Supply Chain Management and Logistics

A comparative study of logistic operation in the military vs. commercial organization The past two decades have witnessed drastic transformations in civilian as well as military logistical settings. The commercial sector has been transformed by mass retailing, technological advancements, deregulation impacts, supply chains, etc. which have posed challenges to the commercial logistical setting. Simultaneously, military logisticians saw the Cold War era and associated strategies, a whole new kind of enemy, evolving military employees and sustained combat maneuvers within Third-World settings (Rutner, Aviles & Cox, 2012).

Both groups have encountered tough choices, in addition to being pressured to review and perfect their corresponding logistical processes. But the question of whether both have been growing at the same rate remains to be answered. Contemporary corporations are required to simultaneously achieve reduced costs, superior quality and superior logistics performance. They are facing increasing pressures to modify their offering to address changing requirements, promote technological growth, and meet the lofty conditions that are placed with regard to the areas of delivery lead times, reliability, cost and quality.

Traditional, resource-based manufacturing process design and management fails when it comes to satisfying the above conditions (Schverak, 2010). Efficiently managed logistical systems entailing goal-focused process design will be able to offer corporations sustainable competitive edges over rivals, owing to the fact that good logistics management increases client satisfaction, lowers costs and maintains delivery quality. The military domain can be considered as a frontrunner in logistics process implementation. After all, the word "logistics" first began to be used extensively in military circles.

Researchers usually hold that logistics studies emerged from war-time needs including the need for transporting soldiers, rations and equipment to battlegrounds. Military literature beginning from the 19th-century U.S. Civil War depicts the word "logistics" being used specifically (Rutner et al., 2012). After World War II (WWII), scholars started separating logistics into military and commercial logistics in their works, and the phrase "business logistics" surfaced. Hence, although logistics has its roots in the military profession, it clearly moved over to the commercial arena.

Thus, upon comparing commercial and military supply chains, one will expect that the latter enjoys appreciable advantage on account of its far earlier researching and implementation of logistical practices, processes, instruments, technology and equipment. But, in truth, commercial supply chain management (SCM) and logistical domains outdid military logistics sometime in the post-WWII period. This gives rise to the question of how a role reversal occurred with respect to the two "rival" supply chains' positions.

Therefore, this paper will employ the organizational design and reasoned action theories for assessing behaviors which drove this role reversal. Goals and objectives This venture's corporate goals directly support the organizational strategy of achieving more technological growth in information processing and telecommunications, via a comparison of business and military arenas.

• In the end, the objective is: creation of a firm capable of adapting in a swifter, more flexible and timelier way to novel information • Generally, the objective may be described as: an attempt at proving that armed forces are, as traditionally perceived, ideal rigidly-categorized institutions. Project Management Approach From the project plan as well as supplementary management blueprints, it follows that the Project Manager is given overall charge and control over project management and execution.

Considering the plan's nature, which is a scholarly work aimed chiefly at educational course requirement completion, the student will constitute the venture's project manager in this case, with other key stakeholders being the undertaking's supervisor and course tutor. Project planning will be carried out by the student (project manager) using all available resources. Every project-related plan requires the supervisor's analysis and approval. The project manager will have to make funding decisions as well.

All allotments of approval authorizations to project manager ought to be provided through a written document, containing the manager's as well as supervisor's signatures. The former is also charged with providing company managers with information on individual project resource performance and project progress. Project scope This business and military project will comprise of project design, testing and reporting of comparison and contrast outcomes of business and military institutions' structural issues.

The business sector has also dominantly seen structural issues of late, owing to a reformation in how big corporations carry out their business operations. The team selected for the project will complete every requisite software and hardware resource (Rutner et al., 2012). Overall, this project will not be bound by ordinary ongoing operations; further, no mandatory research process will disturb everyday operations. This logistics and SCM project's scope encompasses secondary and primary information acquisition in case of civilian business and military logistics and SCM, information analysis, and report preparation (Spychalski, 2011).

Additionally, the project scope covers complete manuals, documentation, and presentations which will supplement the project. The project will only be regarded as "completed" after successful research and documentation completion and submission to course tutor and project supervisor. Every aspect of the project will be internally completed; there will be no outsourcing of project-related tasks. The project scope doesn't cover modifications or amendments in standard logistics and SCM prerequisites.

HR Management Personnel need to comprehend straightforward instructions with regard to workplace safety and processes, and safety, as well as properly respond to orders in case of emergencies. Elementary training in this regard is often provided to fresh recruits. Personnel stationed at far-flung posts need to be provided basic necessities if they cannot acquire them easily from other sources. The Project will involve a matrix arrangement and will be supported by a number of internal organizations. Every project task will be carried out in-house.

