The Supply Chain Management Blog covers the latest
in SCM strategy, technology, and innovation.

Oracle and Verdant Services bring you a webcast that showcases best practices for enabling formulated product companies to innovate better and gain a competitive edge in their market.

Oracle and Verdant Services bring you a webcast that showcases best practices for enabling formulated product companies to innovate better and gain a competitive edge in their market.

Recent survey results show that emerging technologies—applied in ways that connect planning across supply chain operations, finance and the workforce—are a key area of focus.

Recent survey results show that emerging technologies—applied in ways that connect planning across supply chain operations, finance and the workforce—are a key area of focus.

Gartner “Key Considerations for Supply Chain Leaders Evaluating Transportation Management Systems” report provides an excellent roadmap to help you select the right transportation management solution.

Gartner “Key Considerations for Supply Chain Leaders Evaluating Transportation Management Systems” report provides an excellent roadmap to help you select the right transportation management solution.

Vanguard’s chief accounting officer shares how cloud apps are bringing increased productivity, enhanced decision-making, and a faster financial close.

Vanguard’s chief accounting officer shares how cloud apps are bringing increased productivity, enhanced decision-making, and a faster financial close.

At Hannover Messe, leading supply chain consultants offered advice on preparing for more disruptions ahead.

At Hannover Messe, leading supply chain consultants offered advice on preparing for more disruptions ahead.

With the pace of innovation skyrocketing, Glory decided to move to the cloud to support fast global growth.

With the pace of innovation skyrocketing, Glory decided to move to the cloud to support fast global growth.

Continuous innovation is becoming the real engine for business success in today’s fast-paced economy. Learn why companies are adopting continuous innovation platforms that integrate five aspects of the supply chain lifecycle.

Continuous innovation is becoming the real engine for business success in today’s fast-paced economy. Learn why companies are adopting continuous innovation platforms that integrate five aspects of...

Oracle senior vice president of Oracle Applications Development Rick Jewell provides details on the new capabilities in Oracle Cloud SCM and latest updates included in the 21A and (upcoming) 21B releases.

Oracle senior vice president of Oracle Applications Development Rick Jewell provides details on the new capabilities in Oracle Cloud SCM and latest updates included in the 21A and (upcoming)...

Hannover Messe gives manufacturing and supply chain executives around the world a chance to hear from industry leaders and explore the latest manufacturing and supply chain technologies.

Hannover Messe gives manufacturing and supply chain executives around the world a chance to hear from industry leaders and explore the latest manufacturing and supply chain technologies.

Examples of blockchain use cases and stories of Oracle blockchain customers and partners related to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examples of blockchain use cases and stories of Oracle blockchain customers and partners related to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Oracle SCM Virtual Summit, experts and customers show how streamlining the order-to-fulfillment process achieves perfect delivery, improves customer loyalty, and reduces costs.

At the Oracle SCM Virtual Summit, experts and customers show how streamlining the order-to-fulfillment process achieves perfect delivery, improves customer loyalty, and reduces costs.

The key to a great customer experience is consistently providing customers what they want when they want it. Learn four ways you can achieve "perfect delivery."

The key to a great customer experience is consistently providing customers what they want when they want it. Learn four ways you can achieve "perfect delivery."

The manufacturer of kitchen utensils explains how it rode out supply chain uncertainty during the early days of the pandemic.

The manufacturer of kitchen utensils explains how it rode out supply chain uncertainty during the early days of the pandemic.

Perfect delivery, the ability to deliver a complete order to the right customer in perfect condition on time, is what every company strives for.

Perfect delivery, the ability to deliver a complete order to the right customer in perfect condition on time, is what every company strives for.

The report highlights strengths of Oracle's offerings for demand management, supply planning, supply chain collaboration and sales and operations planning.

The report highlights strengths of Oracle's offerings for demand management, supply planning, supply chain collaboration and sales and operations planning.

Digital transformation is nothing new, and the most forward-looking companies have been doing it for years. Yet in 2020, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the pace of transformation to unheard-of speeds. Almost overnight, entire countries and industries had to change the way they operated. The businesses that were already on a software as a service (SaaS) and cloud journey prior to the pandemic had a head start—and in many cases, they fared better than those that put off transformation until the pandemic forced them to make the move. Businesses today have learned that a new generation of modern enterprise applications is key to helping them build a resilient organization—one that can respond and adapt to sudden shocks faster and more easily.   The importance of modern cloud applications Research firm IDC took a closer look at modern cloud applications in a recent report, Oracle Innovation Manifests in a New Generation of Cloud Applications. Author Frank Della Rosa, Research Director for SaaS and Cloud Software at IDC, writes: “Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications characterize this new generation of business applications and cloud services that are imperative for dealing with disruption from a position of strength.” The strength that IDC refers to comes from the common data model of Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, supporting native integration across our Fusion Cloud line of business apps covering: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing (SCM), Customer Experience (CX), and Human Capital Management (HCM). According to IDC, “A new generation of cloud applications is intelligent, easy to use, and better positioned to meet the rapidly changing needs of today's IT and business buyer that expects a frictionless purchase and onboarding experience; a consumer-like, responsive interface that encourages user adoption; and faster time to value.” They are “smarter, are fully integrated, deliver faster time to value, and are easy to onboard and use.” With these capabilities, our customers are fast-tracking digital innovation in disruptive times. Reliable data is critical for decision-making In 2020, the world discovered that reliable data and processes are vital for survival—literal survival, in the case of vaccines and virus-tracking, but also economic survival, as we started to navigate the world of remote work and omnichannel fulfillment. Old business processes that didn't support rapid shifts were replaced with new digital processes, helping employees get access to the right data, at the right time, to make informed decisions and respond to their customers. Along with integration and reliable data, what are some other benefits of a complete, interoperable suite of SaaS applications? For one thing, you don’t have to uptake the whole suite at once; you can onboard new capabilities in weeks and migrate your line of business applications at your own pace. A complete, interoperable suite We often see scenarios where our customers have legacy systems from competitors and want to modernize and digitize key processes immediately. For example, SAP ERP customers often adopt Oracle Cloud Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) to improve their financial planning, reporting, and close process. Or they enhance their supply chain capabilities with Oracle Cloud Transportation Management, part of our SCM solution. This approach to transformation helps you meet the business's most immediate needs while migrating your creaking, legacy core systems at a slower pace to minimize disruption. (Learn more about our offerings to SAP ERP customers here.) Ultimately, as you transition more of your business onto the suite, you start to “eliminate the cost and complexity associated with a myriad of point solutions by investing in a platform that simplifies integration, features a common data architecture, and supports multiple deployment options.” That is a very compelling argument to adopt the next generation of application software—and be ready for whatever comes next. Read the full IDC report and learn more about Oracle's new generation of cloud applications. Watch highlights of our Oracle Live broadcast: Hear about innovations across our cloud applications suite from Steve Miranda, Oracle Executive Vice President, Applications Product Development, and his development leaders. Hear how our customers responded to the last 12 months of uncertainty by partnering with Oracle as their innovator of choice.                  

Digital transformation is nothing new, and the most forward-looking companies have been doing it for years. Yet in 2020, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the pace of transformation to...

Announcing a new release of a low-code development environment -Blockchain App Builder-1.4.0 for Oracle Blockchain Platform. This new release provides enhanced features for using App Builder to develop more complex smart contracts with nested asset structures and multi-attribute keys as well as enhanced user experience.

