T-minus 5 and Counting...

SMI’s Fall Forum is five days away. I assure you there is absolutely no scrambling going on right now, no last-minute issues to address, no presentations to collect, no boxes to ship, mobile apps to test—everything is gravy. The team here is sitting back, feet up, sipping cocktails, and cheering on the Red Sox.

If it was only that easy.

We are calling this Forum "Madness to Method: Pathways for the Future Supply Chain." Initially, we were drawn to this theme as it suggested a linear, logical progression from a state of reactivity to a future state that was the outcome of planning and supply chain transformation.

Having experienced the practical realities of, in our case, forum development, I now see it differently. Madness and method are really two ends of a spectrum and if we want to create a different future, both ends should be avoided. The future lies somewhere in between where you find critical thinking, creativity, innovation, and problem solving. To create the future we want, we will need to dramatically accelerate our capabilities in three areas.

Talent

The chart below is taken from SCM World’s 2017 Future of Supply Chain study. Over 1,300 supply chain professionals from every major functional discipline and from across every major industry participated in it.

For the first five years that SCM World conducted this study, the data told a story that prioritized foundational knowledge of core supply chain functions above all other capabilities. The bread and butter of supply chain was expected to remain the bread and butter for the foreseeable future.

This story began to evolve over the past two years as capabilities such as change management, business strategy and innovation started to climb. Last year was the first year where communication and influence, a “soft” skill, overtook foundational knowledge as the most essential skill set.

The profile is evolving and those who will succeed in the profession are those who have a greater range of skills and experiences. Being really good at sourcing or warehousing is not going to be enough. This idea will come up directly and indirectly in a number of the presentations in both general session and breakouts. For instance, Tamara Sniffen, VP of Operations at Stryker will share her perspective on how to ensure a diversity of skill profiles to meet Stryker’s future talent needs.

Digital

No trend has greater potential to upend the delivery of healthcare in the United States then that of digitization. But what is it? For starters, digitization is not synonymous with the adoption of cool technologies. Rather, it is using digital assets and digital information to create value in the physical world. This can be value for the customer, as Jamey Shiels of Advocate Aurora Health will show, or value in operations as Randy Bradley of the University of Tennessee will highlight with many amazing examples of automation’s ability to radically improve efficiency.

Transformation

Transformation brings us back to where we started and the practical realities of creating the future. Transformation is not simply the output of our digital and talent strategies, but the choices we make when faced with the real and systemic challenges inherent in healthcare.

Dr. Li Ern Chen, a pediatric surgeon at Mercy Health with a deep understanding and respect for supply chain, will get us started Wed. morning with a vision that brings together both digital and talent in a manner that highlights what this future could look like in reality. The roles of the patient, clinician, physician leader, and operations leader are all changing—how these roles intersect in the future will go a long way in determining the future of our health system.

What You Need to Do Before the Show

We are going to make extensive use of the polling feature in our mobile app at "Madness to Method". Polling will occur in a number of general session presentations as well as during the luncheon rounds where we will dig into the topic of what the future supply chain organization could look like. In order to participate, you’ll need the App. Here is a link to instructions on downloading it.

This is going to be fun! See you in Chicago!

As always, we welcome yourcomments and suggestions.