Project staff must include: A Project Manager: In charge of overall project management. The Project's Manager will be charged with planning, development and management of every relevant task, variance, supervision, documentation, enlistment of project staff, communication, coordinating activities with course tutor and supervisor, and performance appraisal. he/she will also be given the responsibility of project programming and coding. Every coding/programming activity has to be implemented only after the supervisor's appraisal.

Furthermore, the duties to be carried out by the project manager also include aiding in the process of risk identification, ascertaining change requests' effects on the project, its timeline, outcomes etc. and reporting on milestone completion status on a daily or weekly basis. Project Programmer will have to report to the Manager, who will offer feedback to both course tutor and supervisor; this information will be utilized in the area of performance appraisal.

A Project Supervisor: The project supervisor's key duties include overseeing every project-related process, making sure project operations adhere to quality standards, overseeing project manager activities (as mentioned in the previous paragraph, the project manager will offer feedback on performance), and collaborating with Project Manager on the creation of work packages, risk management, project schedule management, identification of requirements, and formulation of project reports. A Course tutor: In charge of aiding the Project Manager with the development of quality assurance as well as quality control benchmarks.

he/she will be accorded the responsibility of compiling and updating quality assurance and quality control logs all through the course of the project. Further, he/she will be required to work in collaboration with the project supervisor in overseeing Project Manager activities (as stated earlier, the project manager will offer feedback to aid the course tutor's performance assessment as well). An Assistant Specialist: In charge of aiding Project Manager with the formulation and oversight of quality assurance and quality control benchmarks.

The individual in this post will chiefly be in charge of gathering and penning quality measures and reports to be communicated by the Project Manager. Further, he./she will be in charge of compiling complete project reporting/ documentation into institutional formats. he/she will also be given the responsibility of aiding the Project Manager with Configuration Management tasks and in revision control when it comes to the task of project documentation.

Lastly, he/she will be accorded the responsibility of scribing in every project team meetings, as well as maintaining every communication distribution list. This individual's work will be overseen and directed by Project Manager (feedback will be offered in this case, as well, to aid the performance assessment process). To sum up, the Project's Manager will be required to negotiate every important stakeholder for identifying and allocating project resources. Every resource requires the approval of relevant stakeholders prior to its utilization in any project-related process or task.

Project team members will not face co-location in case of the project; every resource will continue to be situated in the same workspace. Communications Management The project's Communications Management blueprint aims at setting its communications agenda. The chief role of this plan will be: providing guidance for project-related communications throughout the entire project duration. Updates will be made with changing communication requirements. The plan recognizes and delineates team members' communication roles.

It will encompass a communications structure that effectively charts project-related communication needs as well as communication conduct with regard to team member meets and other communication channels. Lastly, the plan will encompass a team directory which delivers contact information of every key stakeholder (who is directly participating in project activities) (Spychalski, 2011). Ascertaining sound and smooth project-linked communication is a task to be chiefly headed by the Project Manager. The following communication matrix describes project communication needs.

This Matrix forms a guide outlining the facts to be communicated, the individual expected to communicate them, the time of communication, and the parties to whom the facts are to be communicated.

Report of Communications Conduct: Type of Communication Description Frequency Format Participants/ Distribution Participants/ Distribution Owner Weekly Status Email summarizing the current status of the project Once a week Email Project Team and Supervisor Status Report Project Manager Weekly Meeting of Project Team Members Meeting for reviewing action, documenting, and ascertaining project status Once a week Face to face Project Team Members Up-to-date Action Register Project Manager Monthly Project Review Presentation of status and metrics to supervisor and other team members Once a Month Face to face Project Team, including supervisor and course tutor.

Metric and Status Presentation Project Manager Project Gate Review Presentation of individual project phase closeout and commencement of the subsequent stage As Required Face to face Project Team, including supervisor and course tutor.

Stage completion report; subsequent phase commencement Project Manager Review of Technical Design Review of all project-related technical work and designs As Required Face to face Project Team Members Technical Design Package Project Manager Communications Methodology The following three directions will be adopted to ensure sound communication: Top-Down: A sense of top-level management guidance and support of the project among project staff members is extremely essential. Corporate executive board members must keenly and jointly discuss the project, together with its advantages to all participating individuals.

This requires 'hands-on' management of change for it to prove fruitful. Top-level managers must communicate directly with employees at each corporate level as well as lend an ear to what individual organizational levels have to say (Anderson, Britt and Favre, 2007). Bottom-Up: For guaranteeing the support and acceptance of project-related organizational changes among project team members as well as the rest of the company, communicating how solutions were development is an imperative step.