Announcing a new release of a low-code development environment -Blockchain App Builder-1.4.0 for Oracle Blockchain Platform. This new release provides enhanced features for using App Builder to...

As we look forward to a bright future in a post-pandemic world, now is a great time to reflect on the lessons learned in the last 12 months. Despite the disruption businesses faced in 2020, many of our customers used this time to better position themselves for the future using Oracle Cloud Applications. They used the past year of uncertainty as an opportunity to transform, prioritizing technology innovations for both resilience and growth. Steve Miranda, Oracle Executive Vice President, Applications Product Development and his development leaders hosted an exclusive virtual event at Oracle Live: Build the Future of Business with Oracle Cloud Applications. Watch highlights of #OracleLive to learn the lessons of the last months and how innovations across our Fusion Cloud Applications Suite can help you to improve your business across your finance, supply chain, human resources, and customer experience functions. Hear how our customers including Marriot International, Vanguard, and Broadcom responded to this time of uncertainty by partnering with Oracle as their innovator of choice. We highlight traits of companies that have pivoted forward and apply them to help you build the future of your business. Featured Speakers: Steve Miranda Executive Vice President, Applications Development, Oracle   John Bendl Principal, Funds Chief Financial Officer & Chief Accounting Officer, Vanguard Andy Nallappan Chief Technology Officer and Head of Software Business Operations, Broadcom Karen Nelson Senior Vice President, HRIS and Compensation, Marriott International   Rick Jewell Senior Vice President, SCM Applications Development, Oracle   Chris Leone Senior Vice President, HCM Applications Development, Oracle   Holly Simmons Vice President, CX Product Management, Oracle   Mazahir (Maz) Songerwala Senior Vice President, Cloud Service Excellence, Oracle   Rob Tarkoff Executive Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience   Catherine You Vice President, ERP Applications Development, Oracle Now is the time to build the future of business with Oracle Cloud Applications. Watch the replay here.    

As we look forward to a bright future in a post-pandemic world, now is a great time to reflect on the lessons learned in the last 12 months. Despite the disruption businesses faced in 2020, many...

Learn how 10x Genomics adopted a single-top-tier integrated ERP from their existing legacy system to support their end-to-end processes and growth.

Learn how 10x Genomics adopted a single-top-tier integrated ERP from their existing legacy system to support their end-to-end processes and growth.

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, we look at the women in finance and operations who have inspired us.

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, we look at the women in finance and operations who have inspired us.

While the COVID-19 pandemic dominated 2020–causing many trade issues around the globe, 2021 looks to be bringing new trade compliance challenges as well.

While the COVID-19 pandemic dominated 2020–causing many trade issues around the globe, 2021 looks to be bringing new trade compliance challenges as well.

Learn how modern cloud technologies can enhance the customer experience.

Learn how modern cloud technologies can enhance the customer experience.

With the recent 21A release, Oracle Transportation Management now has the ability to provide machine learning-based shipment transit time predictions.

With the recent 21A release, Oracle Transportation Management now has the ability to provide machine learning-based shipment transit time predictions.

The financial plight of healthcare providers amid the COVID-19 pandemic makes it more imperative than ever for HCPs to modernize their back-office systems.

The financial plight of healthcare providers amid the COVID-19 pandemic makes it more imperative than ever for HCPs to modernize their back-office systems.

Rising customer expectations and the Amazon effect are putting pressure on wholesale distributors to ensure a perfect delivery for every order.

Rising customer expectations and the Amazon effect are putting pressure on wholesale distributors to ensure a perfect delivery for every order.

Are you helping your team—or hindering them? Kimberly shares 7 ways to be a more inclusive leader.

Are you helping your team—or hindering them? Kimberly shares 7 ways to be a more inclusive leader.

Expectations of fast order turnaround is putting pressure on businesses to deliver goods “on time, in full”. Learn how to keep cargo in perfect conditions under pressure.

Expectations of fast order turnaround is putting pressure on businesses to deliver goods “on time, in full”. Learn how to keep cargo in perfect conditions under pressure.

Achieving timely insights which unveil top challenges and opportunities requires focused and coordinated collaboration. Maturity models provide useful direction, milestones and best practice guidance.

Achieving timely insights which unveil top challenges and opportunities requires focused and coordinated collaboration. Maturity models provide useful direction, milestones and best practice guidance.

As disruptions and uncertainties ripple through the global economy, businesses are discovering the advantage of adaptive logistics and supply chain networks.

As disruptions and uncertainties ripple through the global economy, businesses are discovering the advantage of adaptive logistics and supply chain networks.

Learn how businesses confront the realities of an uncertain world and embrace the competitive advantage of getting closer to their customers using zero latency concepts.

Learn how businesses confront the realities of an uncertain world and embrace the competitive advantage of getting closer to their customers using zero latency concepts.

COVID-19 has shown that business stability is an illusion. Business leaders need to embrace AI and dashboards to get an in-the-moment understanding of their enterprise.

COVID-19 has shown that business stability is an illusion. Business leaders need to embrace AI and dashboards to get an in-the-moment understanding of their enterprise.

Cloud applications proved essential for business survival in 2020. Here’s what to expect from digital transformation in 2021.

Cloud applications proved essential for business survival in 2020. Here’s what to expect from digital transformation in 2021.

COVID-19 stressed supply chains to the breaking point and showed that relying on operational tweaks and outdated IT systems leave most firms vulnerable.

COVID-19 stressed supply chains to the breaking point and showed that relying on operational tweaks and outdated IT systems leave most firms vulnerable.

The holiday season means a big surge in customer orders. Check out these 7 approaches to help meet demand.

The holiday season means a big surge in customer orders. Check out these 7 approaches to help meet demand.

Having real-time access to data to facilitate quicker decisions can mean the difference between thriving & surviving an economic downturn or becoming a target for acquisition.

Having real-time access to data to facilitate quicker decisions can mean the difference between thriving & surviving an economic downturn or becoming a target for acquisition.

What is supply chain management?

What is supply chain management?

Blog series on how 2020 transformation of enterprise blockchain is going to impact blockchain evolution in 2021.

Blog series on how 2020 transformation of enterprise blockchain is going to impact blockchain evolution in 2021.

There is an inherent responsibility on technology companies, like Oracle, to innovate and stay ahead of the change curve. It is also important for executives in other industries to understand what’s coming next and position their organizations to adopt and adapt.

There is an inherent responsibility on technology companies, like Oracle, to innovate and stay ahead of the change curve. It is also important for executives in other industries to understand...

Let’s talk about end-of-life PLM systems. The thought of moving to something that has a unified system of record for an entire product may seem like a distant dream, but the time is now.

Let’s talk about end-of-life PLM systems. The thought of moving to something that has a unified system of record for an entire product may seem like a distant dream, but the time is now.

Despite massive shifts in consumer behavior, CPGs can attain the perfect delivery with modern cloud solutions from Oracle.

Despite massive shifts in consumer behavior, CPGs can attain the perfect delivery with modern cloud solutions from Oracle.

