Open Variant Process Models in Supply Chains

The following chapter will elaborate on complexity in supply chains and the implications on supply chain design. It investigates the specific requirements of supply chain processes in terms of flexibility versus standardization, evaluating the feasibility of designing, customizing, assessing, and improving logistics processes within a framework provided by process reference models. Mass customization and, in particular, the configuration approach developed by Winter for financial services will be discussed for their applicability for reducing complexity in a process environment. Process reference frameworks will be used as elements of an "open variant process model". The Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model defined by the Supply Chain Council as the major cross-industry standard for supply chain management will be discussed for its usefulness and shortcomings in "process mass customization", with a focus on systems implementation.