UNIVERSAL RULES (apply to every logistics task)
- ALWAYS include specific recommended actions with deadlines in every output -- observations without actions are not acceptable
MANDATORY OUTPUT HEADER
TASK: [e.g. Carrier Performance Review -- Q1 2024]
CONFIGURATION: [Loaded: supply-chain.local.md / Not configured]
DATA SOURCES: [TMS / ERP / Carrier APIs / Manual input]
LOGISTICS BRIEF TYPES
Type 1: Carrier Performance Review
Use for: periodic carrier performance assessment, contract negotiation prep, carrier selection, carrier exit decision.
DATA REQUIRED (from TMS or ERP, for defined period):
- Shipment volume by carrier (number of shipments + weight/units shipped)
- On-time delivery rate by carrier (shipments delivered on or before promised date)
- Damage rate and claim value by carrier
- Cost per kg (or per shipment) by carrier
- Track-and-trace reliability (% shipments with real-time tracking events)
- Carrier compliance: invoicing accuracy vs. contracted rates
CARRIER SCORECARD FORMAT:
CARRIER PERFORMANCE SCORECARD -- [Period]
================================================================
Shipments OTD% Damage% Cost/kg Track% Score
[Carrier A] [N] [X]% [X]% [X] [X]% [X]/5
[Carrier B] [N] [X]% [X]% [X] [X]% [X]/5
SCORING KEY:
OTD >= 95%: 5/5 | 93-95%: 4/5 | 90-93%: 3/5 | <90%: FLAG
Damage < 0.2%: 5/5 | 0.2-0.5%: 3/5 | >0.5%: FLAG
Cost: benchmark against market rate (see local config)
Track >= 98%: 5/5 | 95-98%: 3/5 | <95%: FLAG
FINDINGS:
RED [Carrier underperforming]: [specific metric] -- recommended action
AMBER [Carrier at risk]: [trend concern] -- monitor; review at [date]
PASS [Carrier outperforming]: [strength] -- protect relationship
LANE ROUTING RECOMMENDATIONS:
[Lane]: current routing -> optimal routing | saving: [X]/month
================================================================
Type 2: Lane Optimisation Analysis
Use for: specific origin-destination analysis; carrier selection for a new lane; mode of transport optimisation.
INPUT REQUIRED:
- Origin and destination (city/postcode/country)
- Shipment profile: volume (units/kg), frequency, typical parcel dimensions
- Service requirement: transit time; temperature controlled; track-and-trace
- Current arrangement: carrier, mode, cost, SLA
- Available alternatives (if known -- agent will also identify via MCP)
ANALYSIS OUTPUT:
LANE ANALYSIS: [Origin] -> [Destination]
---------------------------------------------------------
Shipment profile: [Volume, frequency, specification]
Service req: [Transit time; special requirements]
OPTION COMPARISON:
Mode Transit Cost/kg OTD% Carbon Score
Current: [Mode] [X days] [X] [X]% [X]g [X]/5
Option A: [Mode] [X days] [X] [X]% [X]g [X]/5
Option B: [Mode] [X days] [X] [X]% [X]g [X]/5
RECOMMENDATION: [Option] because [specific rationale]
Annual saving vs. current: [X]
Service trade-off: [Any service level change]
Carbon trade-off: [Any carbon change]
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Type 3: Expedited Freight Analysis
Use for: investigating high premium freight spend; root cause analysis; upstream problem identification.
OUTPUT:
- Total expedited spend (% of total freight budget)
- Expedited volume by business unit / site / category
- Root cause classification: a) Late supplier delivery (procurement/vendor issue) b) Demand forecast error (planning issue) c) Inventory positioning error (supply chain design issue) d) Customer emergency (valid commercial reason) e) Production planning error (internal operations)
- Recommended intervention by root cause category
- Quantified saving if root cause is addressed
RULE: Expedited freight > 10% of total freight spend indicates an upstream supply chain design or process problem, not a logistics problem. Solving it at the logistics level (buying more premium capacity) masks and perpetuates the underlying issue.
Type 4: Carbon Assessment
Use for: Scope 3 emissions reporting; sustainability target setting; mode-shift analysis; decarbonisation planning.
OUTPUT:
- Total logistics Scope 3 emissions (tCO2e) by carrier and lane
- Emissions intensity (gCO2e per km-tonne shipped)
- Breakdown by transport mode
- Highest-emission routes
- Mode-shift options with cost and service trade-offs
- Estimated reduction from implementing each option
EMISSIONS REFERENCE (approximate; verify with actual carrier data): Air freight: 500-600 gCO2e per tonne-km Road (HGV): 60-80 gCO2e per tonne-km Rail (electric): 20-30 gCO2e per tonne-km Sea (container): 10-15 gCO2e per tonne-km
NEVER DO THESE
- NEVER recommend exiting an underperforming carrier without confirming alternative capacity is available for the affected lanes
- NEVER use cost per shipment as the sole metric -- cost per kg normalises for shipment size differences
- NEVER accept carrier invoice rate creep without audit: compare actual invoiced rate to contracted rate line by line
- NEVER diagnose an expedited freight problem as a logistics problem without first checking whether the root cause is upstream
- NEVER report carbon figures without the source and methodology -- Scope 3 emissions data quality varies significantly by carrier
ALL OUTPUTS REQUIRE REVIEW BY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USE IN BUSINESS DECISIONS.