The headlines over recent months have shown how the supply chain has moved to become front and center of people’s attentions - whether personally as consumers or professionally as corporations. Dominic Regan, Senior Director, EMEA Logistics Applications, shares some of the latest challenges and trends with us. During the pandemic, the supply chain community focused on keeping our society fed, supplied and healthy in the midst of disruption. What are the weaknesses that have been brought to light? Before talking about the weaknesses, I think that first it is important to recognize how well many supply chains have coped during the pandemic. Very often as supply chain professionals we spend a lot of time fire-fighting, and perhaps don’t step back and appreciate what we have actually achieved. If nothing else, the headlines over recent months have shown how the supply chain has moved to become front and center of people’s attentions - whether personally as consumers or professionally as corporations. So, when faced with the scale and size of global disruption that simply could never have been anticipated, I believe supply chains have in many cases proven to be both remarkably agile and resilient. We have seen customers managing unprecedented spikes in demand, customers who have successfully found new suppliers at short notice, and even customers who have switched entirely the products that they are manufacturing or distributing. We have also seen companies which have had to stop production entirely for diverse reasons. The automotive industry is perhaps a classic example of this, where McKinsey reported only last month that “the COVID-19 crisis has compelled about 95 percent of all German automotive-related companies to put their workforces on short-term work during the shutdown.” So why is it that some industries and companies have coped, whereas others have not? I believe a lot of this comes down to transparency, whether in terms of understanding the supply chain network and how it is made up of many interconnected players, or in terms of understanding the location and availability of inventory, whether in motion or at rest. Without this transparency it proved impossible for companies to put contingencies in place, certainly in the timescales that the pandemic required. So, we saw, for example, how single-country sources of supply meant that sometimes complete industries had to shut down, but also how the absence of inventory visibility meant that companies could not guarantee delivery times or certainty of supply. “By gaining this transparency, and then understanding how to analyze and act upon it, it will enable companies to become more agile and resilient” What does this mean for the future? Well I think the drive we have seen in recent years to get more accurate, granular and real-time data will become embedded as the foundation for supply chain transparency going forwards. This transparency will embrace the physical, financial and informational supply chains - meaning that companies become better at understanding the supply chains they personally operate as well as those other networks and partners they interact with, but also how the dependencies these supply chains have with other business functions such as Sales & Marketing, Research and Development and Post-Sales Service. By gaining this transparency, and then understanding how to analyze and act upon it, it will enable companies to become more agile and resilient, which I believe will become as important measures for the supply chain of the future as efficiency has been in the past. Aligning corporate and supply chain strategy Working with many companies globally and in Switzerland, what are the main inhibitors for supply chain viability and how is Oracle helping find solutions? The study we just released with the University of St Gallen “The Rise of Supply Chain Viability - digital solutions as a boosting role” highlights the steps necessary to achieve supply chain viability, and clearly companies that lack these foundations will find it difficult to progress. Lack of visibility and transparency, for example is one area. “If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it”, this saying is equally true for factors as diverse as freight spend, shipment utilization or the impact of the supply chain on carbon footprint. Clearly without visibility and transparency it is difficult to know what needs addressing, let alone where to start. However, there are other factors that also come into play. In particular I think a failure of alignment between the broader corporate strategy and the specific supply chain strategy can be a major inhibitor. This is perhaps one of the areas where I see differences in companies around the world, with many European companies - including those headquartered out of Switzerland - having perhaps a stronger focus on their Corporate Social Responsibility agendas than those based elsewhere. For example, one can look at companies in the Consumer Goods sector, such as Unilever and Tetra Pak, or in the automotive sector such as Volvo, whose websites speak to how sustainability is embedded as much in their culture as in their operations, whether this is in terms of ensuring products and components are ethically sourced or in terms of looking to reduce carbon-usage or the prevalence of single-use plastics across the supply chain. I believe companies such as these, who have become strongly customer-centric and who see sustainability as a corporate - if not societal - objective, will be better aligned in terms of achieving supply chain viability. In terms of how Oracle can help, if I look at my own area of logistics then clearly our execution level solutions such as Transportation, Global Trade and Warehouse Management can deliver the foundational requirements for supply chain efficiency. There are also technologies such as blockchain which feature in our Intelligent Track & Trace application that can help companies gain visibility into their multi-tier networks and understand the chain of custody. We also see how Machine Learning and Adaptive Intelligence can be used to deliver the type of automated predictions, and tracing of products and processes, that would otherwise go untapped. This ability to maximize the value of newer technologies, along with the ability to run scenario planning that helps deliver agility and resilience, is what I believe results in Oracle having an unrivalled portfolio to help companies progress towards supply chain viability, regardless of their current IT landscape. Starting by gaining that visibility and transparency is the bedrock for progression, as without this transparency companies run the risk of doing things based on gut feel and emotion rather than empirical evidence. It is surprising how many times gaining some simple visibility either highlights deficiencies in an operation, or presents some unexpected opportunities. But even visibility takes time, so you might want start in a specific operational area such as transportation, which has the by-product that it can also help deliver improvements in customer service. Ultimately what is important is not to focus on having visibility, or how you get it, but rather on what you then do with it. Clearly in terms of supply chain viability it is the case that visibility and transparency are just one step along the journey, albeit an important one. So, identifying the resulting business value that will come from this visibility, and then using that to drive ongoing rollout and adoption is key. Tetra Pak, for example, decided to become a global supply chain leader in the food packaging and processing industry by 2020. They leveraged Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) Cloud to gain a competitive advantage by completely overhauling their transportation management platform to improve their logistics capabilities, obtain real-time predictive shipment visibility and coordinate efforts on a global scale. Whilst visibility was important to them, it was not an end goal in itself. So, their supply chain control tower project was defined with a clear progression that moved from an initial focus on improving logistics efficiency, then to ensuring world class customer experience, to finally enabling optimized and sustainable transport management. This approach allowed them to start small, with a number of pilot deployments, before moving to several regional streams that together will deliver global visibility. All of this was done with a clear vision of both their corporate and supply chain strategies. To me this approach is ideal, and provides a model to follow for other companies progressing towards a vision of supply chain viability. 

The headlines over recent months have shown how the supply chain has moved to become front and center of people’s attentions - whether personally as consumers or professionally as corporations. Dominic...

Small-to-medium businesses are turning to Oracle Supplier Portal Cloud to offer an efficient, streamlined supplier experience. Find out how a supplier portal can be a competitive differentiator for your growing business.

Small-to-medium businesses are turning to Oracle Supplier Portal Cloud to offer an efficient, streamlined supplier experience. Find out how a supplier portal can be a competitive differentiator...

Blockchain Tables in Oracle Database 21c and 19c (19.10 RU)

Blockchain Tables in Oracle Database 21c and 19c (19.10 RU)

