Common Sense Supply Management : Tales from the Supply Chain Trenches

Common Sense Supply Management

Get incredible control of your supply chain!  Dr. Tom DePaoli in Common Sense Supply Management presents a practical guide to supply chain management and process improvement. He shares invaluable insights by captivating stories. If you dislike consultants, buzzwords and theories, this non-traditional book is meant for you. You will not be able to put the book down until you have finished the supply chain management adventure. Visit Dr. Tom books.com

It includes:

·       How to build relationships throughout the supply chain.

·       A roadmap to transform your supply chain.

·       Best practices and metrics suggestions.

·       Proven supplier tactics.

·       Sourcing,negotiation and training advice.

Don’t let your supply chain ruin your bottom line for one more day!

Some comments about the book:

I read this book with a fairly tenuous grasp of logistics, and most of that knowledge was gleaned from reading other books. One thing I've noticed many books on Six Sigma and Lean lack are stories that illustrate the principles. Without stories, it all seems like fluff. Dr. DePaoli draws from his extensive experience in the area of supply chain management to show newbies the ropes (which can be overwhelming) and give more seasoned members of the industry strategies for success and pitfalls to avoid. Highly recommend it!

The tales consist of easy to read short stories on such topics as negotiations, building relationships, benchmarking, supplier relationship management, and eprocurement. In one, DePaoli relates why beating suppliers constantly doesn't work. In another, he explains how managers can earn trust of their employees. A third looks at why women excel at managing relationships with suppliers.

Being entertained by good storytelling with a purpose is why I highly recommend Dr Tom DePaoli's book to not only the sourcing professional but also to anyone in a role that touches procurement, purchasing, supply chain, etc. Common Sense Supply Management is a great primer for the new hire as well as one with experience. For the new hire it will help them get into the right mind set. For the experienced it will"sharpen the saw" as a refresher while more importantly serve as a sanity check when taking a step back from the daily grind. Personally, Dr.DePaoli's insight on information-based negotiation is invaluable and affirmed the approach we take where I work.