It's true. Paying attention to the right details can reveal the secrets of the world to you while paying attention to wrong details can become a red herring. This truism definitely rings true in the logistics industry.
Here is a brainteaser courtesy of SharpBrains.com.Let's test your ability to block out the extraneous details to focus on the important details.
Question: Is the inner circle a perfectly round circle ?
Hint: Sometimes extraneous information around your target can distort your view. Try covering the lines with a piece of card to remove some of the interfering information.
Like this image, extraneous information can distort your view in manufacturing and logistics. We live in the age of iOT ( The Internet of Things), just in time delivery, and two day shipping. There is so much data out there on every facet of our lives.
The scary thing is that there is so much accessible information out there that we have not figured out what it all means yet.
So what does all of this have to do with logistics, supply chains, and manufacturing ? We operate in a industry where data analytics and business intelligence is crucial to our decision making. If correct decision are not made, it can jeopardize millions of dollars.
Quick. Fast And In A Hurry...
However with such a wave of data and information, understanding what to monitor and how to capture the insight that you seek is vastly important.
How do you discover what is important to monitor ?
It requires being intimate with the business. You have to understand the process flow from A - Z. How does each step in the process add value to the end product ? Once you understand this, you can create performance indicators that captures the effects of the process on the end product.
Here is a scenario:
Company ABC is a manufacturer. Company ABC manufactures parts used in the manufacturing of custom golf carts. In order for Company ABC to produce these parts, it requires a series of steps and process to produce the product. Given that this is the case, possibly Lead Time is the most important metric of performance for their business. If Company ABC needs more insight, they can always drill down this metric. They can begin to look into the appropriate Lead Time for each step of the process. This will give them insight into where the breakdown is occurring. This is business intelligence at its finest.
You focus on the important details and block out the rest. This allows you to create your true K.P.I.s and drill down the analysis when you need more insight.
At RBW, it is our goal to focus on the most important details. We help our clients make smart business decisions by focusing on the true K.P.I.s. We believe that our role does not stop at being just a " warehouse provider." This is rudimentary and is what to be expected.
We believe in being an asset to our customers ( business partners) by locating areas of their operations and supply chains that can be improved. A big part of this is knowing how to focus on the right details and block out the rest. A big part of this is understanding their business. A big part of this is understanding their understanding their supply chain.
Here is the conclusion to the brainteaser:
Brain functions involved:
Here you are exercising your visual perception and decision-making skills. The visual cortex in your occipital lobes processes visual input from your eyes. Not only is the occipital lobe mainly responsible for visual reception, it also contains association areas that help in the visual recognition of shapes and colors. The problem solving, selective attention, and executive functions used in this exercise are handled by the anterior portion of the frontal lobes.
ANSWER:
Believe it or not, both shapes are perfect circles.
