A framework model for fab agility and 25 ways to be agile

Abstract

In the Semiconductor Industry, we often find ourselves with LRP (Long Range Plan) being obsolete the day it is officially published, we need to be able quickly respond to changing requirements, i.e. be agile! We start with a practical definition of agility for fabs and the fab supply chain. Agility is simply defined as "The ability to respond and execute to a business scenario change quickly and at a low cost." We show 25 actions that can be taken within the Fab Supply Chain to achieve agility. These actions are classified according to their Scope of Influence, and are mapped into the Agility Framework Model. The Agility Framework Model ties these notions together, aligned with the above definition, in a crisp 2 /spl times/ 2 matrix model. An organization that can respond to changing requirements quickly and at a low cost is said to be agile. One that responds quickly but at a high cost is reactive. In order to achieve agility in a consistent and systematic way, an organization needs to go through three stages of the Agility Flow: strategic, proactive projects, and agility execution. We propose that agility needs to be an organizational value and may at times be in conflict with 'traditional' fab priorities. We believe that the model and the concepts are generic and applicable to other organizations.