Capability template for supply chain and inventory
Component end-of-life exposure brief
When a supplier announces a component constraint or end-of-life date, the sourcing lead gets one brief: where the part is used, stock and demand set against the stated dates, and questions about replacements, with unverified availability kept apart from approved supply.
Listed under
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The outcome
A supplier notice arrives as a short message with a date in it, and the first hours go to finding out what it touches. This capability template does that reading. It takes the notice, your where-used export, your stock and your demand plan, and puts them in one brief: which of your assemblies use the part, how much of it you hold and have on a dated order, how much your plan will need, and the month in which approved supply runs short.
Every date in the brief comes from the notice and is shown with the days remaining. Nothing is assumed where the notice is silent; it says "not stated". Supply is counted only when it is held or on an order with a due date. A distributor's phone promise, an alternate still being evaluated and the replacement the supplier suggests all appear in their own section, beside the gap and never subtracted from it.
The brief ends with questions for component engineering and program management, the gaps in your own records, and the decisions that belong to sourcing. It qualifies no alternative, approves no design change, orders nothing and writes to nobody. For a supplier problem that is not about a named part, use supplier risk alert brief; for routine buying, use inventory reorder plan; to see what can be built from the components on hand, use kit component availability check.
Who starts the work, and when
A sourcing lead, or a buyer for them, starts it the day a supplier notice about a constraint or an end-of-life date arrives, and again when the notice is updated or the stock and demand records change. Sourcing owns the brief and decides what, if anything, to propose.
What they supply
- The supplier notice, pasted as received, with the dates it states for each part.
- The affected part list, mapping your part numbers to the supplier's.
- The where-used export from your bill of materials system.
- The inventory export, with stock held, reserved and on order.
- The demand plan, by assembly and month.
- The alternates list, with the status of each and who approved it.
- Availability notes, if you have any: what a distributor or the supplier has said is available, however informal.
- Their settings: today's date, the date of the stock export, whether reserved stock is already counted in the demand plan, and the sourcing lead's role.
What comes out
One brief in a fixed order: what the notice says, with days remaining; where each part is used; approved supply against demand by month, with the first month it runs short and the size of the gap; everything not approved or not verified, kept apart; the replacement questions; the gaps in your records; and what is left to sourcing. Every empty section says so.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The companies, parts, assemblies, orders, stock figures and notice below are invented. Company M is an invented maker of connected air-quality monitors. Supplier A, also invented, makes the electronic components Company M buys. Supplier A has sent a notice about three of its parts. A buyer prepares the brief for Company M's sourcing lead, who decides what to propose. Roles, not names, stand for people.
The inputs come first, in full, so the template can be run on them. The brief follows.
The inputs
1. The settings
Today: Tuesday 10 November 2026
Stock export as of: Monday 9 November 2026
Reserved stock already counted in the demand plan: no
Sourcing lead's role: sourcing lead
2. The supplier notice, pasted as received
Notice ref: SA-LC-2611-07
Supplier: Supplier A
Received: Monday 9 November 2026
Parts affected:
RG3305-T | end of life | last-time buy order by 15 January 2027 | last shipment 30 April 2027 | not stated
SN-T20-R | constraint | not stated | not stated | Lead time rises from 14 to 40 weeks for orders placed from 1 January 2027; supply is allocated by each customer's 2026 order history
CN-88 | end of life | last-time buy order by 31 March 2027 | last shipment 30 June 2027 | not stated
Replacement named by the supplier: RG3305-T: RG3305-U. SN-T20-R: none named. CN-88: none named.
Other statements: Last-time buy orders cannot be cancelled.
3. The affected part list (CSV)
part_number,supplier_part_number,description,lifecycle_status
CM-1042,RG3305-T,3.3 V regulator,active
CM-2217,SN-T20-R,Temperature sensor,
4. The where-used export, rows for the affected parts (CSV)
parent_assembly,assembly_description,part_number,quantity_per
AQ-100,Air monitor main board,CM-1042,1
AQ-100,Air monitor main board,CM-2217,1
AQ-150,Legacy monitor board,CM-1042,1
AQ-200,Room hub board,CM-1042,2
AQ-300,Outdoor probe board,CM-2217,2
5. The inventory export, as of 9 November 2026 (CSV)
part_number,location,on_hand,reserved,on_order,on_order_due
CM-1042,Main stores,2600,300,0,
CM-1042,Contract manufacturer,900,0,0,
CM-1042,Open order PO-5521,0,0,1500,2026-12-04
CM-2217,Main stores,1800,0,0,
CM-2217,Contract manufacturer,400,0,0,
CM-2217,Open order PO-5530,0,0,1200,
CM-2217-ALT,Main stores,300,0,0,
6. The demand plan (CSV)
assembly,period,quantity
AQ-100,2026-11,400
AQ-100,2026-12,400
AQ-100,2027-01,500
AQ-100,2027-02,500
AQ-100,2027-03,600
AQ-100,2027-04,600
AQ-200,2026-11,150
AQ-200,2026-12,150
AQ-200,2027-01,200
AQ-200,2027-02,200
AQ-200,2027-03,200
AQ-200,2027-04,250
AQ-300,2026-11,100
AQ-300,2026-12,100
AQ-300,2027-01,120
AQ-300,2027-02,120
AQ-300,2027-03,150
AQ-300,2027-04,150
7. The alternates list (CSV)
part_number,alternate_part_number,status,approved_by_role,approval_ref,approved_for
CM-1042,CM-1042-B,under evaluation,,,
CM-2217,CM-2217-ALT,approved,component engineer,ECN-0861,AQ-100 only
8. Availability notes (CSV)
part_number,source_role,statement,date,quantity
CM-1042,buyer,"Distributor C said by phone that they hold 'a few thousand' RG3305-T",2026-11-09,not stated
CM-2217,buyer,"Distributor D emailed that 800 pieces are available, price on request",2026-11-06,800
The brief
COMPONENT END-OF-LIFE EXPOSURE BRIEF: SA-LC-2611-07, Supplier A
For: sourcing lead. Prepared Tuesday 10 November 2026 from the notice, the part list, the where-used export, the inventory export (as of 9 November 2026), the demand plan, the alternates list and the availability notes.
