LAYER 01 OF 07
SOURCE SYSTEMS
Start with the source records.
Orders, stock counts, production records, and equipment readings come from business applications, plant systems, suppliers, and working spreadsheets.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Two systems show different stock for the same item. Nobody is sure which count to trust or who can resolve the difference.
WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE
An agreed source for each important field, someone responsible for it, and a way to check the original record.
ERPWMSMESCRMPLMHISTORIANSUPPLIER FEEDSSPREADSHEETS
LAYER 02 OF 07
MASTER DATA
Make the records mean the same thing.
Customer IDs, product hierarchies, units of measure, equipment names, locations, and calendars need consistent definitions across systems.
COMMON PROBLEMS
One customer has several identifiers, product hierarchies differ between systems, or units of measure are inconsistent.
WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE
Shared definitions and mappings, with checks for inconsistent records and a named owner to approve changes.
CUSTOMERSPRODUCTSSUPPLIERSASSETSLOCATIONSCALENDARS
LAYER 03 OF 07
INTEGRATION AND EVENTS
Deliver updates before the decision is due.
The connections that move receipts, inventory changes, production completions, alarms, and shipments between systems.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Updates arrive after the decision, interfaces fail without notice, or teams cannot trace a number through the pipeline.
WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE
Updates arrive before the decision is due. Failed transfers are flagged and can be retried without losing or duplicating records.
RECEIPTSINVENTORY MOVEMENTSWORK ORDERSALARMSSHIPMENTSDATA LINEAGE
LAYER 04 OF 07
OPERATING RULES
Write down the rules.
Allocation policies, customer priorities, margin thresholds, changeover requirements, inventory policies, and maintenance criteria.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Rules differ by person or system. Exceptions become permanent workarounds, and changes are difficult to explain or audit.
WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE
Rules people can inspect and test, with a record of changes and a business owner who approves them.
ALLOCATIONCUSTOMER PRIORITIESMARGIN THRESHOLDSCHANGEOVERSINVENTORY POLICIESMAINTENANCE CRITERIA
LAYER 05 OF 07
MODELS
Test against actual operating conditions.
Forecasts, order-promise calculations, lead-time estimates, scheduling optimization, pricing models, and anomaly detection.
COMMON PROBLEMS
A recommendation overlooks a capacity limit, relies on outdated assumptions, or performs poorly against the existing method.
WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE
A method tested against current performance and actual capacity limits. Monitoring shows when it needs review or adjustment.
FORECASTINGORDER PROMISINGLEAD TIMESOPTIMIZATIONPRICE AND COSTANOMALY DETECTION
LAYER 06 OF 07
WORKFLOW AND REVIEW
Give exceptions to the right person.
Some cases can follow a fixed rule. Others need a planner, a credit team, a pricing approver, or a maintenance lead to decide.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Review queues are overloaded, approvals lack context, or users move the work into spreadsheets because the system does not support it.
WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE
Routine cases follow approved rules. Exceptions reach someone who can act, with the facts they need and a record of what they decided.
PLANNING EXCEPTIONSCREDIT HOLDSPRICING APPROVALSMAINTENANCE REVIEWESCALATION
LAYER 07 OF 07
DECISION AND ACTION
Put the decision into effect.
The delivery commitment, production sequence, quote, maintenance instruction, or inventory target applied in the operation.
COMMON PROBLEMS
A recommendation appears on a dashboard, but someone still has to re-enter it elsewhere. There is no record of whether it helped.
WHAT WE PUT IN PLACE
The approved date, schedule, quote, or work order reaches the relevant system. The team can trace the change and check the result.
COMMIT A DATERELEASE A SCHEDULEAPPROVE A QUOTEISSUE A WORK ORDERUPDATE A STOCK TARGET