Velocity Management

Velocity management has brought a new way of doing business to U.S. Army logistics, with a renewed focus on the Army customer and a powerful approach for process improvement that cuts across three critical performance dimensions: time, quality, and cost. The goal is to reduce the need for massive logistics resources by increasing the speed and accuracy with which materials and information are delivered. Key logistics processes are defined, measured, and improved continuously, so customers — Army units in garrison and deployed worldwide — get what they need, when they need it, and at a minimal cost. The authors reveal the story of velocity management's success: the motivations, methodology, and management structure behind the initiative; the process improvements that have led to such quick and impressive results; and the steps taken to develop and institutionalize the capabilities needed to achieve and sustain future improvement. Lessons learned can be readily adapted for other business models.