01
Inventory Review Checklist
A structured walkthrough for reviewing inventory health across SKUs and locations — useful as a monthly or quarterly discipline.
- Compare on-hand stock against forecasted demand for the next review cycle
- Identify slow-moving and non-moving (obsolete) inventory by age band
- Review safety stock levels against current lead time and demand variability
- Check for stockouts or near-stockouts on critical / A-class items
- Validate that inventory records match physical counts (cycle count accuracy)
- Flag SKUs with excess coverage (e.g., more than X months of demand) for action
- Review inbound purchase orders due against current inventory position
- Summarize findings into a short action list with owners and due dates
02
Monthly Operations Review Template
A simple agenda structure for a monthly operations review that keeps the conversation focused on facts, trends, and actions.
- Safety, quality, and compliance summary — incidents, near-misses, corrective actions
- Production output vs. plan — volume, schedule adherence, downtime
- Inventory position — finished goods, WIP, and raw materials vs. targets
- Supply performance — on-time-in-full (OTIF) from key suppliers
- Cost performance — key cost drivers vs. budget or forecast
- Continuous improvement — status of active improvement initiatives
- Key risks and escalations for the coming month
- Actions from the previous review — status and closure
03
Supply Chain KPI Dashboard Framework
A starting set of KPIs grouped by category — a way to structure a balanced dashboard rather than a wall of disconnected numbers.
- Service: on-time-in-full (OTIF), fill rate, order cycle time
- Inventory: inventory turns, days of cover, obsolete/excess stock %
- Cost: total landed cost, freight cost as % of sales, cost per unit
- Supplier: supplier OTIF, lead-time adherence, quality reject rate
- Planning: forecast accuracy / bias, schedule adherence
- People & safety: safety incidents, training compliance, absenteeism
04
Vendor Assessment Template
A simple framework for assessing supplier performance and risk across the dimensions that matter most.
- Quality — reject rates, certifications, corrective action responsiveness
- Delivery — on-time performance, lead-time consistency, flexibility
- Cost — competitiveness, payment terms, total cost of ownership
- Risk — single-source exposure, financial stability, geographic concentration
- Capacity — ability to scale with demand growth or seasonal peaks
- Relationship & communication — responsiveness, collaboration on issues
- Overall rating and recommended action — maintain, develop, diversify, or exit
05
Manufacturing Excellence Checklist
A high-level checklist for assessing how close a manufacturing operation is to "excellence" across the fundamentals.
- Safety: visible leadership commitment and a healthy near-miss reporting culture
- Quality: first-pass yield, defect tracking, and root-cause discipline
- Standard work: documented, visible, and followed at the workstation
- Visual management: performance boards updated and used in daily reviews
- 5S / workplace organization: sustained, not a one-time event
- Maintenance: planned vs. reactive maintenance ratio
- People: skills matrix, cross-training, and succession depth
- Continuous improvement: active improvement pipeline with follow-through