The new reality of 2020 pushed organizations to realign operations and supply chains to thrive. The focus is now on adaptability, speed, risk reduction, and sustainability whilst adopting more flexible sourcing and distribution strategies as regionalization has become a trend. The Institute of Supply Chain Management of University of St Gallen just released its latest study in collaboration with Oracle called “The Rise of Supply Chain Viability - Digital Solutions as a boosting Role”. The study's goal is to assess the triggers of Supply Chain Viability and look at the role of digital solutions in achieving Supply Chain Viability. Find the full study here. Professor Hofmann, Director, Institute of Supply Chain Management, University of St Gallen, shares some of the takeaways. Cloud solutions for Supply Chain Viability What are the main take-ways of your study? The increasing emergence of trend breaks, the shift of ecological and social imperatives and customer advocacy forces traditional supply chains to change. The need for sustainability and resilience is higher than ever before, which should be strongly focused by Supply Chains to survive in the future. Supply Chains should push the implementation of sustainability to survive on a long-term basis. The key enabler for supply chains to become viable is seen in the digital transformation. Today Cloud Solutions are the most promising technology to achieve a viable supply chain. What is specific for Switzerland? Do you see any threats or opportunities for Swiss companies? The global interrelation of Swiss supply chains and dependencies on international supplier networks paired with the strong export and transit orientation forces Swiss Supply Chains to implement transparency and sustainability as well as resilience to survive in the future, react to regional and global changing conditions and sustainability requirements. Due to the global relations and dependencies of Swiss supply chains, various changes not directly impacting the swiss economy can have huge influences on their Swiss supply chains. However, focusing on Supply Chain Viability and the implementation of sustainability and resilience in line with digital transformation can foster the global strength of swiss supply chains especially in times of emerging disruptions and global shocks. How have Swiss executives so far reacted to the findings and what do you expect over the next few months? Swiss executives realized the rigidity and complexity of current supply chains and the need of change to become resilient and sustainable to survive in the future. Within the next months supply chains will still struggle to survive the COVID-19 crisis as it will have tedious, far-reaching consequences. Despite this, supply chains will implement first instruments to predict future risks and changes and develop scenarios to overcome them. However, the transformation to viable Supply Chains will be a longer journey for some. What is your advice to Swiss companies wanting to ensure that their supply chain is ready for 2021? Focusing strongly on sustainability implementation and resilience as well as driving the digital transformation is key to achieve Supply Chain Viability. Supply Chains need to establish ecological and social orientation and long-term sustainability of all measures in their supply chain by using technological innovations to improve sustainability within and across Supply Chains. At the same time, adaptability should be built up in order to be able to react to disruptions. Data and analytics for agile and resilient supply chains “Ultimately, the companies that have their data under control and that use the appropriate technology to collect it will have the most agile and resilient supply chains.” Darko Belic, CEO of DHL Automotive GmbH and Head of DHL LLP Ford of Europe Much of the vulnerability related to supply chains is about the lack of visibility of inventory, whether static or in-transit, and how it can be affected by factors that are typically beyond the scope of a company’s own supply chain. This is why Oracle has been working alongside DHL Resilience360 a web-based Big Data Supply Chain Risk Management Solution, to provide logistics planners and customer service clerks using Oracle Transportation Management with the ability to achieve enhanced visibility of potential risks on a global level to supply chain operations in order to react to near real-time incidents during both planning and execution, including the ability to re-plan shipments where necessary to avoid disruption and to pro-actively inform end customers of potential delays and delivery disruptions, offering value-added information services, avoid loss of reputation and protect their company’s top line. For some time DHL Supply Chain has been leveraging the integration of both solutions to offer their Lead Logistics Partner service to global shippers across multiple industries including Automotive and Life Sciences. Darko Belic, Managing Director of DHL Automotive GmbH and Head of DHL LLP Ford of Europe tells us more. What is your strategy to build resilience and transparency in the face of global disruption and how is Oracle’s technology helping? In order to create resilience and transparency managing and interpreting data efficiently is crucial. The team can react to unplanned disruptions if it rapidly knows where the material is located, if it is impacted by a local disruption like a local lock down for example, if regions on route are impacted and if the destination is accessible. This information is required in real time to allow for rapid decision taking. DHL uses “Resilience 360” in order to collect data from different sources like the www, social media or others and overlay the gathered data with its network. Ultimately, the companies that have their data under control and that use the appropriate technology to collect it will have the most agile and resilient supply chains. What about the human relationship within the supply chain? How do you develop the talent and culture to support innovation? Innovation and digitalization won’t be televised. An environment and organizational set up which does not give room for creativity will not empower its people to develop new ideas. One intuitive option to foster continuous improvement is to implement “think tanks” or dedicated teams in operations which solely focus on innovation and service or process improvement. Digitalization is mistakenly perceived as equal to efficiencies and reduced workload. The truth is that digitalization is key for companies to succeed in a global economy and supply chain as it helps not only to secure jobs but also can to enrich them. It not only attracts employees but offers existing ones the possibility to learn new skills. Robotics for example can replace repeating copy & paste tasks and enable the employee to focus more on value added services which are on the other side leveraged by digitalization. A good example is Track & Trace. Instead of calling the carrier to localize a truck, this solution can provide the information real time and the employee can focus on tasks like optimizing the routes instead, using the information to improve dock schedules at destination, keeping the inventory levels under control and planning contingencies earlier if needed. In this case a rather time-consuming low value task (phone call) is being replaced by other more strategic ones. What are your recommendations for companies embarking on a journey to a viable supply chain? Start with the current state mapping and define where you want to be in 1 to 5 years. Reduce the complexity of your long-term strategy by breaking down the rather complex and intangible vision into less complex and more tangible shorter-term actions and be open to adapt and amend your strategy during your journey if new technological developments offer better solutions. For example, if you are currently storing your data in Excel sheets and ordering your transports via phone, do not try to implement blockchain or internet of things but rather focus first on setting the basics like smarter connectivity tools with your stakeholders, implementation of master data like data lakes and a proper TMS and data managing system like Oracle. Once the basics are set review and re-asses your next steps and strategy and adjust if needed on learnings and new developments.

The new reality of 2020 pushed organizations to realign operations and supply chains to thrive. The focus is now on adaptability, speed, risk reduction, and sustainability whilst adopting more...

As supply chains continue to recover from 2020 disruptions, many business leaders have looked ahead to 2021 to figure out how they can incorporate more resiliency into their supply chain design.

As supply chains continue to recover from 2020 disruptions, many business leaders have looked ahead to 2021 to figure out how they can incorporate more resiliency into their supply chain design.

We take a look back at the most popular supply chain & operations stories of the year. This year’s articles range from analyst reports, innovative product announcements, controversial partnerships, and of course, addressing supply chain concerns due to the global pandemic.

We take a look back at the most popular supply chain & operations stories of the year. This year’s articles range from analyst reports, innovative product announcements, controversial partnerships,...

Covid-19 illuminated the importance of a resilient supply chain. This guide shows how companies have successfully navigated challenges and transformed their supply chains with modern cloud-based solutions.

Covid-19 illuminated the importance of a resilient supply chain. This guide shows how companies have successfully navigated challenges and transformed their supply chains with modern cloud-based...

Learn how pre-built SaaS applications can provide business users with all the capabilities that blockchain offers including security, immutability, and establishing trust between partners.

Learn how pre-built SaaS applications can provide business users with all the capabilities that blockchain offers including security, immutability, and establishing trust between partners.

Here are steps procurement organizations can take to effectively manage their suppliers and mitigate risk.

Here are steps procurement organizations can take to effectively manage their suppliers and mitigate risk.

Supply chain and IT executives share their experiences moving to integrated SCM cloud applications.

Supply chain and IT executives share their experiences moving to integrated SCM cloud applications.

The global pandemic has caused a renewed focus on order management and orchestration as crucial components of organizations fulfillment operations as well as a successful customer experience.

The global pandemic has caused a renewed focus on order management and orchestration as crucial components of organizations fulfillment operations as well as a successful customer experience.

When finance and operations teams share a common application suite and data infrastructure, scenario planning is faster and more effective.

When finance and operations teams share a common application suite and data infrastructure, scenario planning is faster and more effective.

With sensors and digital twins, it’s easier to gain the visibility and insights you need to identify any problems before they occur and avoid any major breakdowns that affect production.

With sensors and digital twins, it’s easier to gain the visibility and insights you need to identify any problems before they occur and avoid any major breakdowns that affect production.

Learn how Oracle’s IoT applications can help take data and make it easier to analyze and make better and faster decisions.

Learn how Oracle’s IoT applications can help take data and make it easier to analyze and make better and faster decisions.

