The first five steps toward SCM implementation focus principally on developing the elements ofthe changed process to be implemented. Managing the sequence of events required to put an operational version of a modernized supply chain in place is a matter of effectively accomplishing the first five steps and then arranging the necessary organizational, procedural, and technical changes required to permit implementation of the newly designed capabilities.
After successfully completing steps one through five, the implementation team is ready to begin the final push toward operational implementation. The SCM team can begin preparing for the implementation phase very early in the process, however. Part of this preparation is ensuring that the team clearly understands the elements of SCM and fully recognizes why SCM implementation is a good thing. Managing SCM implementation in DoD will involve keeping the team's focus on the principles of the SCM concept and the ultimate objective. SCM implementation is—and should be—one of the principal goals of logistics transformation for the 21st century.
The key objective for the SCM team should be balancing the unique requirements of Defense logistics with the rapid adoption of supply chain concepts. In simple terms, the objective of the DoD logistics process, now and for the foreseeable future, can be stated in the form of the well-known seven R's of customer satisfaction.