People will be prone to resisting change if they believe the changes linked to the project were developed only by Steering Committee members. But if the workforce feels every participating employee's views and ideas were taken into account, more encouraging outcomes may be expected in terms of project/change acceptance. Middle-Out: Sustainable corporate improvement necessitates complete support at every organizational level at which change implementation will occur. Here, leaders need to strive towards determining and conveying the distinct advantages of project-related organizational change.

Stakeholders must have a personal interest in project success. Communications Conduct: Meetings: A meeting schedule will be handed out to project participants by the Project Manager no less than a couple of days before all scheduled team meetings. Before meeting commencement, every involved individual must review the schedule. In the course of such meetings, it is the timekeeper's duty to make sure schedule-defined time limits are followed. Also, a recorder will be identified whose role will be note-taking (minutes) during the meeting.

A meeting report will then be handed out among team members after the meeting terminates. Email: Every email-based, project-related communication ought to be error-free, professional, and to the point. Emails must be forwarded to appropriate individuals based on the previously-defined communication matrix. Every attachment must be in a standard company software suite program, and must stick to standard corporate formats. An email intended at raising an issue needs to clearly state the issue, offer concise background information regarding it, and recommend solutions to the issue.

All project-linked emails require project manager involvement. Informal Communications: Although informal communication forms part of all organizational undertakings including such projects, and proves central to effective completion of project stages, all problems, concerns, updates, etc. surfacing out of informal project-team communication should be voiced before the Project Manager, who will ensure proper action is taken. Scope Management This is solely the project manager's duty. In this particular project's context, the scope will be delineated by a Scope Statement, and WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) and Dictionary.

All project participants including Project Supervisor and Manager will formulate and approve documents to gauge the project's scope, including work performance metrics and quality specifications of deliverables. Suggested alterations to project scope can only come from the supervisor or Project Manager. Every change request has to be presented before the Project Manager for approval.

The project manager will first review the recommended change of scope, approve/disapprove of it, and forward it to project team members, who will update every project document as well as inform every other stakeholder of scope change. The course tutor and project supervisor will be in charge of officially approving the ultimate project deliverable. Such approval should be founded on project document examination, product functionality and successful completion of every project-related work package or task.

Schedule Management The Microsoft Project 2007 software will be utilized for developing project agendas, beginning with deliverables stated in the WBS. Through activity definition, distinct work packages whose completion is imperative to complete individual deliverables will be defined. Further, the project will employ activity sequencing for ascertaining work package sequence and relating project activities or steps. Moreover, activity duration estimations will be employed for gauging work periods needed for work package completion (Anderson et al., 2007).

Lastly, the project team will engage in resource estimation for allocating resources to individual work packages; this completes the schedule creation phase. The initially developed agenda will be assessed by project team members, who will also collectively participate in tentative resource allocation to distinct project activities. Project resources and team members should accept planned work package tasks, timetables, and durations. After the accomplishment of this stage, the agenda will be forwarded to the project sponsor for analysis and approval, and subsequently base-lined.

According to company standards, the milestones listed below (with timelines) are established: Milestone Timelines (in days) Scope statement, WBS and WBS Dictionary Completion 5 Base-lined agenda 3 Project commencement 1 Task/duty approval 3 Project team member deployment 2 In-depth research 60 Analysis of researched data 14 Final deliverable acceptance 14 The following agenda preparation responsibilities and roles have been outlined: Project manager: Tasked with aiding the work package planning, structuring, and resource and time estimation processes in collaboration with team members.

he/she will further be in charge of developing a project plan on the Microsoft Project 2007 software, validating the plan with stakeholders (including project staff), obtaining the supervisor's approval for the plan, and base-lining it. Project team: In charge of taking part in the processes of work package planning, structuring, and resource and time estimation. Team members will also engage in studying and validating the plan put forward, and carrying out the tasks assigned to them following agenda approval.

Project supervisor: Responsibilities include taking part in proposed plan review and approval prior to its base-lining. Project stakeholders: They will also take part in the activity of reviewing the plan put forward and facilitate the plan validation process. Cost Management It is the project manager's duty to fund and effectively handle project-related expenses from the outset through project termination. he/she will be provided reports of all cost requirements by different team members during the finance-focused meetings held once a week.

By employing earned value estimates, the Project Manager will account for any deviations from the anticipated costs incurred. The Project Manager alone is authorized to effect changes to the budget and make any relevant decisions. In case of this project, it will be at the WBS's 4th level that control accounts which trace and handle all expenses and performance will be developed. Project financial performance will be gauged using earned value estimates in relation to cost accounts of the project.

In these statements, the team can round off expenses to the nearest dollar, while work hours may be rounded off to the nearest hour. The project manager will perform Schedule and Cost Performance Index estimations (SPI and CPI) once a month. SPI or CPI variances of +/- 0.1 or ten percent will alter cost status to "cautionary" levels. There might be no need to take action if their determination reveals insignificant or no effects on project expenses or program baseline.