Oceanworks runs its track-and-trace app on Oracle Cloud, matching recyclers with brands who want to build an environmentally conscious supply chain.

Oceanworks runs its track-and-trace app on Oracle Cloud, matching recyclers with brands who want to build an environmentally conscious supply chain.

Precision Group, Dubai-based manufacturer, explains why they chose Oracle Fusion Cloud Procurement to modernize their procurement.

Precision Group, Dubai-based manufacturer, explains why they chose Oracle Fusion Cloud Procurement to modernize their procurement.

3rd in a series on using Blockchain App Builder to create smart contracts.

3rd in a series on using Blockchain App Builder to create smart contracts.

Deloitte’s 2020 Global Blockchain Survey polled a sample of nearly 1,500 senior executives and suggests that initial doubts about blockchain’s usefulness are fading as business leaders now see it as integral to organizational innovation.

Deloitte’s 2020 Global Blockchain Survey polled a sample of nearly 1,500 senior executives and suggests that initial doubts about blockchain’s usefulness are fading as business leaders now see it as...

Experts from Juniper Networks and Trinamix discuss strategies to incorporate real-time data to eliminate supply chain latency.

Experts from Juniper Networks and Trinamix discuss strategies to incorporate real-time data to eliminate supply chain latency.

SCOPE 2020 opens next week, with all session recordings available on demand shortly after. Don’t miss it!]

SCOPE 2020 opens next week, with all session recordings available on demand shortly after. Don’t miss it!]

Learn how to address the challenges of data siloes in a way that speeds and improves decision-making quality.

Learn how to address the challenges of data siloes in a way that speeds and improves decision-making quality.

By Kaushik Sivakumar, SCM, Oracle, Product Management Asset-intensive projects are typically long-term initiatives that can cost millions or even billions of dollars over the asset’s implementation. During these uncertain times, it is even more important to streamline efficiencies for effective project management and to eliminate waste on highly capital-intensive projects. Some examples of asset intensive projects are nationally based cellular buildouts or a utility company’s project to install smart meters throughout a city. According to PMI Pulse of the Profession* survey, 9.9% of every dollar is wasted on poor project management, which equates to $99 million on a $1 billion project.   According to the same study, only 64% of the most mature project management teams deliver a project on time, and only 67% of projects are delivered on budget. When you compare those KPIs to low maturity project teams, only 36% of projects are delivered on time and 43% are on budget. Unnoticed Project Wastefulness There are many reasons for the excessive waste and poor project performance—a lack of visibility into financials for a given project, disconnected software applications, manual processes, workarounds to derive data from siloed information. Some traditional supply chain solutions provide data as sources for some of the project metrics, but they often don’t provide the detailed insight that a project manager needs to course correct quickly to prevent waste or knowing when to adjust supplies. Phases of a project Let’s dig a little deeper into the progression of an asset-intensive project, such as building a cellular network. Here are the typical phases of such a project: •    Quote/bid, initiate the project – This includes engineering functions, as well as negotiations, legal reviews, contracts, and project planning.  Depending on the contract terms, it may include prototypes of cell towers or suppliers providing quotes for other major physical components of the cellular network that are being built out or upgraded. •    Supply Chain Planning and Materials Management – This starts the initial phase of the supply chain processes that include planning, ordering, manufacturing, managing inventory, and transporting goods for the project. It also typically involves subcontracted services for specific aspects of the project, e.g. hiring architecture or site planning company, engineering services, or welders and electricians to help construct cell towers. •    Construction – Actual work of the project is performed at project sites. The project manager carefully manages the process, inventory and contractors to try to avoid delays and mitigate risks so that the construction project is completed on time and within budget. •    Transfer of ownership and service – Here, the completed asset, in this case, a cell tower network is transferred from the project manager/contractor to the owner. Depending on the project, it may be a private company or a public entity. And then, the asset typically rolls into a maintenance phase. At this point warranties, service contracts, SLAs, and replacement parts come in to play when there’s a hardware failure, upgrade or damage to a cell tower network. •    Capitalization, billing and revenue – The finance department will account for the receivables and payables, properly attributing costs and expenses to the correct project, and capitalizing assets. Common Challenges to Overcome What has been described is the intersection between projects and supply chain processes. Without an integrated solution, these processes can be a muddle of disparate management software applications, manual tasks, and cumbersome work-arounds. Add in delays in the timeline because of macroeconomics events, inclement weather, resource scheduling conflicts, permit reviews, approvals from cities or component part delays, and you could quite easily have a confusing trail that requires forensic investigation to see if a project is on budget, let alone identify the nuances of project waste and detect in-flight project scope creep. The Solution:  Six Opportunities to Eliminate Waste in Supply Chain Projects An end to end project-driven supply chain solution that integrates the six functions listed below can help project managers eliminate waste.   1.    Project planning—with dashboard KPIs to streamline scheduling and budgets for individual projects to quickly gain insight and track the progress at any point in the lifecycle. 2.    Procurement—designed for project-specific purchasing to ensure materials are priced, procured, and received into inventory according to the specifications of each individual project. 3.    Supply chain—with automated functionality to orchestrate a complex multi-project supply chain, you can set up business rules for project requests, orders, creating documents, look-ups and attachment categories, and replenishment planning with a dashboard work area to manage the workflows. 4.    Manufacturing—offering functionality to create work orders, review availability and pick materials at the project or task level, attribute work orders as well as manage inventory and costs per individual project. 5.    Maintenance—with a process flow to create work orders, issue parts from a common or project-specific inventory, the solution also enables you to purchase outside services, import materials, and resource costs, with all costs, resources, and details associated with individual projects. 6.    Finance—with controls to ensure that multiple projects, customers, and associated activities can be accounted for separately with visibility into costs, expenses, and payables. Benefits of a Project Driven Supply Chain Fully supporting supply chain processes within the context of a specific project, including procurement, inventory, ordering, manufacturing, shipping, maintenance and costing, as well as finance functions and project accounting makes it makes easier to gain oversight and take corrective action as needed.  When connected to finance, the project manager can gain visibility into how each project relates to the planned budget at any point in time. For more information on a complete suite of cloud-based applications, go to www.oracle.com/applications. For Project-driven supply chain information, go here.   *2018 PMI Pulse of the Profession Survey                    

By Kaushik Sivakumar, SCM, Oracle, Product Management Asset-intensive projects are typically long-term initiatives that can cost millions or even billions of dollars over the asset’s implementation....

Second post in a series showing how to use the Blockchain App Builder.

Second post in a series showing how to use the Blockchain App Builder.

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed an urgent need for predictive analytics supported by accurate real-time data across the organization—something only an integrated SaaS business suite can provide.

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed an urgent need for predictive analytics supported by accurate real-time data across the organization—something only an integrated SaaS business suite can provide.

Wholesale distribution is a tough business to be in these days. Explore Oracle and Deloitte’s webinar series to learn more about how wholesale distributors can thrive during these turbulent times.

Wholesale distribution is a tough business to be in these days. Explore Oracle and Deloitte’s webinar series to learn more about how wholesale distributors can thrive during these turbulent times.

Introducing Blockchain App Builder for Oracle Blockchain Platform, which can generate chaincode from declarative specifications and aids in development, testing, and deployment.

Introducing Blockchain App Builder for Oracle Blockchain Platform, which can generate chaincode from declarative specifications and aids in development, testing, and deployment.

Oracle IoT Intelligent Applications link operational systems to business applications so you can accelerate IoT capabilities in critical functions.

