Unresponsive Suppliers: III

We usually regard the individual suppliers in a supply chain as having a commercial orientation, which can motivate them to please their customers. One clear exception is the large entity that dominates its markets, because such entities are often less susceptible to this mechanism. Another exception perhaps overlooked and more commonly encountered is government. Organizations that need approvals, licenses, permits, or information must sometimes wait for service or for responses from local or national governments. And when government action is delayed, project schedules can suffer.

The obvious items include patent grants or drug and medical device approvals. But let's consider three of the more mundane items, which are more numerous and therefore more likely to affect projects.

Passage through customs

Many organizations send equipment across national borders to support partner organizations that perform project work under strategic agreements. For example, if software is developed in one country and tested in another, the testing organization might require a validated test environment, often including a replica of all or part of the hardware of the finished product. If the developing organization sends that replica to the testing organization, the replica must pass through customs in the tester's country, which can take time.

Shipping the item well in advance of the required receipt date can help avoid delays in passing through customs. To determine in advance how long the process takes, send a dummy replica — one that's incomplete, obsolete, or in need of repair. Measure how long the passage takes. Use that data to determine the latest safe ship date for the real thing.

Export licensing

Exporting high-tech items can be just as tricky as sending them through customs at their destination. The laws of the country where the technology is developed might regulate what kinds of devices can be exported, on the basis of their destinations. These regulations might affect more than mere hardware. Do not assume that hardcopy documents are safe.

Begin the Exporting high-tech items can be
just as tricky as sending them
through customs at their destinationexport license approval process as early as possible, and actually test it, again with a dummy replica. This test can also expose errors and confusion in accompanying export documentation.

Local construction permits

Some projects involve construction or modification of facilities. Even digging a trench for an Internet connection can require a permit from local authorities.

Risk managers who identify permit-related delay risks early in the planning process are more likely to have success by enlisting the assistance of senior managers and their legal teams in advance. Beware though: if the response of senior managers is "Let us know when you encounter a problem," their assistance might come too late. If they do respond that way, apply for the permits immediately to expose the delay as soon as possible.

Examine your project plans to determine whether government suppliers are lurking in your supply chain. Apply techniques like those above to limit the risk of government-induced delay.  Top    Next IssueFirst 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

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.

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:

Conflict Haiku

When tempers flare, or tension fills the air, many of us contribute to the stew, often without realizing that we do. Here are some haiku that describe some of the many stances we choose that can lead groups into tangles, or let those tangles persist once they form.

Ending Conversations

At times, we need to end the current conversation. It's going nowhere, or we have something important to do, or we just don't want to deal with the other person. Here are some suggestions for ending conversations.

First Aid for Wounded Conversations

Groups that meet regularly sometimes develop patterns of tense conversations that become obstacles to forward progress. Here are some ideas for releasing the tension.

Overtalking: III

Overtalking other people is a practice that can be costly to organizations, even though it might confer short-term benefits on the people who engage in it. If you find that you are one who overtalks others, what can you do about it?

Seventeen Guidelines About Workplace Bullying

Bullying is a complex social pattern. Thinking clearly about bullying is difficult in the moment because our emotions can distract us. Here are some short insights about bullying that are easy to remember in the moment.

See also Conflict Management and Project Management for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming April 1: Incompetence: Traps and Snares

Sometimes people judge as incompetent colleagues who are unprepared to carry out their responsibilities. Some of these "incompetents" are trapped or ensnared in incompetence, unable to acquire the ability to do their jobs. Available here and by RSS on April 1.

And on April 8: Intentionally Misreporting Status: I

When we report the status of the work we do, we sometimes confront the temptation to embellish the good news or soften the bad news. How can we best deal with these obstacles to reporting status with integrity? Available here and by RSS on April 8.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenmhXARWRMUvVyOdHlner@ChacxgDmtwOKrxnripPCoCanyon.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 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info

Public seminars

The Power Affect: How We Express Our Personal Power

Many people who possess real organizational power have a characteristic demeanor. It's the way they project their presence. I call this the power affect. Some people — call them power pretenders — adopt the power affect well before they attain significant organizational power. Unfortunately for their colleagues, and for their organizations, power pretenders can attain organizational power out of proportion to their merit or abilities. Understanding the power affect is therefore important for anyone who aims to attain power, or anyone who works with power pretenders. Read more about this program.

• A recording of a program presented June 29, 2017, Monthly Webinar, sponsored by Technobility Webinar Series. PMI members can earn 1.0 Category 'A' PDU by viewing this program. View this program now.