Risk Assessment framework for delivery process: A delivery features perspective to optimize efforts in the assessment phase

One of the main issues faced in supply chain risk management is the lack of a tool for evaluating the risk profile and for identifying which risks require mitigation. The complexity of modern supply chains worsens this issue, mostly in delivery and distribution processes, since these significantly vary according to the delivered product, the distribution channel and the target market. Indeed, these features influence so deeply the risk profile of a company that their effect has an impact on each single delivery. This paper proposes a framework aiming to provide risk managers with a tool that can reduce evaluation effort while helping in focusing the efforts on the assessment and mitigation of critical aspects. Starting from a literature review of supply chain risk taxonomies and through mapping the connection between risk classes and features of the supply chain downstream flows, the framework defines which risks are relevant for a given scenario and how to perform an efficient assessment phase. Finally, to validate the framework and to highlight potential gaps between the outcomes and company managers' perception, a real-world scenario is proposed.