Happy Holidays!

December 10, 2013
11:59 am

The snow is falling outside my window. It is the quiet, steady kind that mounds on the window sill… a strong signal for me to relax and enjoy winter. I want to light a fire and curl up on the couch with a good book. I am a voracious reader. I think that this is one of the reasons why I love to write.
Three months ago, one of my clients asked me to help him out. His name was Tom. His request was, “Could you please publish collections of your blog posts? You write so much that I cannot keep up. And, the blog format makes it tough to read old posts.” It is for this reason that I published the second Supply Chain Shaman’s Journal today. It is a collection of my favorite blog posts on supply chain leadership.
The Supply Chain Shaman blog is now four years old. Deep in the bowels of WordPress there are many, MANY posts. Over the course of the next year, we will be bundling these by theme and pushing them out. They will first publish in a pdf format; and over time, they will be available in a digital format for your ereaders.
I also had a request by Joe. He is another of my loyal readers, but he lacks the time to read. Joe asked, “Lora you write so much, and I have SO LITTLE time. Can you produce a series of podcasts so that I can stay up-to-date by listening to the insights through podcasts?” We responded to Joe also. Today, we have 65 podcasts that are available on iTunes. We are publishing 7-9 per month and hope to have over 150 by the end of 2014. Over 85% of these podcasts are our interviews with supply chain leaders. Our goal is to serve the community. We want to make our research the fabric that helps supply chain leaders reach new levels of corporate performance.
So whether you are Joe or Tom, we have an option for you to learn more about supply chain leadership on this snowy day. I find that business slows down the last two weeks of December, and that it is a great time to reflect. So whether you want to read our now more than 40 reports, or check out our new infographics, or read our two journals, or listen to our 65 podcasts, we want to serve you in the way that you want to learn.
What Have I Learned about Supply Chain Leadership?
As I put together the Shaman’s second journal, it was a great time to reflect. I had not read many of these posts for four years. The journal is 33,000 words and over 80 pages. It will take you some time to digest. So, let me give you the short version:

Most companies are stuck on delivering supply chain performance because they have defined supply chain too narrowly as a function. Less than 1% of companies have defined a leader to focus on end-to-end processes. The opportunities for the company lie in the cracks between the functions. A good leader develops influence skills to be able to guide the company to seize the end-to-end opportunity.
One in three companies has a supply chain center of excellence, but only 50% are effective. The issue is the lack of alignment and definition on an operating strategy. In the journal, I focus on how to remedy this issue.
Talent is the missing link for most organizations. The issues to develop and retain talent are growing. The average planning job is open now for five months and 19% of companies have an opening in supply chain planning.
Supply chain performance is about strength, balance and resiliency. It takes discipline and a focused program. It can only be measured in inches, not miles. Companies that have outperformed peers have had an unwavering focus against a strategy.
Leaders design their supply chains and take responsibility for it end-to-end. In the words of one interview that I did this week, “In the last decade, many of us outsourced our supply chains. We hired contract manufacturers and third-party logistics providers; however, we cannot outsource the responsibility. I have to own the fact that I lengthened payables and passed bad forecasts to suppliers increasing costs and waste in the supply chain. I need to be a better partner. My team needs to do the tough work.”

Have a great holiday! Curl up and enjoy our content. Both the journals and the podcasts are available on our Supply Chain Insights website. And, if you have a great idea for us like Tom or Joe did, please send it our way!

Is your Supply Chain AI Ready?

June 11, 2026 2:39 pm

A simple quiz to assess an organization’s AI readiness.

The pace of change is fast and furious. Every day, technology advances faster than we can digest. A great challenge to have.

Determining whether a supply chain is “AI-ready” is less about technology and more about the gray matter between the ears of supply chain leaders. Leadership, alignment, and clarity of goals matter.

Too few companies are clear on the definition of supply chain excellence. Measuring and rewarding functional metrics reduces the firm’s value. Putting agentics on top of today’s processes can make bad practices run faster, reducing value.

The toughest job for the supply chain leader is challenging existing supply chain paradigms that were defined by the limitations of decades of supply chain technologies. As the curtain lifts on the potential of new forms of technology, process redefinition is our opportunity, but only if we are clear on what drives value. (Here, I link to the Supply Chains to Admire reports to help you define value. The next report will be published on June 23rd, along with my Dynamic Benchmarking Product, to help you define value in the face of your AI readiness. More information about the launch is at the bottom of this blog.)

Case Study: A Scrappy Demand Management Approach

June 9, 2026 5:37 pm

This study of Franklin Sports shines a light on the work that needs to be done at the sales account level to challenge a retail forecast, and also highlights the importance of a new technique for a forecast engine — reinforcement learning.

Artificial intelligence comes in many forms — large language models, generative AI, machine learning, unstructured text mining, deep learning, neural networks, reinforcement learning, agents, and agentics. While the industry is wigging out about agentics, I think reinforcement learning is a great step forward in the journey of Artificial Intelligence.

Can We Side-Step the AI Spin Cycle?

June 7, 2026 3:44 pm

When it comes to combining tech, 1+1+1 should equal more than 1. The impact should be exponential. Unfortunately, today, the answer is 0.

What do I mean? Let me explain.

I find that the supply chain technology market moves slowly along traditional technology lines. Conferences are usually focused on the use of technology, not on redefining work. This bothers me. I want it to bother you as well.

Here I share some insights to drive change.

Supply Chain Health Check: The Power of an Orbit Chart

May 27, 2026 9:49 pm

An orbit chart is a powerful tool for understanding the “health” of a supply chain and its potential for improvement. The supply chain is a complex, non-linear system with limited trade-offs. The relationship between trade-offs varies by industry, region, and size. The orbit chart is a diagnostic we use in the Supply Chains to Admire work. Here I explain the use case.

Industry Solutions Should Drive Value Networks: They Don’t Today

May 19, 2026 10:06 pm

Today, companies require industry-specific supply chain solutions. The performance of 82% of the industries–I term this industry potential–is going backward while companies are trying to

Are You Writing a Check You Cannot Cash?

May 14, 2026 10:16 pm

Don’t let a well-intending, but ill-informed consultant or technologist set an expectation that you cannot meet. No when wins when there is a check written that cannot be cashed. In this case, the consultant will move to the next account leaving you holding the bag. Fight back with a data-driven argument. Help the organization think about inventory more holistically.