How do I measure supplier reliability?

Track each purchase order against the date and quantity it promised: how often the supplier delivered in full, how many days early or late, and the spread of those results. The spread matters most, since consistent lateness can be planned around and erratic delivery cannot.

This mirrors the scorecard your own retail customers run on you, and it works for the same reason. Without a recorded required date on every purchase order there is nothing to measure against.

More on Demand Planning, or browse every commerce operations answer.