Route-to-Market Pilot Checklist

The Supply Chain Lab often gets involved in Route-to-Market pilot design and implementations in emerging markets. Below are a number of issues to consider when implementing and monitoring your Route-to-Market pilot:

1. Channels– Are we servicing the focus channels?
2. Service and coverage – Assess how frequently the outlets receive service and whether the total outlet base is covered.  Is service sufficient or are they over- or under-serviced?
3. Responsibility – Review who is doing the order generation and account development. Is this in line with the model design?
4. Quality of call – Observe the service quality.
5. Delivery- Verify deliveries to the outlets. How long does the delivery process take?
6. Stockholding- Check stockholding and warehouse space. Do they have sufficient stock to service the outlet base?
7. Distance – Review the distance from the stock point or distribution centre to the outlet base
8. Time study – Assess in-outlet and travel time. Do they have sufficient time to conduct their tasks?
9. Sources of supply – Explore where outlets receive product from. Do they also receive / make top-ups directly from the wholesaler when they run out?
10. Inventory levels – Review the outlet inventory levels, by SKU.
11. Inventory visibility- Observe the visible stock (e.g. displayed) and stock in the storeroom (if any).
12. Execution levels & standards – Explore the current execution levels.
13. Routing & Admin -Are lists and maps up to date? Also check general admin.
14. Scheduling and routing – Assess if they have clear route schedules and whether they have well-defined routes.
15. Aids – Explore if they use a sales toolkit and how they communicate to the outlets.
16. Flow – Understand the product, cash and information flow. Determine if there are any bottlenecks in the system.
17. Communication – Review communication between the key partners and individuals.
18. Financial impact- Track financials as per the financial model. Ensure all info is collected to keep the model updated.
19. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – Review the key performance indicators tracked by the sales team. Are they tracking outlet activation, strike rate and sales?
20. Sharing – Review how they share KPIs and performance tracking?
21. Tracking knowledge – Ensure tracking and monitoring systems are clear to all parties.
22. Processes – Assess if processes are well defined and standardised.
23. Reviews – Do they have scheduled reviews and feedback sessions? How is the project supervised?
24. Feedback – Check the feedback loop.
25. Job descriptions – Do they all understand their jobs as per the provided job description? Is this in line with expectations?
26. Accountability issues – Assess if there are any overlapping processes and accountability issues.
27. Training – Are they conducting training and coaching sessions? Do they require additional training?