SPI or CPI cost variances that come up to +/- 0.2 or twenty percent alter cost status to "critical" (red) (Anderson et al., 2007; Bosona & Gebresenbet, 2012). After their determination, corrective action on the project manager's part will be necessary to ensure the SPI or CPI is brought back to allowed variance levels. The project manager will record earned value estimates, which will be presented before the team members at the project status meet held once a month.

Team members will be instantly informed of any indications of the above values reaching critical level prior to the next meeting. Item Estimated cost ($) Stationery Personnel Miscellaneous Quality Management Thorough operational practice reviews must be performed. Step-wise procedures need to be executed and, initially, monitored on a constant basis for ensuring norms are followed or standard requirements are fulfilled. The scenario resembles challenges producers who consider outsourcing logistics activities to 3PL (Third Party Logistics) companies encounter, particularly if it's their first time undertaking such an activity.

There are many examples of manufacturers who create a functional environment wherein necessary legal standards (particularly Health, Safety, and the Environment (HSE)) are interwoven into corporate cultures (Spychalski, 2011). If a new third party logistics affiliate with different functional practices for satisfying HSE standards comes into the picture, both entities must actively collaborate and devise accepted practices for attaining required standards. Every team member has something to contribute to the project quality management process.

It is crucial for project participants to make sure their completed tasks, right from distinct work packages or activities to the end deliverable, are of satisfactory quality. The following quality management responsibilities and roles have been delineated for different project team members: Project Manager: Also, the individual funding the project, the project manager is tasked with project quality benchmark approval. he/she is in charge of reviewing every project activity and deliverable for making sure they adhere to accepted and preset quality benchmarks.

The Project's Manager has to sign a document indicating his/her final project deliverable approval. he/she is further in charge of overall quality management, implementation of the project's Quality Management strategy, and making sure every process, activity and document is in line with the formulated plan. Lastly, he/she will, in collaboration with project team members, come up with acceptable quality benchmarks and track as well as inform project team members and relevant outside stakeholders of every quality benchmark.

Project Supervisor: Is in charge of collaborating with Project Manager in quality management strategy formulation and execution. he/she will provide recommendations with regard to techniques and instruments to track quality as well as benchmarks to institute acceptable levels of project/deliverable quality. Moreover, he/she will also develop and maintain the project's quality assurance and quality control logs.

Other team members: The rest of the workforce involved in the project, in addition to other stakeholders, are required to aid quality experts and Project Manager with the institution of accepted benchmarks of quality. Additionally, they will endeavor towards making sure every quality benchmark is met and towards informing the project manager of all quality-related concerns. Project quality control will employ instruments and techniques to ensure every project-linked deliverable adheres to the preset, agreed-upon standards of quality.

For meeting deliverable expectations and conditions, a formal procedure to assess and accept quality standards should be implemented. The Project Manager has to make sure every quality control aspect and quality standard is complied with in in the entire course of the project. Further, Project Supervisor aids the Project Manager with corroborating that every quality benchmark is met in case of all individual deliverables.

In case of any modifications put forward and accepted by the change control board and project sponsor, the Project Manager has to inform team members of the changes and update every project strategy and document. The project quality assurance component entails making sure every process employed in project completion adheres to accepted benchmarks of quality. The process benchmarks are instituted for minimizing any wastes and maximizing project efficiency.

For every process employed in the course of the project, quality needs to be tracked and computed by the Project Manager, against agreed-upon benchmarks, with the project supervisor's aid. In case of any modifications put forward and accepted by the change control board and project sponsor, the Project Manager has to inform team members of the changes and update every project strategy and document. Change Management The Change Management strategy aims at identifying the process for dealing with proposed project scope alterations.

At the time of project definition within the Project Proposal, the sponsor establishes expectations of what will be the end result of the project, associated costs, and required resources (material, time, personnel, etc.). Proposal approval typically leads to the signing of an agreement between concerned parties. All requests for project scope alteration go through a strict protocol. The protocol's implementation ensures proposed changes' effects are computed and ensuing project deliverables-, deadline-, and expenditure- related changes receive project manager and relevant information services manager approval.

Issue Process Change request (CR) management is undertaken using a couple of primary instruments, namely a CR Form and SR Log. The former is employed to send one's requested alterations to the project manager and document the effect, resolution and decision of the manager while the latter is employed by the project manager in tracking CR status (Chen et al., 2012). Data inherent in the Project Blueprint is expected to change with time.

Although change is necessary as well as definite, one basic point to bear in mind is that all project plan alterations will have an impact on no less than one out of the following 3 key success factors, namely, project quality, deadline, and monetary and human resources.