In a recent Supply Chain research report distributed by TEC at www.technologyevaluation.com , they described the 3 main technologies used by manufacturing and distribution companies to automate their businesses and streamline their processes. They explain how these decision support systems worked together to guide and protect them through the up-swings and down-turns of the economy. These 3 “mission critical” systems included ERP (enterprise resource planning), SCM (supply chain management) and APS (advanced planning and scheduling).
From a Human Capital Supply Chain point of view,corporations also have 3 “mission critical” systems that manage the flow of people talent through an organization. These 3 systems include TMS (talent management solutions), SSS (strategic staffing suppliers) and WPS (workforce planning solutions). Even though these Manufacturing and Human Capital systems are very different, there are some interesting similarities between them.
Manufacturing ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems are very similar to HR TMS (talent management solution) systems because they are both responsible for the “inventory” of components or skills within an organization. If either system identifies a “need” they are responsible for finding that component/skill inside the company or they need to order it from an outside supplier.
Manufacturing SCM (supply chain management) systems serve the same purpose as HR SSS (strategic staffing supplier) systems in that they both manage the flow of purchase orders/personnel requisitions back and forth between corporations and their suppliers. They also need to handle the common situations of shortages and quality issues. In addition, they manage the flow of components/workers into and out of the corporation.
Lastly, manufacturing APS (advanced planning and scheduling) systems and HR WPS (workforce planning solution) systems are both responsible for the real-time re-forecasting of demand for components/workers. These systems are often integrated directly into the corporation’s sales and financial systems to ensure efficient planning of resource levels and the constant releveling of Supply with Demand. These types are systems use advanced mathematical algorithms to smooth out resource fluxuations over time.
As we have said in our Human Capital Supply Chain book at www.HumanCapitalSupplyChains.com , there are many many lessons and techniques that manufacturing can teach human resources related to their systems, techniques and processes.
Review the Book