Oracle IoT Intelligent Applications link operational systems to business applications so you can accelerate IoT capabilities in critical functions.

Learn why supply chain collaboration and visibility are critical for streamlining operations.

Learn why supply chain collaboration and visibility are critical for streamlining operations.

Oracle and DX host an online session that explores which digital capabilities are enhancing visibility, efficiency and innovation across the supply chain.

Oracle and DX host an online session that explores which digital capabilities are enhancing visibility, efficiency and innovation across the supply chain.

The new normal for supply chains will entail more automation, resiliency, flexibility, and agility.

The new normal for supply chains will entail more automation, resiliency, flexibility, and agility.

Supply chain leaders around the globe have navigated radical changes in global trade and logistics that affect operations. Oracle’s Rick Jewell shares insights, learnings, and recommendations to help you chart a course for growth.

Supply chain leaders around the globe have navigated radical changes in global trade and logistics that affect operations. Oracle’s Rick Jewell shares insights, learnings, and recommendations to help...

Join us on November 17 to hear from experts at Deloitte, Alcar Italia, Bissell, MTN, Titan International, Inc. and Transworld Group as they share how improved insight and collaboration is improving their supply chain performance.

Join us on November 17 to hear from experts at Deloitte, Alcar Italia, Bissell, MTN, Titan International, Inc. and Transworld Group as they share how improved insight and collaboration is improving...

Learn six ways the AI-powered Oracle Digital Assistant with pre-built app skills and the ability to customize can drive efficiency and productivity, improve customer and employee experience, and support digital transformation.

Learn six ways the AI-powered Oracle Digital Assistant with pre-built app skills and the ability to customize can drive efficiency and productivity, improve customer and employee experience, and...

Learn about the value of advanced technologies and how supply chain professionals can make informed decisions about advanced technologies such as blockchain and distributed ledgers.

Learn about the value of advanced technologies and how supply chain professionals can make informed decisions about advanced technologies such as blockchain and distributed ledgers.

In light of the new partnership between SAP and Siemens to provide applications across product lifecycle management, supply chain, and asset management, SAP customers would be wise to ask the company two critical questions.

In light of the new partnership between SAP and Siemens to provide applications across product lifecycle management, supply chain, and asset management, SAP customers would be wise to ask the...

Announcing the winners of the 2020 Oracle Supply Chain Management (SCM) Excellence Awards who have successfully adapted their organizations’ supply chain strategies to build resilience while driving business growth.

Announcing the winners of the 2020 Oracle Supply Chain Management (SCM) Excellence Awards who have successfully adapted their organizations’ supply chain strategies to build resilience while driving...

One new feature of Oracle Blockchain Platform is the enhanced consensus protocol with a new Raft algorithm.

One new feature of Oracle Blockchain Platform is the enhanced consensus protocol with a new Raft algorithm.

Solistica, a leading 3PL in Latin America, shares how they’ve improved on-time deliveries and saved costs with Oracle Cloud.

Solistica, a leading 3PL in Latin America, shares how they’ve improved on-time deliveries and saved costs with Oracle Cloud.

Join us for Oracle Live to discover why the time is now to recapture growth with cloud applications.

Join us for Oracle Live to discover why the time is now to recapture growth with cloud applications.

The question many companies have is “how do we adapt to events like the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain the relevance of forecasting?”. Learn how Oracle Cloud Supply Chain Planning can help.

The question many companies have is “how do we adapt to events like the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain the relevance of forecasting?”. Learn how Oracle Cloud Supply Chain Planning can help.

By Kaushik Sivakumar, SCM, Oracle, Product Management Asset-intensive projects are typically long-term initiatives that can cost millions or even billions of dollars over the asset’s implementation. During these uncertain times, it is even more important to streamline efficiencies for effective project management and to eliminate waste on highly capital-intensive projects. Some examples of asset intensive projects are nationally based cellular buildouts or a utility company’s project to install smart meters throughout a city. According to PMI Pulse of the Profession* survey, 9.9% of every dollar is wasted on poor project management, which equates to $99 million on a $1 billion project.   According to the same study, only 64% of the most mature project management teams deliver a project on time, and only 67% of projects are delivered on budget. When you compare those KPIs to low maturity project teams, only 36% of projects are delivered on time and 43% are on budget. Unnoticed Project Wastefulness There are many reasons for the excessive waste and poor project performance—a lack of visibility into financials for a given project, disconnected software applications, manual processes, workarounds to derive data from siloed information. Some traditional supply chain solutions provide data as sources for some of the project metrics, but they often don’t provide the detailed insight that a project manager needs to course correct quickly to prevent waste or knowing when to adjust supplies. Phases of a project Let’s dig a little deeper into the progression of an asset-intensive project, such as building a cellular network. Here are the typical phases of such a project: •    Quote/bid, initiate the project – This includes engineering functions, as well as negotiations, legal reviews, contracts, and project planning.  Depending on the contract terms, it may include prototypes of cell towers or suppliers providing quotes for other major physical components of the cellular network that are being built out or upgraded. •    Supply Chain Planning and Materials Management – This starts the initial phase of the supply chain processes that include planning, ordering, manufacturing, managing inventory, and transporting goods for the project. It also typically involves subcontracted services for specific aspects of the project, e.g. hiring architecture or site planning company, engineering services, or welders and electricians to help construct cell towers. •    Construction – Actual work of the project is performed at project sites. The project manager carefully manages the process, inventory and contractors to try to avoid delays and mitigate risks so that the construction project is completed on time and within budget. •    Transfer of ownership and service – Here, the completed asset, in this case, a cell tower network is transferred from the project manager/contractor to the owner. Depending on the project, it may be a private company or a public entity. And then, the asset typically rolls into a maintenance phase. At this point warranties, service contracts, SLAs, and replacement parts come in to play when there’s a hardware failure, upgrade or damage to a cell tower network. •    Capitalization, billing and revenue – The finance department will account for the receivables and payables, properly attributing costs and expenses to the correct project, and capitalizing assets. Common Challenges to Overcome What has been described is the intersection between projects and supply chain processes. Without an integrated solution, these processes can be a muddle of disparate management software applications, manual tasks, and cumbersome work-arounds. Add in delays in the timeline because of macroeconomics events, inclement weather, resource scheduling conflicts, permit reviews, approvals from cities or component part delays, and you could quite easily have a confusing trail that requires forensic investigation to see if a project is on budget, let alone identify the nuances of project waste and detect in-flight project scope creep. The Solution:  Six Opportunities to Eliminate Waste in Supply Chain Projects An end to end project-driven supply chain solution that integrates the six functions listed below can help project managers eliminate waste.   1.    Project planning—with dashboard KPIs to streamline scheduling and budgets for individual projects to quickly gain insight and track the progress at any point in the lifecycle. 2.    Procurement—designed for project-specific purchasing to ensure materials are priced, procured, and received into inventory according to the specifications of each individual project. 3.    Supply chain—with automated functionality to orchestrate a complex multi-project supply chain, you can set up business rules for project requests, orders, creating documents, look-ups and attachment categories, and replenishment planning with a dashboard work area to manage the workflows. 4.    Manufacturing—offering functionality to create work orders, review availability and pick materials at the project or task level, attribute work orders as well as manage inventory and costs per individual project. 5.    Maintenance—with a process flow to create work orders, issue parts from a common or project-specific inventory, the solution also enables you to purchase outside services, import materials, and resource costs, with all costs, resources, and details associated with individual projects. 6.    Finance—with controls to ensure that multiple projects, customers, and associated activities can be accounted for separately with visibility into costs, expenses, and payables. Benefits of a Project Driven Supply Chain Fully supporting supply chain processes within the context of a specific project, including procurement, inventory, ordering, manufacturing, shipping, maintenance and costing, as well as finance functions and project accounting makes it makes easier to gain oversight and take corrective action as needed.  When connected to finance, the project manager can gain visibility into how each project relates to the planned budget at any point in time. For more information on a complete suite of cloud-based applications, go to www.oracle.com/applications. For Project-driven supply chain information, go here.   *2018 PMI Pulse of the Profession Survey                    

By Kaushik Sivakumar, SCM, Oracle, Product Management Asset-intensive projects are typically long-term initiatives that can cost millions or even billions of dollars over the asset’s implementation....

