ABSTRACT
Once a firm has paid adequate attention to sourcing and logistics as key elements of its supply chain improvement effort, attention typically turns to matters of customer service, inventory management, planning, and scheduling. As these processes are considered — the how of determining what should be created and shipped — it quickly becomes apparent that inherent flaws inhibit the potentially efficient processing that could occur. These flaws are endemic to most systems, but often are a part of the poor source information and the personnel issues that plague smooth and efficient supply chain procedures.
