Revenue increases…..Working capital follows…Service becomes less predictable….Executive meetings drift toward incident management.
Recognise this? Not a lack of effort. A lack of alignment.
When commercial promises are not tightly connected to supply chain strategy, planning, decision-making and order-to-promise execution, then cash and people pay the price.
Let’s look at where your commercial promise and execution are drifting apart.
As a hands-on supply chain consultant, Onechain works alongside leadership teams — going deep into how the organisation actually operates, listening to what drives tension and performance, and methodically translating commercial ambition into operational reality— aligning order-to-promise, decision rights and working capital performance so growth strengthens the organisation instead of straining it.
When customer promises outpace operations,, cash and people pay the price on the short term. Customer satisfaction follows is you fail to timely re-align.
Customer promises must be structurally supportable — not negotiated case by case. This requires explicit order-to-promise logic , clear prioritisation rules , defined escalation paths and routine alignment between commercial commitments and supply capability Without this architecture, growth translates into expedites, excess inventory and internal friction.
Cash performance reflects how consistently strategy is translated into disciplined execution. It is not only about inventory. It is shaped by: * Order confirmation logic * Commercial terms and trade-offs * Receivables discipline * Supply commitments * The pace at which growth converts into liquidity When alignment is weak, liquidity compensates. Inventory rises. Payment terms stretch. Expedites increase. Cash absorbs the friction. Sustainable liquidity requires explicit trade-offs between service ambition and financial discipline — embedded in daily execution, not reviewed after the fact.
Execution breaks down when roles blur. Sales maximises revenue. Operations protects feasibility. Finance protects liquidity. Without explicit decision rights and structured forums, tension becomes personal — instead of procedural. Clear governance ensures: * Decisions are taken at the right level * Planning reflects strategic intent * Trade-offs are transparent * Executive meetings steer forward — not revisit yesterday AI-enabled tools have a role — but only when they reinforce decision clarity.
Customer promises become reliable * Cash performance strengthens * Cross-functional friction declines * Customer service gains mandate instead of pressure * Executive attention shifts from firefighting to steering
Upper mid-market organisations navigating growth, integration or performance pressure — where supply chain strategy must translate into reliable execution.
An open conversation.
A visit to your organisation.
Listening to the people who carry the system.
That is my investment before we formalise any engagement.
30 years of experience in supply chain dynamics.
A balanced view of people, processes, tools and performance.
One plan, one team, one process — one chain.
Integration as the basis for lasting results.