Final answer:
Appropriate logistics performance measures should be achievable, relevant, and time-bound, while also being valid and reliable. They must support the overall goals, be realistically attainable, have specific deadlines, and produce consistent results across different applications.
Step-by-step explanation:
The traits of an appropriate logistics performance measure include being achievable, relevant, and time-bound. These performance measures should be realistic, meaning that the goals set by them can be attained and any barriers to achieving them can be overcome. It is also essential that these measures are relevant, supporting the overall goals of the logistics operation and making sense within the context they are applied. Additionally, being time-bound is crucial as it means there are specific target dates or deadlines associated with these measures that create a sense of urgency and allow for performance tracking over time.
Furthermore, logistics performance measures must be valid, providing a true representation of what they are intended to measure, and they must be reliable, yielding consistent results across different situations or when measured by different people. This is akin to having an operational definition that leads researchers to obtain the same information each time, such as “a driver who has never received a traffic violation” being a specific and effective way to measure good driving behavior.
In practice, this can mean measuring various attributes such as efficiency, transportation capability, and the ability to meet customer demands while considering factors like cost-benefit ratio and cultural challenges. An appropriate measure could be, for instance, the tonnage of goods successfully delivered on time to the right locations.