Standards for Supply Chain Documentation
Federal Highway Administration, Office of Freight Management and Operations
October 3, 2005
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Slide 1
Table of Contents
Slide 2
Introduction
Slide 3
The Office of Freight Management and Operations developed a standard approach for documenting supply chains and business processes
- Objectives were to create a one-stop solution for:
- Documentation capability that has the breadth of coverage in describing dimensions of supply chains moving into, out of, and within the United States by air, truck, ocean, or rail.
- Analysis capability that facilitates evaluations of the processes, physical flows, information technology, security, and performance of real world supply chains.
- Optional simulation modeling capability to allow for scenario testing and advanced statistical analyses.
- This document describes the standards for documenting the 8 previously defined supply chain dimensions.
Slide 4
Standards described in the following section assume that MS Visio 2003 is used as the tool for supply chain documentation
- Microsoft Visio 2003 Standard (Visio) was chosen as the documentation tool for supply chains and business processes.
- Industry leader for flow charting and best suited for documentation requirements.
- Meets modeling requirements by adding Process Simulator plug-in.
- Supports SCOR modeling by customizing graphic palette.
- The FHWA program manager will be responsible for overseeing the creation and editing of supply chain documentation.
Slide 5
Three options exist for viewing the documentation developed using MS Visio 2003 Standard
- To view documentation in Visio (.vsd) format, the user requires either MS Visio 2003 or Visio Viewer 2003.
- Visio Viewer is standard with MS Office Professional and available for download (free of charge) at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads, system requirements include:
- Ability to run ActiveX controls.
- Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, Windows Server 2003, or Windows XP operating system.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 5.0 or later.
- We also recommend saving supply chain documentation in .pdf format, to allow stakeholders that do not have access to MS Visio or Visio Viewer to view the files.
- PDF files are viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Slide 6
Documentation Standards
Slide 7
Standard 1: Utilize layers to identify and separate the supply chain dimensions and other information
- The ability to separate and view specific information about the supply chain enhances documentation usability and analysis capability. Layers provide a helpful way for managing complex diagrams, by:
- Categorizing objects logically.
- Enabling the user to view and analyze only desired information.
- Protecting object from accidental changes, while enabling easy selection of others.
- Document each dimension of the supply chain on a separate layer (see definitions, next pages):
- Physical Movement and Description.
- Information Transactions.
- Hand-Offs and Congestion Points.
- Data Standards/Transaction Media.
- Physical Security.
- Information Technologies/Systems.
- Timing.
- Process Triggers.
- Include main titles, page headings and footers, swim lanes, and other general information on a background layer, or on the "Background" page.
- Provide supplemental, miscellaneous information on a separate layer.
Slide 8
Ten dimensions are currently defined and the platform is scalable to allow for additional definitions
- Physical Movement and Description: Physical movements, for example of conveyances, containers, units of freight, and/or shipments.
- Hand-Offs and Congestion Points: Interface points along supply chains, especially where more than one actor is involved in handing off assets.
- Physical Security: Physical hardware, software, procedures, etc. in place to monitor and/or ensure the security of the assets.
- Timing: Durations and elapsed times for processes, possibly described by averages, statistical modes, magnitude and probability of deviations from the average or mode, and/or best and worst cases.
- Information Transactions: A description of the formal and/or informal exchanges of data, information and messages that take place in support of the planning, measurement of, or operation of supply chains.
Slide 9
Ten dimensions are currently defined and the platform is scalable to allow for additional definitions (continued)
- Data Standards/Transaction Media: Use of recognized industry standards in support of the information exchanges.
- Information Technologies/Systems: The technologies and kinds or specific names of systems that are typically or actually used to store, process and communicate the information transactions.
- Process Triggers: A depiction of the information milestones that must take place for a physical activity to take place, or vice verse. For example, if a load must be signed for before a transportation asset can leave a facility, the signature information is a trigger for the vehicle dispatch.
- Regulations and Policies: The regulations and policies that affect the way work for the specific process is performed.
- Resource Management: A depiction of how personnel and equipment resources are managed.
Slide 10
Example, Documentation using Multiple Layers
All Information-Related Layers
Information Exchanges & Process Triggers
Titles, Swim Lanes & Page Footer
Slide 11
Standard 2: Utilize colors to differentiate the text, shapes and connectors used for each supply chain dimension
- Associating a color with a specific dimension enables people to quickly differentiate between the dimensions.
- Use following color-scheme for documentation:
| Dimension/Layer | Color |
|---|---|
| Physical Movement and Description | Black |
| Hand-offs and Congestion Points | Red |
| Physical security | Brown |
| Timing | Black |
| Information Transactions | Blue |
| Data Standards/Transaction Media | Blue |
| Information Technologies/Systems | Green |
| Process Triggers | Orange |
| Background | Black |
| Miscellaneous | Black |
- Additional colors may be utilized, in a secondary fashion, to enhance readability or to provide impact and differentiation between activities.
