When faced with a supply chain problem, we all like magical, quick-fix solutions. We want it done… and done yesterday. This is why many of us go looking for the silver bullet – that quick fix that will make the problem disappear from a distance without really getting our hands dirty. We often think we can solve problems from afar and that by just having that tool, we can make the problem go away.

But, you may have your myths and monsters tangled up – silver bullets are meant to kill one specific enemy – the werewolf – and are not effective against all kinds of monsters. If you don’t know exactly what your problem looks like, it is easy to choose the wrong weapon and to underestimate the complexity of that weapon.

However, a silver bullet needs a gun, and a gun needs a skilled operator – one who can adjust for distance, height and environmental conditions and is very accurate. The silver bullet needs to penetrate the heart. Silver bullets, guns and operators come at a great cost and may not even slay your problem. What if your problem is a vampire? A vampire needs a wooden stake through the heart to immobilise it before it is killed, with beheading the most popular choice. The wooden stake is a rather cheap option compared to a silver bullet, but you still need an expert operator – a brave Van Helsing – who can get close enough to the problem to really identify it. A vampire can shapeshift, and many times in our operations we are not exactly sure what the problem looks like, where it comes from and how it manifests. What are the conditions that generate the problem, what feeds it, what makes it shift shape and what will make it go away?

In classic Dracula, Professor Van Helsing is actually a polymath and medical doctor. He has much experience and education. He is not afraid to stalk his prey, watch it and learn about it, and he is ready to get his hands dirty up close.

In our PC world, we WFH this and remote that, we Zoom and we Teams to solve a variety of problems in many different ways, often successfully.

But nothing beats ‘being there’. That is why we turn on cameras, we TikTok and we Instagram; never have visuals been so popular. But this is why online remote-control sessions still can’t beat the classic Gemba – going to see the problem first-hand. Elon Musk solves problems from first principles, not by looking at what other solutions already exist. Up close, we can observe the problem and all its behaviours first-hand, then break down the problem to its most basic elements to find solutions. What has worked for one company – their silver bullet – may do nothing to slay your problems.

In our businesses, we need to know what education and training make a good ‘supply chain Van Helsing’. We need to give our slayers the opportunity to gain experience by examining problems up close and personal; to give them the right tools for the right situation; to enable them to be brave, determined and hands-on; to identify the shapeshifters for who they are; and to get rid of the problem in the most effective manner.

Revisit the classic problem-solving tools with your team of slayers, let them Gemba and Kaizen, let them 5S. These simple wooden stakes can be just the tools needed to pin down a shapeshifting supply chain problem for good. •

Disclaimer: Problem-solving remotely using drones, GoPros, simulation and virtual reality or 3D Composite Simulations of course have a place as well; it is just that wooden stakes cannot be applied remotely!