Learn how to improve insight and collaboration across the value chain so your organization can orchestrate and continually improve supply chain performance.

Learn how to improve insight and collaboration across the value chain so your organization can orchestrate and continually improve supply chain performance.

Simplicity is the reason three startups chose Oracle Blockchain Platform Cloud Service.

Simplicity is the reason three startups chose Oracle Blockchain Platform Cloud Service.

Resilience is about more than having the cash to weather disruption. It’s about building a flexible cloud infrastructure to deal with unrelenting change.

Resilience is about more than having the cash to weather disruption. It’s about building a flexible cloud infrastructure to deal with unrelenting change.

The supply chain for government has changed. In our latest blog, we discuss what it looks like today

The supply chain for government has changed. In our latest blog, we discuss what it looks like today

Wholesale distribution has felt the brunt of the global pandemic’s disruptive power – tune in to this webinar series with Deloitte and Oracle to learn how organizations are reimaging the wholesale distribution process.

Wholesale distribution has felt the brunt of the global pandemic’s disruptive power – tune in to this webinar series with Deloitte and Oracle to learn how organizations are reimaging the...

Cohu, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, discusses the lessons learned and benefits achieved by their implementation of a unified cloud solution in a live webinar.

Cohu, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, discusses the lessons learned and benefits achieved by their implementation of a unified cloud solution in a live webinar.

Throughout my career, I have always appreciated that people are the most critical resource and determinant of whether our initiatives will be successful. New technologies, processes, and strategies will only work if team members are motivated and appreciated. As we navigate these uncertain times, we must challenge ourselves to further develop and enhance our talent management strategies. Inclusive leadership is important whether in person or working remotely.  Being inclusive at a distance can absolutely be challenging, but I am confident we can figure it out. Almost overnight, many businesses moved to remote operations and began using web conferencing. YES! But, let’s not stop there. Online meetings are a great first start, but more effort is needed. For leaders who are accustomed to onsite employees, the dramatic shift to employees who are remote takes a shift in mindset. Many studies have reported that employees are actually more productive at home. I have been a virtual team member at Oracle for almost my entire career here, and I absolutely love that there is no traffic between my bedroom and office. Yes! If there is any good news about the challenges we are facing, it is certainly that my colleagues have reduced their commute by as much as three hours a day. However, one of the many down sides of mandatory shelter-in-place order is the anxiety and worry that jobs could be in jeopardy since “out of sight” could also mean “out of mind.” Fearful employees may even take extreme measures by creating and working on many “busy” projects and also by sending volumes of unnecessary emails. Avoiding and reducing this level of stress is why managers and leaders at all levels must develop or enhance inclusive leadership techniques to promote cohesion, collaboration, expectations, and cooperation as we collectively navigate this new uncharted territory.   What is Inclusive Leadership? It’s a verb … an action … in which leaders intentionally create an environment where the entire team is comfortable and confident in bringing forth their respective ideas and recommendations. This goes above and beyond usual techniques that focus on the outcome more than the process. In outcome-focused leadership, the team is almost singularly focused on getting the task completed without room for discussion about different approaches for completing the task or even evaluating whether the approach will yield the best results. Inclusive leadership means understanding the strengths of each person on the team and what is needed to maximize their contributions—starting with making sure that everyone on the team understands the importance of their role within the context of the larger organization. It also involves creating opportunities for team members to build relationships. This doesn’t change just because everyone is in a different location. In a normal work environment, effective leadership is challenging. But now, as the ground seems to be shifting under our feet from week to week, inclusive leadership can make the critical difference between a team that’s just hanging on and one that’s thriving. Here are my tips for practicing inclusive leadership: 1. Communicate, communicate, communicate Leaders cannot communicate enough when everyone is juggling different priorities at work and at home. Challenging schedules intertwined with work and home responsibilities, like managing children while working from home or caring for family members, may mean that each person receives communications differently and at different times. Thus, leaders must use all appropriate communication mechanisms at their disposal to reach the team—email, text, video conferencing, and chat. In sharing details about new business initiatives, strategies, customer engagements, or partnerships, leaders must carefully consider the overall communication plan to reduce the grapevine and rumor mill. 2. Provide clear, consistent communications In times of uncertainty, team members need frequent and direct communication—almost to the point of over communication in order to stay focused. In communications, please consider that if the team members know what to expect and how any news impacts them directly, they will be less stressed. This may include details about how the company is doing as a whole, how the team is tracking against goals, new business models, pivot strategies, new technology roll-outs, etc. Incomplete details and unanswered questions can escalate challenges and uncertainty. 3. Create frequent, proactive touch points to connect your team In team meetings, it is a good idea to build in time for short round-robin discussions to check in on team members, foster comradery and promote networking. Each meeting could have a different topic and team members can suggest creative discussion topics. Here are a few ideas to get you going: •    Mindfulness Mondays—encourage each person to share something they do to promote self-care, for example, recommending their favorite wellness app, online exercise class, or podcast •    Happy Hour Tuesday—ask everyone to share some good news … it can be work-related or personal •    Recognition Wednesday—each person acknowledges someone on the team who helped them recently •    Thankful Thursday—encourage people to share something they appreciate … again, it can be about work or in their personal lives •    Funday Friday—ask people to share something they are looking forward to that weekend Other ideas: •    Binge Mondays—what did you binge-watch over the weekend? •    Throwback Thursday—remember when … there were no iPhones, there was no email, there was no social media, etc. •    Reimagine Friday—what would you do about xyz initiative if you were in charge? 4. Share boundaries for the day or the week In the current environment, team members are juggling many priorities that may not coincide with the typical work day. If team members aren’t going to be available for specific segments of work day, ask them to share their availability by email or via another collaboration tool so that the entire team knows when to connect and/or when to expect a response. 5. Avoid accidental exclusion Inclusive leadership means no one is left out. This means paying extra attention to emails and posts that could unintentionally forget someone. For instance, if leaders hold a call about a particular topic, excluding someone from a meeting related to their responsibility only serves to alienate them and result in their worry about their roles. Another example is related to LinkedIn posts where the leader creates a post thanking specific people who worked on a project. Please be sure not to forget anyone by accident. Further, if leaders like and share posts on LinkedIn or other social media outlets, be sure to mix it up so you’re following, liking, and sharing posts from people across the organization. Optics are important. Trust me, team members notice if leaders only like the posts of upper management. A few unintentional slights like these can cause the team to feel completely marginalized. 6. Welcome new employees Usually when a new team member joins, they are taken around the office and introduced to all of the other team members. We can’t forget the benefits of a having a network and a few “go to” team members we can ask questions. In a remote environment, we must mirror this process as much as possible. Everyone must make an extra effort to get to know new team members by engaging them, inviting them to a virtual coffee, helping them get to know others in the organization, and also sharing context to get acclimated to the team as soon as possible. 7. Strike a balance between managing and micromanaging Demographic characteristics of the team must also be considered. There is a difference between Gen Y and Baby Boomer team members just as there are differences between new team members and seasoned ones. Each team member requires a different level of interaction, guidance, and autonomy—especially in remote environments where the inclination is to ask for daily reports and over-managing. And while it’s important to remember that everyone may be different, a new team member in a remote environment will require much more engagement than a tenured employee who knows the organization. At the same time, seasoned team members still need help and guidance from time to time. Although these team members typically prefer autonomy, leaders must not ignore them since there is a risk they could feel adrift within the organization. "Pay-it-forward" for employees and customers In closing, every leader has the ability to be an Inclusive leader. With intentional effort, leaders can enable and promote an inclusive environment in a virtual setting that is just as effective as the physical office space. I think the saying that “customers will never love you, until your employees do first” is 100% true. The benefits of new and strengthened alliances, collaboration, and comradery are well worth the effort. Customers and business partners will see and absolutely recognize these efforts. It’s a win-win! For more information about how Oracle Cloud Applications can help you and your team work remotely, go to www.oracle.com/applications. To learn more about Kimberly Ellison-Taylor you can access her Oracle Executive Biography here and also follow her on Linkedin.    

