SyPRe: A framework for supply chain transformation

Standard program management office (PMO) methodologies — that we've all long relied on — are simply not enough.
We’ve all been there. Your weekly progress reports consistently report that everything is going smoothly. Then — and right before a major milestone — a slew of issues crops up and cause significant delays.

If you’re a program sponsor, manager or stakeholder in a similar situation — you may wonder if there’s something that'll identify risks in a similar scenario. That’s why we propose a framework to diagnose transformation program risks early and develop steps to avoid untimely surprises.

What we need is a framework we can truly depend on

Standard program management office (PMO) methodologies — the ones we've all relied on — are simply not enough. The industry-standard method of measuring program health is earned value analysis (EVA). However, EVA only measures schedule and budget variances as a program proceeds. It compares actual and planned progress in terms of timeline and cost. EVA won’t identify upcoming risks so you can avoid them. It also doesn’t indicate whether users will accept the solution and if it’ll perform at the expected level.

Here is where SyPRe comes in. A project management office (PMO) framework, SyPRe — the Supply Chain PMO Rhythm Wheel — provides a forward-looking approach. It allows you to unearth solutions to fitness concerns, data integration challenges and other critical issues as soon as possible.

What SyPRe achieves

SyPRe is a framework that removes chaos and provides a stable environment for successfully running a transformation program. SyPRe tracks each transformation phase, identifying issues and risks before proceeding to the next phase.

SyPRe asks relevant questions regarding the fitness and quality of deliverables and prompts you to identify risks early. As with a typical transformation implementation program, it follows four essential phases — mobilize, blueprint, build and test/deploy.

How does SyPRe work?

The SyPRe lifecycle begins with the mobilization phase. Here, you’ll need to ask some key questions:

• Is the necessary program infrastructure — plan, communication and risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies (RAID) in place?
• Have you decided who’ll be responsible, accountable, consulted or informed (RACI)?
• Have project governance and cadence been set?

Set priorities and parameters in the blueprint phase

The blueprint phase is essential for discussing business requirements in detail. It's essential to make sure you’ve defined the scope of the overall program. This is where the implementation team needs to determine if all features can be built and tested within the allocated time. Scenarios where business requirements are more complex than expected must be discussed openly. These “meetings of the minds” allow parties to understand the importance of each requirement and to align on how to move forward — whether it's a priority exercise where some requirements are scrapped or a change order created, modifying the current agreement.

Required data for the build phase will need to be discussed at the start of the blueprint phase. Different types of data readiness need to be aligned in the data dependency timeline, minimizing risk and avoiding subpar build quality.

Start with a well-defined build phase

Once you define and scope business requirements, the build phase can begin. Be sure to apply Agile methodology at this point. Reveal sprint plans at the beginning of the build phase. Which user stories will be addressed in which sprint? If you find an overflow of user stories, here’s the opportunity to align ideas and strategies to resolve these. Typical path tasks include developing key requirements and preparing and building test scripts. Resolving these factors is necessary before proceeding to the next project phase and making initial plans for performance and stress testing.

Throughout the build phase, SyPRe helps the program owner methodically assess the risks and quality of the build. During this Agile phase of the program, the core team intends to allow early testing. These tests minimize any significant defects and misalignments in the interpretation of requirements.

Wrap things up with a smooth test/deploy phase

Once you mitigate potential risks and consider them within tolerances, the program moves to the test/deploy phase. At this point, you conduct more extensive testing. Both integration and user acceptance testing (UAT) are the key activities of this phase. Defect management and cadence are critical to making sure the team is using their time effectively. They need to focus on finding critical defects and fixing and testing them before the end of the phase.

In parallel, during UAT, the team will also prepare for the cutover activities into production. This activity makes sure the team is ready to begin transitioning to a production environment and completing validated user testing.

The detailed yet high-level approach of the SyPRe framework provides real-time visibility into an ongoing supply chain transformation. Program managers and stakeholders can methodically assess the health of the process in near real time. You'll find there’s is no better way to avoid delays and other unintended consequences.

Contact us and learn how NTT DATA Supply Chain Consulting’s Integrated Demand & Supply Planning practice and the comprehensive SyPRe framework can enable your supply chain transformation. Our top supply chain talent, enabled by proven, leading-edge digital assets — tools, methods and content — deliver actionable insights and measurable outcomes to some of today’s largest and most complex supply chains.