sme assessment tool guidelines

7/28/2019 SME Assessment Tool Guidelines

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Part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund and European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument)

Business Development Plan Services :

Self Assessment Tool


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Interviews were arranged with the Supply Directors/Purchasing Managers oftwenty-five major customers in the Merseyside area, across a spread ofmanufacturing and service industries.

These comprised automotive manufacture, transport services, NHS trusthospitals, process and heavy goods manufacture, high street retailers, food

manufacturers, local councils and public services, manufacturers supplying the oil,gas, rail services, and household appliances.

Self Assessment Tool: Interviews with OEMs

How major customer's (OEMs) requirements were established


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The interviews were held on an informal question and answer basis to firstascertain the main criteria on which their suppliers were selected. As a resultten main core competence requirements of suppliers were identified: -

1. Business Considerations2. Financial3. Logistics4. Customer Service Management5. Technical6. Quality7. Suppliers-Suppliers8. IT Systems9. Development

10. Human ResourcesWithin each core competence the companies interviewed were asked for a

number of definitive measures that they would expect a supply company tohave in place and from these results some sixty-six statements of need werecompiled across the ten areas of consideration.



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A questionnaire incorporating the ten main areas and the sixty-six statements of need

(gathered from the 25 major companies) was then compiled, and sent to over onehundred major companies in the North West to obtain their input on how importanteach of the sixty-six statements of need were to their selection of suppliers.

Based on fifty responses from the 100 major customers we were able to 'populate' theten main business areas and sixty-six statements of need and incorporate thisanalysis into the software to obtain quartile measurements for the requirements of theOEMs.


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An SME is asked in the self-assessment, based on his summary score for eachof the ten core competencies, which target he wishes to set for himself :-

To access 25 % of the sample Supply Chains.

To access 50 % of the sample Supply ChainsTo access 75 % of the sample Supply Chains.

On taking his decision he is directed to the appropriate section of the assessment,which will enable him to identify his strengths and weaknesses against each of

the customer (OEM) needs criteria. This helps to identify the five to ten mostimportant improvement actions by selecting the greatest areas of weaknessidentified.

Self Assessment Tool: Carried out by SMEs

How did you score?


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Self Assessment Tool: The Software*

Accessing the Software

Access the NSSC internet (http://www.northseasupplyconnect.eu/) and right-click on the DOWNLOAD BENCHMARK.EXE icon

Choose option Open link to obtain the download screen

Click on Benchmark.exe and Save

After saving the file and the Download complete message you should Run the software

The first screen will appear. Click START and proceed.

To exit the software press the Escape button

*The software is provided courtesy of Professor Ian Barclay and Dr Keith Porter of the

Technology Management Group of Liverpool John Moores University and LiverpoolChamber of Commerce and was produced with the aid of European funding (the softwareis made with Macromedia)


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Using the SoftwarePress Start and proceed to the first core competence

-Business Considerations

Click this box if youstrongly agree with theyear plan requirement asreflecting your companypolicy and practice

Click this box if yourcompany has no missionstatement

Click this box when youhave completed the fivequestions and want to

move to the next corecompetence


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The Software Core Competence 2

Slide this cursor toaccess other questions


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The Software Core Competence 10

Click here when you have

completed all the corecompetence scores toaccess the score table


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The Software Score TableThe SME needs to decide what proportion of OEM buyersit wishes to target for supply of its products (e.g. 25%)

SME needs to address

relationship with its ownsuppliers as score of 20 fallsbelow 30, the lower quartileOEM requirement

SME needs to address itscustomer service management

as score of 22 falls below 28,the lower quartile OEMrequirement


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The Software Core Competence 7Tracing the Problem

Although the suppliers areselected carefully there is no

documented evidence kept


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The Software Core Competence 7Tracing the Problem in detail

We can trace the problem by

asking for the 25% target on thescore sheet and then clicking onthe priority view. We see thatthe largest shortfall is the lack

of evidence of the supplierselection process. The SME may

need to formalise its proceduresin this area.

To exit the software click onQuit and then press theEscape button on yourkeyboard

sme assessment tool guidelines

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