3 Types of Supply Chain Tests to Ensure Optimal Product Quality

Supply chains can be fragile if left unattended. The intricate combination of personnel and processes that compose the supply chain must be stress-tested rigorously and frequently to ensure they can withstand unforeseen shocks. This is especially true concerning quality assurance (QA) processes.

Supply chain QA is essential to building consumer trust and reducing waste. A healthy QA program extends beyond logistics, to areas such as procurement and inventory planning. Given the integral role technology plays in modern supply chains, stress-testing your technical connections and platforms is essential.

Here are three areas that you must test within your supply chain to ensure optimal product quality.

Data Quality Tests

Modern supply chains revolve around data. Everything from condition monitoring to vendor performance datasets determines the direction your organization takes when planning and optimizing supply chain processes. It stands to reason that you must pay close attention to the quality of the data you’re collecting.

The testing process can seem intimidating at first. After all, every portion of the supply chain generates massive amounts of data and all these datasets are interconnected. The first step is to segment datasets based on where they’re generated and examine them for quality. Is data formatted correctly? Are you storing data in the right schemas, or do you have to translate it to a different format before storage?

Examining datasets for duplicates and errors is essential. Check whether there are gaps in data collection times or if your data collection devices (typically IoT) have activity thresholds that cause them to ignore low volumes.

Next, check your data’s compatibility with your cloud storage infrastructure. Do you have to transform data to suit the cloud? If so, automate this process and ensure all datasets adhere to this schema. Stress-test your cloud service provider for data volumes and install automated smoke tests to spot errors.

When executed regularly, you’ll find that these tests help you gather high-quality data that you can rely on.

Platform Integration Tests

The supply chain has multiple stakeholders, all of which likely use different platforms to track performance. For instance, a manufacturer will use a different system from its logistics provider. Yet, the data generated by the logistics provider and other downstream stakeholders must be shared with upstream systems to generate a full picture of performance.

Integration often brings new headaches for stakeholders. Getting systems to talk to each other is simple on paper. All you have to do is connect via APIs. However, if you don’t test the quality of your connection and other issues such as data latency, you run the risk of relying on poor data.

For instance, if your logistics provider cannot show you a live feed of your shipment’s GPS and condition-monitoring data, setting alerts and quality-related thresholds is pointless. Stress test your platform’s integrations with its upstream and downstream partners. Automated testing tools will help you quickly spot weaknesses and simulate stressful scenarios.

It’s best to evaluate your platforms’ architecture as well. For instance, many supply chain stakeholders adopt large platforms to execute everything from procurement to vendor performance analytics. These systems are great if you can run every process in-house. However, if you rely on multiple third party vendors, this type of solution might be too complex.

Examine your and your partners’ size in the supply chain and design a technology system that will leave you as nimble as possible. Supply chain quality issues need quick redressal to prevent major losses. Often, low-quality integration between systems prevents a quick response.

While it might be tempting to bring everything in-house, you also need to rely on third-party expertise as much as possible. Contracting an expert to help you solve supply chain technology issues will help you focus on your core business and reduce maintenance costs.

In turn, your QA program receives a boost and increases overall efficiency.

Security

Cybersecurity is now a central business pillar, and supply chains are one of the most vulnerable aspects of a company’s structure. The presence of multiple software platforms, hardware devices tasked with collecting data, and the sheer volume of data introduces many weaknesses for malicious actors to target.

Your first instinct might be to build a cybersecurity program, but given the fast-changing nature of malware, leveraging third-party expertise is the best choice. Not only will you receive an instant upgrade to security best practices, but you will also receive continuous upgrades and protection from evolving threats.

For instance, most malware these days targets systems in waves, learning something new about the system before launching a crippling attack. A static and cumbersome in-house cybersecurity program cannot predict and prevent such attacks. Using a continuous security validation platform and executing regular penetration tests will help you retain a robust security posture.

Cybersecurity is an active pursuit these days, and you must constantly stress test your systems. Configuration errors when you introduce updates and low-quality API connections are common weaknesses. Create a security policy that dictates third-party data handling procedures and encryption standards.

Test Constantly

Quality assurance begins with stress testing your technology. The better your technology infrastructure is, the better your supply chain QA process will be. Stress tests in the areas highlighted in this article are the best way to ensure your supply chain will stand up to unforeseen shocks.