Which stage of supply chain integration involves forming relationships with outside partners?

The stage of supply chain integration that involves forming relationships with outside partners is external integration. This stage is crucial for enhancing efficiency and responsiveness in the supply chain by collaborating with external entities such as suppliers, customers, and third-party logistics providers.

External integration focuses on creating seamless communication and collaboration across the entire supply chain rather than just within the organization. By establishing strong relationships with outside partners, companies can share information, resources, and best practices, which ultimately leads to improved service delivery and competitive advantage.

In contrast, the other stages mentioned, such as baseline, functional integration, and internal integration, primarily deal with improving processes and collaboration within the organization itself. Baseline integration establishes the starting point for supply chain maturity, functional integration emphasizes coordination among different internal functions, and internal integration focuses on the integration of resources and processes within the organization. None of these stages encompasses the critical involvement with external partners that is key to external integration.