That’s a lot on any company’s plate, says Michael Ciatto, vice president of Barkawi Management Consultants. What should you prioritize?

Whether it's data readiness or organizational maturity, alignment on corporate strategic initiative is key, Ciatto said in an interview at Kinexions, the annual event for Kinaxis customers and partners. “Make sure there’s a common view of what the supply chain is supposed to do.”

“When you talk about transformations in supply chain, they're not three-month projects or six-month projects — typically they’re multiyear,” he said. “Even if you get down in the trenches with some manager and director levels and they're like, ‘I need to solve this burning platform,’ you’re only going to solve that initial pain point. And Phase 2 and Phase 3 and Phase 4 of evolution will always become Phase Never.”

“You have to get commitment upfront from an executive level,” he added.

Only then should supply chain software investments come into the picture, Ciatto says, and be wary: “Technology isn't a magic bullet.”

Technology and its capabilities in the supply chain space today present a whole new view of the business world, but you need to be aligned on strategy — and a plan for which functional capabilities you should be implementing.

See video for full interview