Slide 12
Example, Use of Color in Documentation
Slide 13
Standard 3: Use consistent nomenclature for descriptions, processes, labels and attributes
- Consistency facilitates comparison of and provides for easier reading of the documentation.
- Begin process and task descriptions with a verb, for example:
- Generate Purchase Order.
- Schedule Shipment Delivery.
- Use capital letters to begin "important" words within process flow diagrams, for example:
- Use consistent units of measure when assigning attributes, for example:
- Duration (hrs., mins., days)
- Cost ($, per unit, per time)
- Frequency (per day, per week)
- Position labels and descriptors below entities, for example:
Slide 14
Standard 4: Use standardized shapes and objects within each supply chain dimension or documentation layer
- Consistent use of shapes and objectives provides for straightforward "reading" of the supply chain, as people can easily recognize aspects of supply chain and its processes by the object that represents them.
- Use the following shapes for standard process documentation:
- Use the custom stencils, shown on the following pages, to select shapes that represent specific supply chain-related entities and activities.
Slide 15
Supply Chain Stencil Objects — Buildings and Locations
Slide 16
Supply Chain Stencil Objects — Transportation Modes
Slide 17
Supply Chain Stencil Objects — Miscellaneous
Slide 18
Information Flow Stencil Objects
Transaction Media
Information Technologies
Process Triggers
Slide 19
Standard 5: Number shapes within process diagrams for unique identification
- Uniquely identifying each activity or process step enables referencing that step in other documentation.
- The numbering schema specifies the phase of the supply chain in which the activity occurs and the organization or party that performs the activity.
- Use a number as the first digit of the identifier to indicate the supply chain phase.
- Number the phases 1 through n to include all supply chain phases sequentially (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ...).
- Use a letter as the second digit to indicate the organization or party performing the activity.
- Use A though Z sequentially to identify each individual organization or party (e.g., A, B, C, ...).
- Use a number as the third digit to indicate the order in which the steps occur (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ...).
- Restart this numbering for each new phase and organization involved.
- Separate each digit with a dash, for example:
- 1-A-1 = phase 1, party A, process step 1.
- 3-F-2 = phase 3, party F, process step 2.
Slide 20
Example 5: Supply chain phase definitions and numbering schema
| Number | Supply Chain Phase |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-shipment |
| 2 | Outbound trucking |
| 3 | Consolidation, tendering |
| 4 | Delivery to U.S. |
| 5 | Recovery |
| 6 | Inbound trucking, delivery |
| Letter | Organization/Party Involved |
|---|---|
| A | Buyer |
| B | Seller |
| C | Freight forwarder |
| D | Customs authority |
| E | Import broker |
| F | Air carrier |
| G | Trucking company |
Slide 21
Standard 6: Use a consistent naming convention for supply chain documentation
- Supply chain titles should describe the characteristics of the supply chain, such as:
- Industry.
- Business Functions.
- Transportation Modes.
- Applicable Geographic Regions.
- Provide additional description below the title on the summary page to further define the nature of the supply chain, as illustrated in the example below.
- File names should echo the supply chain title for ease of use and to minimize confusion (Example: Drayage - Cross-Town Exchange - Kansas City.vsd).
Slide 22
Standard 7: Use custom shape properties to provide additional detail about each process step
- Custom properties link additional descriptors or attributes to process steps for use in analysis.
- The rectangle process shape,
, in the supply chain and information flow stencils contains four pre-defined properties.
- SCOR: Defines the SCOR Level 3 process that corresponds to that specific process step with the supply chain.
- Duration: Defines the length of, or time to complete, the process step.
- Resources: Defines the number of people require to complete the process step.
- Cost: Defines the cost associated with performing the process step.
- Additional properties should be added and defined as necessary.
Slide 23
Standard 8: Consistently embed detailed information to elaborate on processes or other objects
- Recognizing the electronic delivery of the platform, objects and other nodes may be double-clicked to bring up additional detail about that particular object. This might be numeric data, documents, or picture files (such as a bitmap of a form used in an information transaction).
- Icons that do have drill down available via a double-click will be uniquely identified (method of identification to be determined).
For example: Click on object I8.10 to bring up Customs Form 3461
Slide 24
Glossary of Terms
Slide 25
Glossary of Terms
- Entity: Objects that "move" through or represent stages within the process; such as, materials or equipment.
- Layer: A named category of objects, used to organize relationships within a Visio drawing.
- Object: A shape or entity that represents part of the process or supply chain, located within a stencil in MS Visio.
- Shape: Object that represents an activity or process step.
- Stencil: A collected of objects associated with a particular Visio drawing type or template.
- Swim Lanes: Dividers used to organize and separate process steps by groups, organizations or roles; used to delineate ownership of the processes.
