SUPPLY CHAIN CONTROL TOWER
What a Midmarket Supply Chain Control Tower Should Do on Day One
On a busy Monday, a planner needs to know which materials may run out before the next delivery, which suppliers need a call, and what can still be done. A supply chain control tower earns its place when it turns information scattered across purchasing, inventory, and planning into a short list of decisions.
Start with three alerts
| Alert | What triggers it | Who acts and how |
|---|---|---|
| Late purchase order | The supplier’s committed delivery date has passed and an open quantity remains | The buyer confirms the status, updates the expected arrival, and expedites if needed |
| Projected stockout | Expected demand will exhaust usable inventory before the next reliable receipt | The planner checks transfers, substitutions, or an earlier delivery |
| Supplier delivery slippage | A supplier moves a committed delivery date far enough to threaten the need-by date | The buyer checks whether the supplier can recover the original date or split the shipment |
The late-order alert flags a missed commitment. The slippage alert gives the buyer a chance to intervene while there is still time. If either event creates a projected stockout, group the alerts so the team sees the cause and consequence together.
Make every alert actionable
Show the item and location, the quantity at risk, the need-by date, the latest available data, and the person who owns the next step. Prioritize by operational impact. An order that is two days late with three weeks of inventory on hand can wait behind an order that is due tomorrow but already threatens a production run.
Before turning on alerts, agree on basic definitions. A PO that is partially received should still show the open balance. Inventory reserved for another order or held for inspection should be treated according to whether it can actually cover the demand in question. When data is stale or a supplier date is missing, make the uncertainty visible.
Build the review into the workday
Pilot with one site, product family, or group of suppliers. Review the queue with the people who will act on it, then remove duplicate alerts and tune thresholds that routinely surface low-impact issues. Track how much lead time the alerts give the team, what share prompt action, and which problems are resolved before they disrupt operations.
Once people trust the queue and know who owns each decision, expand it to more locations or more complex planning scenarios.