INSIGHT · INTERIM MANAGEMENT

Immediate Measures or System Solutions?

How interim managers stabilize operations while delivering lasting change

Ulrich Köster · 29 September 2026

An interim manager is rarely called into a company where everything is running to plan. Delivery dates are often under pressure, inventory is rising, production equipment is underutilized or a bottleneck determines overall delivery performance. At the same time, reliable KPIs are missing, responsibilities are unclear and decisions take too long.

This raises a fundamental question: should the interim manager first conduct a comprehensive assessment, define projects and then implement them systematically? Or should they capture the errors arising every day and implement solutions on the fly?

Both are necessary, but at two different levels of management.

Traditional project logic is not enough on its own

A professional interim assignment follows a clear structure:

  1. Assessment
  2. Prioritization and project planning
  3. Implementation
  4. Stabilization and closure

This approach creates transparency, prevents uncoordinated activity and makes success measurable.

Under operational pressure, however, a company cannot wait several weeks for the complete analysis. Missing materials, late customer orders, quality problems and equipment failures need immediate attention. Operations must continue while the structural assessment is still under way.

Implementation therefore starts before the assessment is complete.

Stabilize daily, improve structurally

From the first day of the assignment, operational deviations should be captured in a short daily management process. A tier-board or S&OE meeting lasting 15 to 20 minutes is one practical option.

The focus is on a few concrete questions:

  • What significant deviation has occurred since yesterday?
  • Which customer orders or production targets are at risk?
  • What immediate measure is required?
  • Who takes responsibility?
  • When must the action be completed?
  • Is the problem isolated or recurring?

An immediate measure initially contains the impact. Missing material is expedited, a production order is rescheduled or additional capacity is activated. Operations are stabilized, but the cause has not necessarily been removed.

This is where the system solution begins.

Recurring problems belong in the transformation portfolio

A problem that occurs repeatedly must not remain permanently on the daily escalation agenda. It needs to be addressed as a structural issue.

A recurring deviation becomes a defined improvement project with:

  • A clear problem statement
  • A robust root cause analysis
  • A target KPI
  • An accountable project leader
  • Specific milestones
  • An expected operational or financial benefit

A raw material that is missing every day can be sourced through special freight in the short term. The system solution may lie in incorrect planning parameters, unreliable lead times, unresolved minimum order quantities or an unaligned S&OP process.

An immediate measure restores delivery capability. A system solution prevents the same disruption from recurring.

Two management loops instead of permanent firefighting

An effective interim assignment needs two connected management loops.

The operational loop works daily. It manages customer risks, material shortages, production deviations, quality problems and short-term capacity decisions.

The transformation loop works weekly. It reviews causes, project progress, KPI development, resource requirements and necessary management decisions.

For each significant problem, distinguish three levels:

Containment: What must we do today to keep production and deliveries running?

Corrective action: Which specific cause must we eliminate?

Systemic improvement: What change to the process, organization, system or decision rules will prevent recurrence?

This distinction reduces the risk of confusing a successful short-term response with sustainable improvement.

When acting on the fly makes sense

Not every decision needs a project. Immediate action is appropriate when:

  • Customer supply, safety, quality or compliance is at risk
  • The action falls within the assignment and agreed responsibilities
  • The decision is reversible in the short term
  • Costs and risks remain manageable
  • No long-term organizational or technical commitment is created

Changes to organizational structures, staffing, IT systems, major investments or fundamental business processes require an agreed approach. They need a target state, benefits, responsibilities and decision forums.

Speed must not be confused with missing governance.

What the client needs to see

An interim manager is measured by results. Both management levels must therefore be visible.

Operational management shows, for example:

  • Delivery backlog
  • Service level or OTIF
  • Material shortages
  • Unplanned downtime
  • Scrap and rework
  • Open escalations

The transformation portfolio shows:

  • Project status
  • Milestones achieved
  • KPI impact
  • Realized financial benefits
  • Outstanding decisions
  • Risks and countermeasures

This makes it clear which problems have been resolved in the short term and which improvements are embedded permanently in the company.

Closure determines sustainability

An interim assignment is not complete when the action list has been worked through. It is complete when the company can maintain the new processes without the interim manager.

This requires clear responsibilities, functioning management meetings, understandable KPIs, documented decision paths and a reliable handover of outstanding issues.

At closure, the client should be able to see:

  • What results have been achieved?
  • Which systemic causes have been eliminated?
  • What risks remain?
  • Who takes responsibility from here?
  • What decisions are due in the next 90 days?

Conclusion

Successful interim management combines structured project work with effective daily decisions.

Assessment and project planning provide direction. Daily capture of problems protects ongoing operations. Structured root cause elimination turns short-term solutions into lasting improvements.

Stabilize daily. Improve weekly. Transform structurally. Embed permanently.

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If you want to distinguish immediate operational action from structural gaps in your own organization, start with the free Supply Chain Maturity Check.