Case Name:
I. Major Facts
A. Ted jones has been the supply manager for the last two years and interacts with several internal/external department leaders and their individuals.
B. Ted has a skilled and professional staff; but morale is low, resulting in employees leaving for other employment.
C. According to data, five percent of incoming supplies and materials have been rejected. This data states an improvement from the past which contradicts leadership’s view of poor incoming parts causing production problems.
D. The robot purchase has many issues. Purchase request based on available funds versus a reasonable purchase price makes for bad negotiations. Short lead times may cause undo expenses.
E. Most complaints are directed to Ted to find solutions.
II. Major Problems
A. Communication (to include complaints) is directed to the supply manager, but not shared across all segments and levels of the business. The lack of this communication is causing disharmony among the employees. The communication that does exist sometimes counters reports.
B. Moral must be repaired before even more skilled employees are lost.
C. Procurement policies and procedures need to be in place to prevent short lead times and inadequate purchase requests.
D. Are certain materials getting past quality assurance (QA) without inspection?
E. Whether the engineering function is internal or outsourced, Eagle manufacturing is seeing a lack of input or data from the section. Could the robot requirement have been streamlined to manufacturer a less expensive machine? Could the lead time have been lengthen by knowing about the requirement sooner?
III. Possible Solutions/Alternatives
A. Ted can schedule the managers of all the sections together at regular intervals to discuss problems that arise amongst each other not just to him. Leadership can