Adopt IT strategies in the SC

IBM   TECHNOLOGY   SUPPLY CHAIN

Asia-Pacific - As society becomes more tech-savvy, it is key for companies to jump on the bandwagon of leveraging IT across their supply chains to remain competitive.

The industry should focus on optimising and governing IT Software Delivery models, according to Leon Wee, business unit executive of IBM Rational in ASEAN.

"These models have evolved and, in many cases, are still emerging, including examples such as the more traditional in-house software development, global outsourcing, offshore software factories, open source, leveraging packed apps and newer models such crowdsourcing," he said.

These software delivery models help to optimise interaction between the acquirer and the supplier, in order to produce better outcomes. These include ensuring requirements are tied to business value, providing a shared platform to facilitate communication, status and manage change, and managing components to support buyer-supplier relationships.

It is also important to identify the right IT investment to satisfy customer or end-user needs, while delivering value to the business, so IT will remain relevant for the business.

"Many companies lack the visibility they need to make the right decisions, such as when to abandon a project or how to settle the right time for delivery to the marketplace," Wee said.

He recommended that companies take a four-step approach of developing an IT process, planning the investment, strengthening and optimising the project, finally evaluating the performance.

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