Tracking sourcing delays that affect a launch date

Set the stock-available deadline for the launch: the date, quantity, variants and locations required, plus any checks or preparation still needed.

Track each dated milestone that feeds that deadline, from goods ready and packing through freight, Australian import requirements, receipt and preparation for sale.

Move the launch date if the earliest stock-available date supported by evidence falls after the deadline and no confirmed stock or launch option meets the requirement. If a key date is still open, treat the launch forecast as open too.

Define the stock the launch needs

Record whether the launch needs the whole order, a particular variant, a minimum opening quantity or stock at several locations. Name who approved that requirement. A shipment may arrive without the needed variant; received goods may still need checking or preparation before they support the launch.

Work backwards from the required stock-available date. Use the supplier's goods-ready forecast, remaining checks, packing, collection, booking deadlines, transport, applicable import conditions and receiving time for this order. A general transit estimate is a planning input, not a guaranteed arrival date.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) clears imported goods through customs when they first arrive. Most goods valued at up to A$1,000 can be imported without a formal import declaration, but exceptions apply; requirements are generally more complex for goods over A$1,000, prohibited or restricted goods, biosecurity risks, or goods subject to duty or taxes. Check whether the actual goods need a permit or other clearance requirements.

For biosecurity conditions, check the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON) for the actual product and import scenario. The Integrated Cargo System (ICS) is used for import entry lodgement; a licensed customs broker can help confirm the applicable requirements.

Key Import and Compliance Requirements for Australian Imports

Record what moved the forecast

Use dated supplier confirmation for goods-ready timing and the carrier's booking confirmation for the booked movement and cut-offs. For a Maersk booking, the confirmation gives the cargo cut-off and VGM deadline; a packed export container needs a Verified Gross Mass (VGM) as a condition of loading.

Maersk's general guidance is to provide the VGM before the cargo gate cut-off. Where applicable, VGM can be submitted through the My Maersk portal or another established digital channel. Keep a promised recovery date separate from evidence that work is complete.

Test options against the launch requirement

A split shipment helps only if its first portion contains enough approved stock for the planned launch and the extra freight and receiving work is acceptable. Faster transport helps only if goods, documents and applicable import conditions can meet that service's handover. A substitute material or changed pack needs its own product approval.

Compare the earliest stock-available date supported by evidence with the launch's required stock-available date. If the forecast is later and no confirmed option meets the quantity and variant requirement, the planned launch date must move or the launch requirement must change. If the forecast remains on or before the deadline, the date can hold, subject to any open milestones.

For example, if a revised goods-ready date pushes receipt and preparation beyond the stock deadline, the requirement is not met unless a confirmed split shipment supplies the required approved stock in time. If the later milestones still put stock availability on or before the deadline, the delay does not by itself require a launch-date change.

Share one status

Give purchasing, logistics, sales and the launch owner the original commitment, current supported forecast, affected quantity, next evidence point and decision owner. Label dates confirmed, forecast or open. State the effect of an unanswered booking, declaration or permit question instead of hiding it in one arrival date.

The launch owner should take the evidence to the person authorised to change the launch commitment; record who made the decision and when. Before changing a customer-facing date, align the update with sales and the launch owner.

After receipt, record the actual stock-available date and which estimate changed. Use that observation to plan the next launch without treating one order as a universal lead-time rule.