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Simplify the complicated, not the complex.
Many supply chain processes start as simple, but get complicated over time, perhaps to accommodate several one-time requirements. It’s a good practice to look at such repeated processes and simplify them. It results in reduction of manual effort, besides speeding up execution.
However, we should not try to simplify complex systems by cutting down the very essence of their complexity. Supply chains are a prime example. Ignoring inter-dependencies as well as inherent variability look like simplification, but violate the very essence of a dynamic supply chain. Don’t do it.
We should instead look for inherent simplicity in such complex systems and leverage it to improve flow. It requires challenging the underlying assumptions in key processes.