Pandemic Supply Chain Strategy
When COVID-19 disrupted global hardware supply chains, Promethean needed a way to keep its VAR/reseller channel partners informed and selling in an environment where standard lead times, inventory availability, and component sourcing were all unpredictable. I led the product communications framework that kept the channel functioning through the disruption.
The Situation
In early 2020, global hardware supply chains buckled. Component shortages — particularly for display panels, semiconductors, and logistics capacity — created a compounding problem for any company selling physical products into an institutional channel. Promethean’s ActivPanel line was not immune.
The specific challenge wasn’t just the supply disruption itself — it was the information vacuum it created for our channel partners. VARs and resellers were sitting on customer orders with no reliable visibility into when product would ship, what SKUs were available, or whether they should be quoting alternatives. Their customer relationships were on the line.
The Problem
Channel partners sell on trust. A VAR who can’t give a school district a reliable answer about when their IFP order will arrive loses credibility — and potentially the customer. Without proactive communication from Promethean, partners were left guessing, escalating, and in some cases, losing deals to competitors who appeared more organized.
The existing process for supply chain communication was reactive: partners would call in, get routed through sales operations, and receive inconsistent information depending on who they reached. There was no systematic, trusted signal.
The Approach
Status Communication Framework: Designed a structured weekly product status update for the channel partner network. Each update covered: current inventory on hand by SKU, inbound shipment forecasts, component availability flags, and recommended alternatives where applicable. Format was standardized so partners could scan it in under two minutes.
Traffic Light System: Introduced a simple RAG (Red/Amber/Green) availability indicator by product SKU — a low-noise signal that gave partners an at-a-glance read on supply health without requiring them to parse logistics detail they didn’t need.
Escalation Routing: Worked with sales operations to define a clear escalation path for partners with critical orders — reducing the time between “partner has a problem” and “partner has an answer.”
Internal Alignment: Coordinated with supply chain, demand planning, and regional sales leadership to establish a weekly data pull that fed the partner communications. The framework only worked if the internal data was reliable — so part of the work was establishing that discipline upstream.
The Outcome
Partner escalation volume dropped as proactive communications replaced reactive inquiries. The channel maintained throughput through the most volatile supply period in the company’s history — not because supply problems went away, but because partners had enough visibility to plan around them.
Several regional sales directors noted that partners specifically cited the communications as a differentiator — Promethean was seen as more transparent and reliable than competitors during the disruption.
What I Learned
In a crisis, information architecture matters as much as the information itself. Partners didn’t need every detail of the supply chain problem — they needed the right signal, at the right cadence, in a format they could act on. Product thinking applied to internal and channel operations surfaces the same underlying question: what does this person actually need to know, and what’s the most useful format to give it to them?