Basic Supply Chain Management

Duration 2 days – 14 hrs

 

Overview.

 

This foundational Supply Chain Management (SCM) training provides participants with a clear and practical understanding of how supply chains work end-to-end—from planning and sourcing to production, inventory, warehousing, transportation, and customer delivery. The course introduces key SCM concepts, common metrics, typical supply chain risks, and best practices used by high-performing organizations. Participants will gain a strong baseline to support operational decisions, improve efficiency, and contribute to better service levels and cost control.

 

Objectives

 

• Identify the key roles of planning, procurement, production, logistics, and customer fulfillment
• Explain the difference between push vs pull supply chain strategies
• Apply basic concepts of inventory management and service level balancing
• Understand key supply chain performance metrics such as OTIF, lead time, inventory turnover, and fill rate
• Recognize common supply chain problems (delays, shortages, overstock) and how to address them
• Identify major supply chain risks and introduce simple mitigation approaches
• Improve coordination and communication across supply chain stakeholders

 

Audience

 

• New supply chain professionals and coordinators
• Operations, production, and warehouse staff
• Procurement / purchasing and sourcing teams
• Logistics and transportation coordinators
• Inventory controllers / storekeepers
• Customer service, order management, and dispatch teams
• Sales and demand planning support teams
• Supervisors and team leads who work with supply chain operations

 

Pre- requisites 

 

• Basic understanding of business operations
• Familiarity with internal processes (orders, deliveries, inventory, suppliers) is helpful
• Basic Excel knowledge is an advantage (optional)

 

Course Content

 

Module 1 — Introduction to Supply Chain Management (SCM)

 

• What is Supply Chain Management?
• Why SCM matters (cost, service, competitiveness)
• End-to-end supply chain flow (Supplier → Company → Customer)
• Key terms and concepts:
  • lead time, service level, demand variability, bottlenecks
• Supply Chain vs Logistics vs Procurement (differences and relationships)

Mini Activity: Identify supply chain issues in your workplace (group discussion)

 

Module 2 — Supply Chain Strategy and Planning Basics

 

• Supply chain objectives: cost, speed, quality, flexibility
• Supply chain planning overview:
  • demand planning (forecasting basics)
  • supply planning (capacity and materials alignment)
• Push vs Pull systems (basic concepts)
• The “Bullwhip Effect” explained simply
• Basic planning cycle (weekly/monthly)

Exercise: Map your demand-to-delivery process

 

Module 3 — Procurement and Supplier Management Fundamentals

 

• Role of procurement in the supply chain
• Types of purchasing (direct vs indirect)
• Supplier selection criteria (cost, reliability, compliance, quality)
• Supplier performance tracking basics
• Common procurement risks and issues
  • delays, poor quality, single sourcing

Workshop: Simple supplier evaluation scorecard

 

Module 4 — Inventory Management Basics

• Why inventory exists: buffer vs waste

• Inventory types:
  • raw materials, WIP, finished goods, MRO
• Key inventory concepts:
  • reorder point, safety stock, minimum/maximum levels
• Common inventory problems:
  • stockouts, overstocking, slow-moving items, expiries
• Basic inventory performance metrics:
  • inventory turnover, days of inventory, shrinkage

Hands-on Exercise: Calculate reorder point and basic safety stock (simple formula examples)

 

Module 5 — Warehousing and Material Handling Fundamentals

 

• Core warehouse functions and layout basics
• Receiving, put-away, picking, packing, dispatch
• Storage methods:
  • FIFO / FEFO / LIFO (when to use)
• Basic warehouse accuracy and controls
• Practical 5S and safety in warehousing
• Common warehouse KPIs:
  • picking accuracy, cycle time, damages, utilization

Activity: Identify warehouse process improvements and quick wins

 

Module 6 — Transportation and Logistics Fundamentals

 

• Transportation modes (road, air, sea) — basic pros/cons
• Shipment planning basics and delivery scheduling
• Freight cost drivers and service trade-offs
• Last-mile delivery concepts
• Typical logistics KPIs:
  • OTIF (On-Time In-Full), transit time, delivery success rate

Scenario Exercise: Choose best delivery option based on cost + urgency

 

Module 7 — Customer Order Fulfillment and Service Levels

 

• Order-to-cash flow overview
• Customer expectations: lead time, quality, accuracy
• Managing backorders and delivery delays
• Improving customer experience through supply chain reliability
• Service levels and demand prioritization

Exercise: Root cause analysis of missed deliveries / late dispatch

 

Module 8 — Supply Chain Performance Metrics and Continuous Improvement

 

• Why metrics matter in SCM
• Basic metrics and definitions:
  • OTIF, fill rate, lead time, cycle time
  • inventory turnover
  • forecast accuracy (basic understanding)
• Continuous improvement tools for SCM:
  • process mapping
  • Pareto (80/20)
  • simple root cause analysis (5 Whys)
• Aligning people, process, and data

Workshop: Build a simple SCM KPI dashboard outline for your team

 

Module 9 — Supply Chain Risk Awareness and Resilience (Basic Level)

 

• Common risks:
  • supplier failure, transport disruptions, demand spikes, quality issues
• Basic mitigation strategies:
  • alternate suppliers, safety stock, clear escalation paths
• Introduction to business continuity in supply chain

Group Activity: Create a simple risk register (Top 5 risks + mitigation)