Review of "Diagnosing Greatness: Ten Traits of the Best Supply Chains," by Charles C. Poirier, Francis J. Quinn and Morgan L. Swink

Review of

Diagnosing Greatness: Ten Traits of the Best Supply Chains, by Charles C. Poirier, Francis J. Quinn and Morgan L. Swink, ISBN 9781604270266

Five out of five stars

 Eliminating slack from your supply chain must always start with an honest analysis of how it functions if the elimination is to be effective. There are two parts to this, the first is an in-depth analysis of how the most efficient supply chains operate. That is where the authors begin. The second part is an analysis of where your supply chain fails to match those that work well.

 One of the bullet points on the back cover starts with, “Unlocks the mystery to finding how you can further remove costs . . .” That is a bit overstated, as there is no real mystery regarding the ways in which you can tighten and improve your supply chain function. Most of what the authors state in this book, presented as 10 traits, are based on solid business practices.

 The ten traits that are stated as chapter headings are:

*) Trait 1: Supply chain success starts with a sound strategy supported by solid leadership

*) Trait 2: Focusing on financial impact to achieve superior results

*) Trait 3: A portfolio approach to innovation and process improvement

*) Trait 4: Selective collaboration with trusted business partners

*) Trait 5: Excellence in strategic sourcing

*) Trait 6: World-class logistics execution

*) Trait 7: Proficiency in planning and responsiveness

*) Trait 8: High customer integration and satisfaction

*) Trait 9: Ability to anticipate and manage risk

*) Trait 10: Globally optimized operations (Completing the effort)

 This list sounds like little more than the bullet points of a boring, cliche-laden Powerpoint© presentation. Fortunately for the reader the content takes you to a depth that is well worth the effort to read it. There are specific details describing how one carries out each of the goals.

 Tightening up your supply chain starts with the most ubiquitous tactic to improve your performance and cut costs, the elimination of errors. As you will learn when reading this book, most of the other tactics that will improve the efficiency of your supply chain and hence your bottom line are reasonable and achievable changes in tactics and behaviors.