
A Boeing 747-409LCF Dreamlifter (one of four produced) lifts off at Edinburgh Airport. Boeing uses the Dreamlifter, which is an extensively modified Boeing 747, to transport sections of its 787 Dreamliner, which are being engineered and manufactured at multiple locations worldwide. The supply chain includes companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan, Alenia Aeronautica and Global Aeronautica in Italy, Korea Aerospace Industries in South Korea, Boeing in South Carolina, and many more, for a total of about 50 suppliers. The complex of issues involving multiple suppliers has been so difficult to manage that initial delivery of 787s was more than three years late. I've found no reports of unresponsive suppliers, but one can certainly speculate about the frequency of difficult teleconferences for any project of this size (USD 32 billion) that runs over three years late. For more, see the Reuters Special Report, "A Wing and a Prayer: Outsourcing at Boeing."
Unresponsive suppliers are the bane of project schedules. Most planned organizational efforts must meet some sort of schedule. Efforts called projects usually have detailed schedules, which we take very seriously. But the schedule performance of any such efforts that require contributions from outside parties — generically called suppliers — is dependent on the schedule performance of suppliers. Problems can arise when a supplier fails to meet its commitments and doesn't respond to attempts to resolve the matter.
Three guidelines help to make solid relationships with suppliers:
- Ensure that the relationship rests on a firm foundation of mutual respect
- Maintain clarity and ease of communication
- Be easy to work with and make only reasonable demands
Here are some tactics for preventing the problem of unresponsive suppliers, or dealing with it if it develops. In this Part I we explore the foundation of the relationship.
- Verify that the relationship is in good standing
- Before escalating any issue, consider the possibility that the supplier might be acting reasonably. Has your organization been paying its bills when due? Is any legal action underway? Is the contract still in force?
- Ensure that the contract (if there is one) gives you what you need
- A contract requiring that the vendor provide the level of service you'll actually need is helpful, not because it has any force, but because the supplier's having agreed to it usually means that you will be paying a fair price. If the contract doesn't provide what you need, seek a renegotiation. If that isn't possible, identify schedule risk in your risk plan and state that the risk can only be compensated, not mitigated. This is especially relevant in the case of long-term contracts such as leases of real property.
- Know who in your organization can apply pressure
- If you lack Threats you're unwilling
or unable to execute
are riskysufficient clout yourself, determine which people in your organization can credibly press unresponsive suppliers. Let these people know well in advance that assistance might be required. Keep them informed of the scale and expected value of the damage that can result from the supplier's unresponsiveness. - Do not threaten idly
- Threats you're unwilling or unable to execute are risky. If your supplier decides to test your resolve, and you don't follow through with your threatened action, the result will only damage your credibility.
- Consider alternative suppliers
- If your organization is a tiny portion of your supplier's sales, or if the supplier has other more pressing and lucrative accounts, getting the service you need might be difficult. Switching to an alternative supplier (if possible) might be the best available solution, even allowing for any consequent delays and rework. Run some projections to make a careful decision.
Next time, we'll turn our attention to preventive communication practices. Top
Next Issue Next in this series
Is your organization a participant in one or more global teams? Are you the owner/sponsor of a global team? Are you managing a global team? Is everything going well, or at least as well as any project goes? Probably not. Many of the troubles people encounter are traceable to the obstacles global teams face when building working professional relationships from afar. Read 303 Tips for Virtual and Global Teams to learn how to make your global and distributed teams sing. Order Now!
Your comments are welcome
Would you like to see your comments posted here? rbrenogMhuqCxAnbfLvzbner@ChacigAthhhYwzZDgxshoCanyon.comSend me your comments by email, or by Web form.About Point Lookout
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and
found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.
This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.
Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.
Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.
Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.
Related articles
More articles on Conflict Management:
Caught in the Crossfire
- You lead a company, a department, or a team. When two of your reports get caught up in a feud, what
do you do? Let them fight it out? Order them to stop? Fire them both? Here are some tips for making a peace.
Practice Positive Politics
- Politics is a dirty word at work, as elsewhere. We think of it as purely destructive, often distorting
decisions and leading the organization in wrong directions. And sometimes, it does. Politics can be
constructive, though, and you can help to make it so.
How Workplace Bullies Use OODA: I
- Workplace bullies who succeed in carrying on their activities over a long period of time rely on more
than mere intimidation to escape prosecution. They proactively shape their environments to make them
safe for bullying. The OODA model gives us insights into how they accomplish this.
Preventing the Hurt of Hurtful Dismissiveness
- When we use the hurtfully dismissive remarks of others to make ourselves feel bad, there are techniques
for recovering relatively quickly. But we can also learn to respond to these remarks altogether differently.
When we do that, recovery is unnecessary.
They Just Don't Understand
- When we cannot resolve an issue in open debate, we sometimes try to explain the obstinacy of others.
The explanations we favor can tell us more about ourselves than they do about others.
See also Conflict Management and Project Management for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming December 13: Contrary Indicators of Psychological Safety: I
- To take the risks that learning and practicing new ways require, we all need a sense that trial-and-error approaches are safe. Organizations seeking to improve processes would do well to begin by assessing their level of psychological safety. Available here and by RSS on December 13.
And on December 20: Contrary Indicators of Psychological Safety: II
- When we begin using new tools or processes, we make mistakes. Practice is the cure, but practice can be scary if the grace period for early mistakes is too short. For teams adopting new methods, psychological safety is a fundamental component of success. Available here and by RSS on December 20.
Coaching services
I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenogMhuqCxAnbfLvzbner@ChacigAthhhYwzZDgxshoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.
Get the ebook!
Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:
- Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
- Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
- Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
- Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
- Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
- Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )
Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info
Follow Rick





Recommend this issue to a friend
Send an email message to a friend
rbrenogMhuqCxAnbfLvzbner@ChacigAthhhYwzZDgxshoCanyon.comSend a message to Rick
A Tip A Day feed
Point Lookout weekly feed