Inputs checked: notice received Monday 9 November 2026; 3 parts in the notice, 2 matched to the part list, 1 not matched; where-used 5 rows, 4 assemblies; inventory 7 rows; demand plan 18 rows, 6 monthly periods (2026-11 to 2027-04), 3 assemblies; alternates 2 rows; availability notes 2 rows. Reserved stock is subtracted. Days are calendar days from 10 November 2026.
1. WHAT THE NOTICE SAYS
N1. RG3305-T (CM-1042): end of life. Last-time buy order by Friday 15 January 2027 (66 days). Last shipment Friday 30 April 2027 (171 days). Other: not stated. Replacement named: RG3305-U.
N2. SN-T20-R (CM-2217): constraint. Last-time buy: not stated. Last shipment: not stated. Other: lead time rises from 14 to 40 weeks for orders placed from 1 January 2027 (52 days away); supply is allocated by each customer's 2026 order history. Order placed on 1 January 2027 at 40 weeks would arrive Friday 8 October 2027. Replacement named: none.
N3. CN-88 (no part of ours matched): end of life. Last-time buy order by Wednesday 31 March 2027 (141 days). Last shipment Wednesday 30 June 2027 (232 days). Other: not stated. Replacement named: none. See G1.
Conditions stated: last-time buy orders cannot be cancelled.
2. WHERE EACH PART IS USED
P1. CM-1042, 3.3 V regulator (RG3305-T). Our lifecycle record: active. Used in 3 assemblies: AQ-100 Air monitor main board, 1 each; AQ-150 Legacy monitor board, 1 each; AQ-200 Room hub board, 2 each.
P2. CM-2217, Temperature sensor (SN-T20-R). Our lifecycle record: not recorded. Used in 2 assemblies: AQ-100 Air monitor main board, 1 each; AQ-300 Outdoor probe board, 2 each.
3. APPROVED SUPPLY AGAINST DEMAND
P1. CM-1042.
Supply: on hand 3,500 (Main stores 2,600; Contract manufacturer 900); reserved 300; available 3,200; confirmed on order 1,500 (PO-5521, due Friday 4 December 2026). Approved supply 4,700.
Requirement by month: 2026-11 700 · 2026-12 700 · 2027-01 900 · 2027-02 900 · 2027-03 1,000 · 2027-04 1,100. Total 5,300 (AQ-100 3,000; AQ-200 2,300; AQ-150 no demand rows, see G4).
Cumulative requirement: 700 · 1,400 · 2,300 · 3,200 · 4,200 · 5,300.
Approved supply covers the requirement through 2027-03 (4,200). It is short from 2027-04: 5,300 cumulative against 4,700, and a gap of at least 600 at the end of the demand plan.
Dates: last-time buy order by 15 January 2027 (66 days); last shipment 30 April 2027 (171 days).
P2. CM-2217.
Supply: on hand 2,200 (Main stores 1,800; Contract manufacturer 400); reserved 0; available 2,200; confirmed on order none. Approved supply 2,200.
Requirement by month: 2026-11 600 · 2026-12 600 · 2027-01 740 · 2027-02 740 · 2027-03 900 · 2027-04 900. Total 4,480 (AQ-100 3,000; AQ-300 1,480).
Cumulative requirement: 600 · 1,200 · 1,940 · 2,680 · 3,580 · 4,480.
Approved supply covers the requirement through 2027-01 (1,940). It is short from 2027-02: 2,680 cumulative against 2,200, and a gap of 2,280 at the end of the demand plan.
Dates: constraint begins 1 January 2027 (52 days).
4. NOT IN APPROVED SUPPLY
U1. P1, replacement named by Supplier A: RG3305-U. It is not on the alternates list; no approval, no stock record. Not counted.
U2. P1, alternate CM-1042-B: under evaluation; no approver or reference recorded; no stock record. Not counted.
U3. P2, open order PO-5530: 1,200 on order, no due date. Not counted until a due date is confirmed.
