OVERVIEW

Hundreds of companies have implemented some form of supply chain collaboration over the years. The majority of these implementations have occurred in the retail industry, although the high-technology sector has utilized supply chain collaboration as well.

The use of supply chain collaboration has yielded learning, both good and bad. No matter how well an implementation is planned, it is inevitable that something new will be discovered when it is actually executed. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss early wins and failures so that you will know what to expect and what to avoid, if possible.

Our advice, however, is to not to overstudy supply chain collaboration. In the words of the popular Nike advertisements, "Just do it." David Glass, former president and CEO of Wal-Mart and current member of the board of directors, was well known for his statement, "If you want to lose your job at Wal-Mart, form a committee and study something." The longer that companies delay in implementing supply chain collaboration, the longer they delay realizing the financial and partner relationships from collaboration.

We find that too many companies suffer from "analysis paralysis." Too many companies try to make sure they know everything before they are willing to act. The fact is, we cannot know everything. It is more important to act and then adapt as needed, learning from successes and failures.

A speaker at a conference many years ago told his audience, "If you are able to learn from your mistakes, you just...