In order to guarantee and maintain control over the lead time of a networked, interdepartmental clinical supply process in an end-to-end manner, the complexity of the sub-processes must first be considered and understood. For this, the end-to-end process needs to be captured in its entirety. Analysis and the resulting identification of possible problem areas can be made through a first complete process map. The problems identified, which demonstrably slow down the process and thus extend the overall lead time, are then investigated.

With the help of various interviews with all involved in the process, additional information about the overall process and current pain points with potential for improvement are collected to obtain direct feedback on the current status. Particular attention is paid to the interfaces, as several departments are involved in different parts of the process, making the process more complex. The subsequent analysis and observations from the interviews lead to the basic recommendations for the future procedure and the presentation of optimisation possibilities.

The desired To-Be state is based on the observations and results of the process flow, the accompanying literature, the data provided (Q3 2019 & Q3 2020) and the associated analysis. Moreover, the To-Be state is formulated with various optimisation measures with which the entire process can be controlled and managed more efficiently. While the introduction of a dashboard serves as a tool for strategic, intelligent, agile, and future-oriented steering, one aspect is identified as the most urgent need: A process owner whose responsibility should include the overview, understanding and control of the entire end-to-end process. With such a role defined, a pharmaceutical company can internally ensure the management of the recommended dashboard and bring about improvements in various other areas. Communication, transparency, and regular exchange could be improved to address and resolve process optimisations more efficiently and effectively – for more planning accuracy and improved overall lead time.