Recently, I had to make an important decision at work regarding whether to approve a new supplier for one of our main components. As a production coordinator in the manufacturing industry, supplier decisions can have major implications on production schedules, product quality, and customer satisfaction. At the time, we were dealing with frequent delays from our current supplier, and there was a lot of pressure from upper management to find a faster, more cost$-$effective option.

My initial decision to approve the new supplier was heavily influenced by time constraints and the frustration of repeated delays. The new supplier promised faster lead times and competitive pricing, which checked the most immediate boxes. I was also influenced by the recommendation of a colleague in procurement who had worked with the supplier before. Because we were behind on a few key orders, I moved quickly to greenlight the transition without going through the usual vetting process.

Looking back, I realize my decision lacked critical evaluation. I didn$$t fully investigate the supplier$$s quality control practices or consider how a rushed change might affect our assembly line long$-$term. I also assumed that because someone else had a good experience with the supplier, it would work well for our operation too, which was an oversimplification.