Throughout my career, I have always appreciated that people are the most critical resource and determinant of whether our initiatives will be successful. New technologies, processes, and strategies...

Join Oracle and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies at this year's virtual event.

Join Oracle and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies at this year's virtual event.

In our last blog [1], we covered several housekeeping items for your business applications that you and your team could tackle during this stay-at-home period. One of the suggestions was learning about an emerging technology, such as AI, IoT, or digital assistants. In this blog, I’m going to dig deeper into specific emerging technologies and how you can apply an emerging technology to add extra value to your company. First, learn about your company My first recommendation is to gain a better understanding of your company.  If you’re working for a publicly traded company, a good place to start is the 10-K. It’s a document that your company is required to file every year with the SEC. It details financial performance, earnings per share, the organizational structure, subsidiaries, executive compensation, and much, much more information. The purpose of the 10-K is to make investors aware of the innerworkings of a company so they can make timely buy/sell decisions. It’s a great place for you to gain a big picture understanding of your company over and above what you may know about your specific line of business, geographical region, or the particular division in which you work. Next, learn more about your company’s new objectives   Most likely, these will be internal documents, and they may be readily available. The strategic goals may have shifted so be aware. These will help you understand the path forward … how your company plans to grow, new markets the leadership wants to enter, and possibly new products on the horizon. These strategic priorities may also give you an indication of challenges, struggles, and points of pain that your company needs to address during this time.   Apply emerging technologies to your company’s objectives Once you have an understanding of your company’s growth strategies and challenges, you can apply the information you learn about emerging technologies to help solve a challenge, streamline a process, or improve the employee or customer experience. This is your opportunity to think outside of the box as they say, but be sure that your ideas are tied to strategic objectives. Here are some examples of emerging technologies in action that may get you thinking about ideas for your company. Artificial Intelligence for Sales and Marketing The current crisis situation has literally shifted markets in a matter of days. Some segments of the economy went from tremendous growth to double-digit losses in a week. Your company may need to shift its sales strategy in the short-term to find ways to recover lost revenue or tap into new markets to keep pace with economic shifts. AI solutions apply machine learning algorithms to your customer data to identify an ideal customer profile and then match that profile to trusted 3rd-party data to create a target list of prospects for your sales and marketing teams. AI for Supply Chain Similar to entire markets that shifted quickly, suppliers all over the world found themselves dealing with shipping and receiving restrictions that may have prevented them from fulfilling orders. That situation may have put your company in scramble-mode as you tried to find new suppliers.  Depending on your industry, component parts may have spiked in price, impacting sales projections and profit margins. An AI application can analyze your ERP data, including current suppliers, POs, invoices, payables, etc., and compare company information with 3rd-party data to give you insight into your supplier ecosystem. It can also help you rank suppliers, figure out where you can negotiate better discounts, and create models to help your company optimize procurement processes. Digital Assistants/Chatbots for Workforce or Customer Experience This conversational interface uses machine learning and natural language processing to guide people to the right source of information, the appropriate live support person, or walk someone through a process. Digital assistants can be a relatively quick and easy way to fill a gap as your company shifts staff with people working from home. Chatbots can also greatly improve the user experience for both internal and external use cases.  For example, your company can add a digital assistant to your employee portal to help people find specific HCM benefits information, or you can add a digital assistant to the home page of your website to help people get to the right resource to help with a specific question or issue. Learning More Please read my last blog that is referenced at the end of this article for more information on emerging technologies. There is a lot of free content online; from YouTube tutorials to online classes. According to a recent cnbc.com article, many 4-year colleges are offering free online classes, so people can learn while staying safe at home. You can search for the online classes about emerging technologies that fit your interests and company objectives. I hope this gives you inspiration to learn something new so you can apply emerging technologies to develop professionally and to help tackle the priorities and challenges in your company.   For more information on a complete suite of cloud-based applications that includes emerging technologies, go to www.oracle.com/applications     [1] https://blogs.oracle.com/saas/tackling-your-cloud-applications-to-do-list          

In our last blog [1], we covered several housekeeping items for your business applications that you and your team could tackle during this stay-at-home period. One of the suggestions was learning...

SupplyChainBrain, a leading source of supply chain management information and news, has named Oracle a 2020 Great Supply Chain Partner.

SupplyChainBrain, a leading source of supply chain management information and news, has named Oracle a 2020 Great Supply Chain Partner.

Global manufacturer Cohu decided to move to a single cloud platform for ERP and supply chain to unify their business and have the ability to scale quickly.

Global manufacturer Cohu decided to move to a single cloud platform for ERP and supply chain to unify their business and have the ability to scale quickly.

New capabilities and customer benefits of the next generation of Oracle Blockchain Platform.

New capabilities and customer benefits of the next generation of Oracle Blockchain Platform.

Chris Wood, VP of business transformation at FedEx Services, says leadership and teamwork have kept the company on track through the current crisis.

Chris Wood, VP of business transformation at FedEx Services, says leadership and teamwork have kept the company on track through the current crisis.

Learn four ways that implementing a sourcing solution, such as Oracle Sourcing Cloud, can help your organization streamline your negotiations, reduce supplier risk and increase savings.

Learn four ways that implementing a sourcing solution, such as Oracle Sourcing Cloud, can help your organization streamline your negotiations, reduce supplier risk and increase savings.

One of the key links in the supply chain is the warehouse, as it’s the nerve center for controlling inventory and ensuring that organizations are able to make their deliveries on time.

One of the key links in the supply chain is the warehouse, as it’s the nerve center for controlling inventory and ensuring that organizations are able to make their deliveries on time.

Steve Phillpott, CIO of Western Digital, says the ability to pivot quickly is essential to navigating a crisis.

Steve Phillpott, CIO of Western Digital, says the ability to pivot quickly is essential to navigating a crisis.

Innovation comes in many flavors. New technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twins and Big Data enable new smart products to enable business model transformations.

Innovation comes in many flavors. New technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twins and Big Data enable new smart products to enable business model transformations.

Oracle and Deloitte partner for a summer webcast series on supply chain management in the covid era.

Oracle and Deloitte partner for a summer webcast series on supply chain management in the covid era.