Beyond the Initial Load: The Impact of Data Synchronization on Your Organization

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Beyond the Initial Load The Impact of Data
Synchronization on Your Organization

• Susan Zucker, PhD.
• Supply Chain Director
• Cabot Creamery/Agrimark

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Case Study Research

• Reason for the study
• Scholar Practitioner Model
• Cabots experience
• No academic research in data synchronization
• Theoretical application in study focused on
  transformational change and systems theory.

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Industry Research

• Kearney, A. T. (2003). Action Plan to accelerate
  trading partner electronic collaboration Grocery
  Manufacturers of America and Food Manufacturing
  Institute.
• Kearney, A. T., Salmon, K. (2004). Connect the
  dots Harnessing collaborative technologies to
  deliver better value to consumers Food Marketing
  Institute and Grocery Manufacturers of America.
• Synchronization - The next generation of business
  partnering How leading companies are delivering
  actual results. (2006). Grocery Manufacturers
  Association, Food Marketing Institute, Wegmans
  Food Markets, Accenture, and 1Sync.

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Organizations Selected

• Criteria
• Three large CPG organizations
• All 3 companies have over 7,000 employees and
  over 2 billion in net sales.
• Participants were selected as those most
  knowledgeable about the data synchronization
  process at their organization.

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Case Study Structure

• Qualitative case study cant be generalized, but
  we can learn from it.
• Explorative Case study
• Recorded conference calls
• Transcription summary
• Review and approval of summaries by participants
• Data coding
• Review for themes and patterns
• Theoretical application

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Research question

• What did the participants at the three selected
  CPG (consumer product goods) organizations
  identify as new learning and changes as the
  result of the initial implementation of data
  synchronization, and how did these organizations
  recognize future opportunities, and process and
  structural inadequacies, after data
  synchronization adoption?

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Simplified Research Question

• What new learning was discovered ?
• What changes occurred at these organizations ?
• How did the participants recognize future
  opportunities ?
• How did they recognize the process and structural
  changes that were necessary ?

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Case study Protocol

• Level one questions are asked of each
  participant.
• Level two questions looks for similarities in
  organizational responses
• Level three questions look for cross case
  similarities.
• Level four questions look for application to
  academic theory.

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What new learning was discovered ?

• Spreadsheets are inadequate
• Quick fixes are unsustainable
• SAP systems and PIM processes create synergy with
  data synch
• Internal alignment of data synch
• Goal of clean data
• Not one owner
• Supply chain process that crossed departments
• Champions helped move process forward

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Who were the champions?

• RD
• Correct item dimensions
• EDI
• Grass roots effort/Awareness of impact long term
• Supply Chain
• Relationship enhancing with retailer
• Accounting
• Data as an asset and standardization streamlines
  processes
• Sales
• Compliance mindset shifted to long term process
  changes and workflow

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What changes occurred at these organizations ?

• New level of accountability for item attribute
  accuracy
• Improved workflow processes
• Data synch requirement gave leverage
• Standardization of attributes
• Expanded item information availability
• GTIN rules
• All three organizations comply with GTIN
  allocation rules

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How did the participants recognize future
opportunities ?

• Full adoption is necessary by retailers to expand
  benefits to suppliers
• Previous experience with EDI impacted
  expectations of the direction of data synch.
• Sr. Management did not support data
  synchronization effort, but did support data
  cleansing effort for product item management.
• Retailer pressure drove compliance
• Two projects were complementary
• Change in expectation of completed to evolving

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How did they recognize the process and structural
changes that were necessary ?

• Creation of supply chain departments driven by
  collaboration with retailers data
  synchronization was one example of this.
• New data synch processes had minimal impact on
  structure and job responsibilities.
• All of the participants attended conferences and
  standard groups.
• Internal alignment of clean data drove workflow
  changes

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Internal and External Goal Alignment with Full
Adoption of Data Synchronization
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Data synch just illuminates or helps to put a
spotlight on some processes that may need some
optimization or tweaking that's the benefit,
data synch is just an output or a result if you
have good practices as an enabler for better
communication but it's not the end in itself.
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Recommendations

• Participate in industry conferences and
  educational opportunities.
• Formal learning applied to your company
• Retailers are still learning
• Support individual champion within your
  organization, dont expect departmental
  ownership.
• Recognize value of clean data internally to gain
  internal alignment.
• Accountability, standardization and workflow
  re-design are all benefits of data synch adoption

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Questions?