President's Viewpoint
Logistics Performance Measurment and the 3PL Value Proposition.
On April 1, 1998, the Logistics Institute signed a contribution agreement with Human Resources Development Canada to develop 14 technology-mediated distance learning modules. On March 31, 2001, the Millennium Project officially ended.
In three years, the Institute developed 41 training products, of which 38 are technology mediated, in whole or in part. It also initiated 38 legal registrations, eight trademarks, nine trade names, nine domain names, and 12 URLs as part of The Logistics Gateway.
But statistics tell only part of the story. In reality, between 1998 and 2001, the Logistics Institute re-invented logistics professionalism in Canada and worldwide.
DELIVERABLES
With significant input from the Logistics community, the Institute
1. Re-invented Logistics Professionalism, creating new Certification Policies and Procedures and Competency Assessment to earn the P.Log. Procedures include a Professional Review Board, and Competency Assessment includes the Qualifying Module.
2. Built The Logistics Gateway – A Virtual Environment.
3. Developed two New Certification Programs aligned with the “Career Path Model”.Revised Executive Certification Program, an in-residence program of four nights and five days, with a strategic focus. Candidates must pre-qualify to enter and deliver a team presentation to be certified.
4. Developed three Additional New Programs as part of its “train-the-trainer” mandate, and “professional maintenance” requirements:
Facilitation Skills Program: a “train-the-trainer” program with four components.
Professional Business Program: a professional maintenance program delivered in partnership with different suppliers. Topics include: Leadership, Systems Architecture, Business and Finance, Project Management, Interpersonal and Communication Skills.
Tactical Logistics on Line: a professional maintenance program consisting of 15 Web modules. Topics include: Controlling Budgets; Health, Safety & Environment; Customer Service; Product Damage; Personnel Problems; Good Logistics Practices (GLP); Selecting the Right Carrier; Assembling Orders; Operating Procedures, Scheduling Carriers; Scheduling Resources; Customer Complaints; Controlling Inventory; Forklift Safety; Simplex Creative Problem Solving Model.
5. Re-aligned Organization Structures with new Strategic Plans to 2006 and Communications and Marketing Strategies. It re-organized the Board, re-structured operations, hired new staff, and instituted new electronic services.
MOMENTUM: Innovation has a life of its own; a project is disconnected from everyday reality. Support for project milestones is not synonymous with sustained success after the project. Once the novelty wears off, can project deliverables sustain market momentum?
It is too early in the delivery process of the Millennium Project to provide a definite answer to this question. However, there are some indicators that can provide insight.
In its preliminary evaluation, the Institute focused on three kinds of statistical indicators. The objectives are to gauge acceptance of its new incarnation as a “dot com” organization and community response to renewed Logistics Professionalism. Logistics Gateway Access Reports are produced by Webtrends, a third party service provider. Since “going live” on September 15, 2000, activity in The Logistics Gateway has grown steadily. Program Growth: A positive response to technology, however, does not indicate acceptance of renewed Logistics Professionalism. In re-inventing the future, the Logistics Institute also re-invented P.Log. professional certification. Several sets of statistics provide insights into community reaction to these changes.
On January 1, 2001, the Institute launched its new Certification Program in Transition. By mid-April, there were 495 registrations. Of these, 27 percent were new candidates starting Certification for the first time. Web modules (Integrated Logistics Networks, Logistics Process Diagnostics, Team Dynamics) attracted nearly the same number of registrants as session modules: Web at 212 (42.8 percent); Session at 283 (57.2 percent).
It is daunting to realize that in the first four months of delivering new modules, the Institute has matched 70 percent of the previous training year’s 12-month registrations (709). Technology-mediated training (web modules) is clearly gaining acceptance.
We can surmise that the new Certification Program and the new modules are being accepted in the marketplace.
Membership Growth: Professional membership growth re-enforces registration patterns, and also advances the Institute’s strategic plan by several years. The rapid growth was not surprising: people value the P.Log.
At the 9th AGM, the Board set a goal of 1,500 certified P.Log. professionals by 2006. By the 10th AGM on April 27, 2001, there were 1000 people who earned the P.Log. On June 14, the Logistics Institute will celebrate the “first one thousand” with a reception.
From September 2000 to April 2001, the Institute had 25 percent total growth in professional members. The journey has begun. We thank members for their vision, commitment and support as well as the Board, the Millennium Steering Committee, Human Resources Development Canada and our staff for making it happen.