Common-sense Supply Management by Dr. Tom Depaoli

*Note: If you're bored to death by business talk, you may want to skip this post*

I was really interested in this book because it claimed to have stories from "the supply-management trenches". I really love stories! And Supply-Management is quite hard. But, while this book has a good idea, the execution has something to be desired.

The first chapter just jumps into the stories, with only the headers telling you what you need to know. After that, the rest of the book is devoted to showing you how you can improve your supply management process. I think it would have made more sense if the stories were spread out throughout the book, and used to illustrate a point.

Another thing about this book is that it's very geared towards large corporations. Some of the techniques required (especially when it comes to the standards you expect of the suppliers) doesn't seem like it'd be effective for a small company with little-to-no bargaining power.

While this book is quite simple to understand, the reader has to understand what Lean and Six Sigma is before they start reading. These two are key terms which aren't explained till the end, in the glossary of terms. Simply put, both terms refer to techniques that are aimed at cutting down waste and getting things down right the first time.

So, is there anything that we can use in real-life? Well, if you're not in a corporate job, I think your take home would be "do your leg-work, put in your best and expect the best from others." I think it's a good idea to take home.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.