Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Love at First Site

If only a trip to the faraway, beautiful city of Sydney, Australia was in my posted job description. But so far, that location has alluded me. However, for a few members of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Sydney, Australia is exactly where they are headed. And for a good reason. A site visit to Peninsula Minerals is in order for the NRC team later this month. Peninsula Minerals is seeking a license for a uranium recovery project. The visit to their Sydney site is expected to produce several benefits.

First, the NRC team will be reviewing the license to ensure it contains all the technical detail necessary for approval. The in-person visit is expected to speed up the licensing process. Peninsula Minerals expects they will make an impression on the NRC team, and that this will all ultimately lead to an approved license.

Although the visit to some place as exotic as Sydney, Australia sounds incredible, the site visit will probably only last a couple days at the most. And a fair amount of time will be spent in a uranium recovery project site, not at the Sydney Opera House. As glamorous as some trips may sound, supply professionals are keenly aware of the importance of and work involved in a site visit. Such trips are not synonymous with a vacation.

Sample Test Question: Task 1-F-5

Which of the following are factors that should be considered while conducting a site visit:

A) Housekeeping, process/material flow, employee morale and measurement of KPIs
B) Cost/benefits of a site visit and selection of the site visit team
C) Performance audits, documentation, and metrics
D) Quality, cost, design, service and cycle-time reduction

2 comments:

Satyam Jakkula said...

The answer is option A).

Options B) and C) pertains to "issues" in conducting site visits.

Option D) pertains to the factors necessary for "evaluating supplier performance".

Deborah Gamble, CPSM said...

Answer A is correct.

Answer B, cost benefits and the team selection should be considered BEFORE conducting a site visit.

Answer C, performance audits, documentation and metrics may be requested before or after a visit but should not be a formal part of the actual site visit.

Answer D lists concepts for continuous improvement.