Achieving supply chain 'Leagility' through a project management orientation. Issue 1 (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gaudenzi, Barbara; Christopher, Martin
• Is Part Of: International journal of logistics. Volume 19:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 3
• Page End: 18
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: complexity -- project management -- lean -- agile and 'leagile' supply chains; Business logistics -- Periodicals; 658.005
• DOI: 10.1080/13675567.2015.1073234
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-5567

Abstract

Abstract : Many forces have combined to make today's supply chains more complex than ever before. These forces include the significant trend to out-sourcing; the growth of offshore manufacturing and procurement; the rising demand for customer-specific solutions and the globalisation of markets. The paper highlights the challenges that organisations must address in order to gain and retain competitiveness in today's markets – in particular, the need to achieve ever lower costs while simultaneously enhancing responsiveness. In other words, the need is to develop hybrid supply chains that are both 'lean' and 'agile'. Using a single case study of a global telecommunications company as an example, the authors demonstrate how supply chain complexity can effectively be mastered by adopting a project management orientation and in the process enabling outcomes that are 'leagile', that is, both lean and agile.