Supply Chain Optimization: Enhancing End-to-End Visibility

This paper describes the United Nations World Food Programme's (WFP) Supply Chain Management Dashboard (SCM-D), a tool that increases operational efficiencies and effectiveness by enhancing Supply Chain (SC) visibility. Each year WFP assists an average of 80 million people across more than 80 countries. It is therefore critical for WFP to understand what processes are taking place at each stage of its global Supply Chain to allow for timely mitigation of risks, forward and contingency planning and optimization, as well as identification and propagation of best practices. The SCM-D provides this end-to-end visibility into the WFP Supply Chain, serving as a “one stop” holistic overview that condenses the SC situation for an operation. The SCM-D promotes integrated Supply Chain Management by facilitating collaboration amongst different business units and supporting better informed Executive Management decision making. An online platform applies the efficiency and effectiveness gains of the tool to all WFP operations, and makes the SCM-D accessible to staff anywhere and at any time. Simplicity is key to the design, with the information reflected on the SCM-D being detailed enough to allow for comprehensive understanding of an operation and identification of risks, challenges and opportunities; yet broad enough to provide a clear and integrated end-to-end SC picture. The tool increases operational transparency and efficiency, value for money of funds, and ultimately supports the delivery of critical food assistance to millions of vulnerable families. All of these gains bring WFP one step closer to achieving its goal of a world with Zero Hunger.