I'm guilty of doing it - frankly we're all guilty. We operate in some type of secret society during the day. We are acronym addicts. I am reminded of my participation when my friends stare at me with blank faces when I talk about work. I recognize that blank stare - it's the one I wore in the first few weeks of my job. Sometimes I still find myself distracted when talking to colleagues; I wonder if I should have known what ETO means. I quickly scan my notes -- hmm, not there, so I add it to my growing acronym list.
I don't want to represent myself as disliking acronyms - I do not. In fact, acronyms are a testament to our continued pursuit of more granular, targeted information. Before there was SCM, SRM, CRM, ERM, PRM - there was simply the supply chain. Simplier days? Perhaps, but our learning curve comes with promises of refined processes and ultimately lower costs (or ROI), right?
AMR Research has introduced me to another acroymn - POP (Point of Postponement). In these times of multiple products within multiple markets, companies find themselves trying to apply the same service template to different customers in different markets. In Performance-Driven Enterprises Need Customer-Aligned Supply Chain Strategies, Vinay Asgekar discusses how supply chain processes should be separated from customer fulfillment and ultimately connected through POP. To be successful, companies will need to identify multiple supply chain initiatives according to the customer's needs.
So my acronym list continues to grow, and I embrace the fact that it's never-ending. My plea to you is to acronym responsibly - at least until my request for a Chief Acronym Officer (CAO) is approved.
Junko Brown
Editor
junkob@bettermanagement.com
