Supplier Delay in a Multi-Site Hardware Rollout
A retail chain is replacing network switches in six stores during a four-week low-season window. The supplier confirms only 4 of 12 switches will arrive on time; the remaining 8 arrive 10 days late. Two stores are already prepared; four are not. The rollout team of five technicians can work only one store at a time, and each store needs two days. Store managers have staffing constraints on weekends. The contract includes a service credit but no delivery guarantee. The project board has a zero-tolerance position on extending the low-season window because trading systems must be stable before the holiday peak. Testing cannot be shortened below one full day per store. The supplier has offered a 5% credit and a 'best efforts' date. The project manager needs a recovery plan within 48 hours.
1. What recovery options should the project manager evaluate, and which constraints are non-negotiable?
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Start with capacity arithmetic. Six stores at two rollout days plus one test day each equals 18 technician-days. With one crew working one store at a time, a 10-day supplier delay leaves only about 10 working days, so the original sequence cannot finish. Evaluate:
- Re-sequence stores by readiness and business risk.
- Use the 4 on-time switches to complete two stores first.
- Negotiate partial shipments and a firm date for the remaining 8 switches.
- Add a second crew or approved overtime, subject to store staffing.
- Prioritise stores with the oldest hardware or highest failure risk.
The non-negotiable constraints are the holiday freeze, one full day of testing per store, and safe cutover. The project manager should compare options on date, cost, operational risk, and store disruption. The 5% credit is compensation, not a recovery plan.
2. How should the project manager communicate the delay to the board and to store managers?
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Communicate early, factually, and separately. To the board, give a one-page status: confirmed delivery dates, capacity calculation, stores at risk, options, cost, and the decision needed. State clearly whether the holiday freeze can still be met. Do not blame the supplier or hide behind the credit.
To store managers, focus on operational certainty: which store is affected, when technicians will arrive, what testing is required, and what temporary workaround applies. Avoid promising dates that depend on unconfirmed deliveries. Ask for weekend staffing only where it is genuinely needed and approved. Update the risk log and communication log after both messages. The goal is not to sound confident; it is to give each audience the information it needs to act.
3. Under what conditions should the project manager escalate rather than absorb the delay?
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Escalate when the recovery plan cannot meet the holiday freeze, when testing would have to be shortened, when cost exceeds the project manager's tolerance, or when store staffing refuses the required access. Escalation is also warranted if the supplier cannot give a firm delivery date or if a temporary workaround creates a security or trading risk.
Absorbing the delay is acceptable only if the project manager can re-sequence within existing tolerances and keep the non-negotiable testing constraint. Provide the board with a clear recommendation: for example, 'approve a second crew for four days' or 'reduce scope to four stores before the freeze and schedule two stores after'. Escalation is not failure; it is using governance when the decision exceeds the project manager's authority.