Hard Objective 1) Quality 2) Time 3) Cost Soft Objective 1) Service Hard objectives 1. The quality (advantage) :  The most fundamental objective – in that it is a foundation for the others – is to carry out all processes across the supply chain so that the end product does what it is supposed to do. In many logistics situations, quality of service is about selecting the right quantity of the right product in the right sequence in response to customer orders. 2. The time (advantage)  The time advantage is variously described as speed or responsiveness in practice.  Time measures how long a customer has to wait in order to receive a given product or service. 3. The cost (advantage )  Cost is important for all supply chain processes – that goes without saying.  Low costs translate into advantages in the marketplace in terms of low prices or high margins, or a bit of each.  Many products compete specifically on the basis of low price.  This is supported from a supply chain point of view by low cost manufacture, distribution, servicing and the like.