U4. P1, availability note, buyer, 9 November 2026: Distributor C "hold 'a few thousand' RG3305-T" by phone. Quantity not stated. Unverified. Not counted.
U5. P2, availability note, buyer, 6 November 2026: Distributor D, 800 pieces available, price on request, by email. Unverified. Not counted.
U6. P2, approved alternate CM-2217-ALT: 300 on hand, approved by the component engineer under ECN-0861 for AQ-100 only. Shown apart, not subtracted from the gap: the gap includes AQ-300, which the approval does not cover.
5. QUESTIONS ON REPLACEMENTS
Q1. For component engineering, P1, U2: when is the evaluation of CM-1042-B expected to conclude, and for which assemblies?
Q2. For component engineering, P1, U1: is RG3305-U, named by Supplier A, to be evaluated, and by whom?
Q3. For component engineering, P1: no approved alternate is recorded for CM-1042 in AQ-100; what is the plan for that assembly?
Q4. For component engineering, P1, G4: no approved alternate is recorded for CM-1042 in AQ-150; what is the plan for that assembly?
Q5. For component engineering, P1: no approved alternate is recorded for CM-1042 in AQ-200; what is the plan for that assembly?
Q6. For component engineering, P2, U6: does the approval of CM-2217-ALT extend to AQ-300, whose requirement is 1,480 over the plan?
Q7. For sourcing, P2, U3: what due date is confirmed for PO-5530?
Q8. For sourcing, P1 and P2, U4 and U5: who confirms the quantity and price in the two distributor notes? This brief contacts no one.
Q9. For program management, P1, G4: is AQ-150 still being built, and in what quantities?
Q10. For component engineering, N3, G1: which of our part numbers does CN-88 correspond to?
6. GAPS IN THE RECORDS
G1. CN-88 is in the notice (N3) and not in the affected part list. No where-used, stock or demand work has been done for it.
G2. CM-1042 is recorded as active; the notice says end of life (N1). The record is for component engineering to update; this brief changes nothing.
G3. CM-2217 has no lifecycle status recorded.
G4. AQ-150 uses CM-1042, 1 per assembly, and has no demand rows. Its requirement is not computed, so the CM-1042 requirement of 5,300 and the gap of 600 are minimums.
G5. The demand plan ends at 2027-04. Nothing is known about requirement after that month.
G6. The notice gives no last-time buy date and no last shipment date for SN-T20-R (N2), so the last date to buy or receive CM-2217 is not known.
7. FOR SOURCING
Open: 2 of 2 matched parts are short on approved supply (P1 from 2027-04, P2 from 2027-02); notice parts unmatched: 1; 10 questions; 6 gaps.
Decisions for sourcing:
1. P1: whether to propose a last-time buy by 15 January 2027 (66 days), with the gap of at least 600, the alternate still under evaluation and the notice's statement that such orders cannot be cancelled.
2. P2: whether to propose purchases before 1 January 2027 (52 days), with the gap of 2,280 from 2027-02 and the open order PO-5530 without a due date.
3. N3: whether CN-88 joins this review once component engineering has matched it (last-time buy in 141 days).
Options, none recommended: (a) take the questions and gaps to component engineering and program management as they stand; (b) wait for the answers to Q1 to Q7 before deciding; (c) ask the supplier to confirm the facts listed as not stated or undated: the last-time buy and last shipment dates for SN-T20-R (G6) and the due date of PO-5530; (d) prepare purchase proposals for the sourcing lead's own review.
This brief reads the notice against the records supplied. It qualifies no alternative, approves no design change, orders nothing, contacts no one and changes no record. The sourcing lead decides what to propose, and nothing has been sent or changed.
Where it fits
- Supply chain and inventory, where one end-of-life date can reach several builds at once.
- Procurement and suppliers, where the notice arrives and the purchasing proposals are made.
- Hardware and physical technology, where one small part can stop a whole product.
- Manufacturing, where purchased components feed the build plan.
- Consumer brands, where a connected or electronic product depends on a few bought-in components.
- Established businesses, where notices land in a buyer's inbox and the where-used picture lives in a few heads.
- Growth and scaling, when more products share more parts than one person can hold in mind.
What has to change for your company
Check that your exports have the default column headers listed in the template, or rename them before you run it. Say which roles answer replacement questions (usually component engineering) and which decide purchases (sourcing). Decide whether reserved stock is already counted in your demand plan; the template assumes it is not. Keep your alternates list current, with a status and an approver for every row, because the brief treats only approved alternates as approved. It runs in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini from the files you paste in; it needs no access to any system.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template. It was editorially reviewed on 10 November 2026. It was tried on its invented example in Claude on 10 November 2026, and the record is published with it. It has not yet been tested in a client environment, and it has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.
Testing in your environment means running it on a past notice your sourcing lead already knows well, plus cases written in advance: a part in the notice that is not on your list, a lifecycle record that disagrees with the notice, an order with no due date, a header that does not match. The sourcing lead checks every figure against the exports before anyone relies on it. Pilot acceptance-test preparation builds that test set, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.
The full capability template
Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
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