Table of Contents

The Forward Deployed Inventory System

A Forward Deployed Inventory System is not a warehouse management system extended into the field, and it is not simply an inventory feature inside a field service system. It is a system designed around a different operating environment, a different set of risks, and a different objective function. FDIS treats forward inventory as a first-class operational capability of its own.

Introduction

Why Forward Deployed Inventory Systems Are Essential

A new discipline for placing inventory close to service without losing control of it.

Part I

The Problem No One Is Managing Well Enough

01
Inventory Has Already Moved Forward
Available now: read online or download
How inventory moved closer to the work faster than the systems used to manage it.
02
When the Part Is There, the Job Gets Done
How local access to the right part drives response time, first-time fix, uptime, and customer retention.
03
The Hidden Inventory Problem
What happens when inventory in trucks, lockers, and customer sites becomes invisible and hard to replenish.
04
Different Teams Different Priorities
Available now: read online or download
Why field service and supply chain need a shared operating model, not just competing scorecards.

Part II

The Shift from FDI to FDIS

Part III · Level 1

Foundation

09
You Cannot Optimize What You Cannot See
Available now: read online or download
Extending visibility to every inventory environment, where simple tools used consistently beat sophisticated tools used poorly.
10
Closed-Loop Starts With Accountability
Turning visibility into discipline from expected receipt to replenishment and discrepancy follow-up.
11
Cycle Counts, Reconciliation, and Trust
Why field cycle counts are trust-building mechanisms, not merely counting exercises.
12
Secure Accessibility
Balancing fast access to field inventory with protection, auditability, and control.
13
Closed-Loop in the Hands of the Technician
How mobile workflow makes scanning, replenishment, counting, and exception handling practical in the field.

Part IV · Level 2

Enhanced Optimization

14
From Control to Optimization
The shift from knowing where parts are to knowing whether the system performs well.
15
The Metrics That Matter in the Field
Forward-specific measures for planning, execution, service, replenishment, cost, and aging.
16
Network Optimization for Local Reality
Stocking points, shared locations, territories, and the real trade-offs between access and holding cost.
17
Inventory Optimization Without Over-Optimization
Using min/max, safety stock, and scenarios without creating fragile, needless complexity.

Part V · Level 3

Proactive Demand Management

18
Change When It Matters, Hold Steady When It Does Not
The discipline of distinguishing a true demand signal from ordinary noise.
19
Signals, Trends, and Usage Patterns
Using work orders, field feedback, aggregate patterns, and exception-based alerts to read demand.
20
Scenario Planning and Response Playbooks
Preparing modeled responses to shifts before they become service crises.

Part VI · Level 4

Predictive Precision

21
Inventory Follows Risk
Moving from history-based planning to risk-based placement.
22
Stock to Risk, Not History
Reliability concepts that explain why predictive placement differs from reactive replenishment.
23
Building a Risk Map for Parts Placement
Turning machine-level risk into staging decisions for markets, regions, and local service areas.
24
Pilot, Learn, Scale
A practical path to predictive precision through focused parts, geographies, metrics, and feedback.

Part VII

Making the Business Case

25
What Poor Forward Inventory Is Costing You
The economics of hidden inventory, repeat visits, premium freight, missed SLAs, and excess stock.
26
Building the ROI Case for FDIS
Connecting maturity improvements to uptime, customer satisfaction, labor efficiency, and working capital.
27
Premium Placement as a Revenue Opportunity
When guaranteed access and strategic proximity become a service customers will pay for.

Part VIII

The Journey to Maturity

28
The Acme Story
An end-to-end account of a company moving from low visibility and finger-pointing to predictive placement.
29
Scorecards, Action Plans, and Pilots
How to assess gaps, set targets, launch pilots, and govern progress over 30, 60, and 90 days.
30
From Weak Link to Competitive Advantage
How forward-deployed inventory becomes a managed source of trust, performance, and differentiation.

Start with the foundation

Read Chapter 9

Download “You Cannot Optimize What You Cannot See,” the opening chapter in the Foundation section of the book.

The Forward Deployed Inventory System

Why Forward Deployed Inventory Systems Are Essential

The Problem No One Is Managing Well Enough

Inventory Has Already Moved Forward

When the Part Is There, the Job Gets Done

The Hidden Inventory Problem

Different Teams Different Priorities

The Shift from FDI to FDIS

What Is Forward Deployed Inventory, Really?

Why Traditional Systems Fail in the Field