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)
