman techniques of large account management so my expectations of a standardized approach to account management is sincere. The use of Gold, Green and Blue sheets along with constant validation testing is imperative to prolonged account success.

After collecting feedback, the need to utilise SWOT, root cause, and gap analyses to discern the discrepancies between your current operations and your aspirations. These tools will clarify your supply chain’s strong points, areas for improvement, and the strategic steps needed to achieve your objectives. I think I got this right ??

Once you have collected feedback, the next step is to thoroughly analyze the information. Look for common themes, pain points, and areas where your supply chain might be falling short of its goals. Identifying gaps and bottlenecks is essential to target areas for improvement accurately.

SWOT analysis, root cause analysis, and gap analysis are all valuable tools for analyzing feedback and identifying areas for improvement in any supply chain. Root cause analysis is a structured approach to identifying the underlying causes of a problem, which can help address the root cause rather than just treating the symptoms of a problem. Gap analysis is a methodology that compares current performance against a desired or optimal performance and identifies the gaps that need to be closed to achieve the desired outcomes. Using these tools will gain deeper insights into supply chain performance and develop actionable plans to close the gaps and improve the processes.

While strong relationships can alert the business to failures, analyzing data against benchmarks and proactively acting on deviations is critical. Once a deviation has been identified, tools such as a fish bone diagram can help to identify the root cause, providing clarity to the business and the team. With the root cause (or causes) in mind, it is always beneficial in my mind to assign a cost to the business to the deviation or failure. In this way, issues can be prioritized for resolution, and benefits to the business can be captured.

Keep in mind that truth usually hurts. Beware of who and how you are going to give feedback and make it as meaningful as possible. Feedback is intended to create collective growth and develop skills where there is existing room for improvement. Make it as sincere and valuable as possible. If you’re the one receiving it, take it as if it’s coming from a person that really cares about you and your improvement, because that is usually the case. Sometimes we get too self absorbed in our own realities that we are unable to see where we can improve. Having people looking out for us and providing constructive feedback is a sign of respect and appreciation.

How to build a culture of continuous feedback is by presenting many growth opportunities. First of all, you need to provide multiple Feedback channels, recognition of the employees efforts, you also need to set up a standard by yourself by also supporting employees feedbacks, having toolbox talks at intervals and creating a safe space within the organisation where you work. All these can be analysed by use PDSA cycle which means Plan, Do, Study and Act cycle.

Implementing the feedback-driven improvements is where the real change occurs. This could involve various actions such as process adjustments, technology upgrades, workforce training, or supplier collaboration. Regularly monitor the results of these changes against your established metrics and goals. Adjust your strategies as necessary and continuously communicate progress to your teams.

The article and previous comments capture the key elements, but once again, a champion, or KPI owner is needed to take control and drive changes. Identifying the need to change, and implementing changes are two different steps, and a passionate, process expert is in one of the best positions to change perceptions and support the business. When changes have been made, communication should be made to the key stakeholders to alert them to the changes and to encourage further comments or feedback to be sent through, so that data and personal feedback can be utilized in the improvement process.

In conclusion, implementing feedback and monitoring results in the service industry is crucial in the digital era. By promptly gathering feedback, analyzing and categorizing it, acting on it, engaging with customers, monitoring online reviews, implementing feedback into business strategies, and tracking results, businesses can better understand customer expectations, enhance service quality, and build a strong brand reputation. In this digital age, leveraging technology and digital tools is vital to maximize the effectiveness of feedback implementation strategies. Some of the most common ways used so far : 1) Promptly gather feedback 2) Analyze and categorize feedback 3) Act on feedback 4) Engage with customers

Self awareness is key. Ensure the team has reached a maturity level that will support them to accept feedback positively and work on it for improving their current state.

All improvement decisions should have data behind them to validate the change and capture the improvement. If there is no data to support, maybe the first step should be implementing data collection and measuring the gap, or bottleneck to allow further root cause analysis to occur.

a. Feedback channels should be open and accessible. Encourage a culture of open communication and make sure employees feel safe providing feedback. b. Leverage technology and data analytics to gather, process, and analyze feedback efficiently and to spot issues before they become critical. c. Invest in training and development programs and equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to adapt to changing conditions, implement feedback-driven improvements, and embrace a culture of continuous improvement. d. Acknowledge and reward individuals and teams that contribute significantly to improvements within the supply chain. e. Build and demonstrate a culture of continuous improvement.

A trust foundation between team members will make feedback a cohesive process, with collaborative action plans and crucial susceptible metrics to progress.

An example would be innovation sessions with both internal and external stakeholders to assess current processes, Identify improvements, and highlight some new needs. These workshops are very important to ensure open discussions and feedback to ensure excellency in performance. Continuous Improvement is an ongoing process yet an exciting and dynamic one!