Strategic Supply Chain Planning Training Course

Participants can translate business strategy into explicit supply chain design principles and choices.

• Corporate growth, margin and market-entry plans converted into supply implications
• Order winners and qualifiers identified for priority customer segments
• Supply chain design principles written as testable decision statements
• Trade-offs between responsiveness, efficiency, resilience and sustainability made explicit
• Strategic assumptions documented with owners, evidence sources and review dates
• Policy hierarchy connecting enterprise strategy, functional policy and operating procedures

Participants can assess external forces and competitor supply chain positions using structured evidence.

• PESTLE analysis focused on trade, regulation, technology and labour
• Porter's Five Forces applied to supplier power and buyer expectations
• Competitor supply chain signals gathered from filings, tenders and service offers
• Benchmarking cost, lead-time, availability and fulfilment propositions against competitors
• Market uncertainty classified by probability, impact and planning horizon
• Strategic implications distilled from external evidence without unsupported assumptions

Participants can set differentiated supply chain policies for customer and product segments.

• Customer profitability analysis separates strategic accounts from transactional demand
• ABC-XYZ segmentation combines value, demand variability and replenishment patterns
• Service promises defined by segment, channel, order profile and geography
• Available-to-promise rules matched to customer priority and allocation policy
• Postponement opportunities assessed through product architecture and demand uncertainty
• Segment policies specify inventory, lead-time, transport and sourcing responses

Participants can design a demand planning approach that supports strategic supply decisions.

• Demand drivers separated into baseline, promotions, projects and exceptional events
• Forecast value add analysis identifies useful interventions and recurring bias
• Consensus demand planning roles defined across sales, finance and operations
• Scenario ranges built from leading indicators, assumptions and confidence levels
• Demand sensing limits distinguished from medium-term demand shaping decisions
• Planning horizons aligned with procurement lead-times, capacity and investment decisions

Participants can evaluate supply capability and define capacity responses to strategic demand scenarios.

• Rough-cut capacity planning tests demand scenarios against critical resources
• Theory of Constraints identifies system bottlenecks and protective capacity
• Capacity cushions sized using variability, service targets and recovery time
• Make, buy, subcontract and defer options compared under supply constraints
• Finite and infinite capacity assumptions separated within planning models
• Constraint escalation rules define decisions requiring executive intervention

Participants can establish inventory policies that balance service, risk and cash requirements.

• Inventory purpose classified as cycle, safety, pipeline, seasonal and strategic stock
• Safety stock calculated from demand variability, lead-time and service targets
• Multi-echelon inventory positioning assessed across plants, warehouses and customers
• Reorder point and order-up-to policies matched to replenishment characteristics
• Slow-moving and obsolete inventory controls linked to lifecycle decisions
• Working capital effects quantified through inventory days, payment terms and obsolescence

Participants can develop supplier portfolio strategies aligned with supply risk and value impact.

• Kraljic portfolio analysis classifies categories by profit impact and supply risk
• Supplier market analysis tests concentration, capacity, substitutes and entry barriers
• Dual sourcing decisions evaluated against cost, qualification and continuity requirements
• Supplier segmentation links relationship models to performance and development actions
• Should-cost analysis separates material, conversion, overhead and supplier margin
• Contracting strategies allocate price, volume, quality and disruption risks

Participants can compare strategic alternatives using total cost, margin and cash-flow effects.

• Total cost of ownership captures purchase, logistics, quality and disposal costs
• Landed cost models incorporate duties, freight, insurance and handling charges
• Contribution margin analysis exposes service choices with negative economic returns
• Cost-to-serve calculations compare channels, customers, products and order profiles
• Working capital impacts incorporated into sourcing and inventory business cases
• Sensitivity analysis tests strategic choices against volatile cost assumptions

Participants can compare network configurations using service, cost, capacity and risk criteria.

• Network nodes mapped across suppliers, plants, distribution centres and customers
• Centre-of-gravity analysis estimates candidate distribution facility locations
• Facility location scenarios compare fixed costs, transport costs and service reach
• Flow-path analysis identifies unnecessary handling, distance and cross-border exposure
• Centralised and decentralised inventory models tested against demand patterns
• Network design constraints include customs, infrastructure, skills and operating licences

Participants can define transport and distribution policies that support segment service commitments.

• Transport mode selection balances cost, lead-time, reliability and emissions
• Carrier portfolio strategies address lane criticality, capacity and performance
• Route-to-market choices compare direct delivery, distributors and collection models
• Warehouse role design distinguishes consolidation, postponement, storage and fulfilment
• Last-mile service policies reflect order economics and customer expectations
• Freight procurement plans connect tender timing, indexation and capacity commitments

Participants can design an integrated planning cycle for cross-functional strategic decisions.

• S&OP maturity assessed across process, data, behaviours and executive sponsorship
• Monthly planning cycle structures product, demand, supply and executive reviews
• Integrated Business Planning connects operational scenarios with financial commitments
• Pre-S&OP decisions framed around gaps, options, recommendations and consequences
• Decision logs capture approvals, assumptions, actions and unresolved escalations
• Executive review packs focus on exceptions requiring cross-functional trade-offs

Participants can connect supply chain plans to financial targets and investment decisions.

• Supply chain plans reconciled with revenue, gross margin and cash forecasts
• Capital expenditure cases compare automation, facilities, systems and capacity additions
• Net present value and payback period applied to supply chain investments
• Benefits realisation plans assign baselines, owners, timing and measurement methods
• Budget constraints converted into phased implementation and contingency choices
• Finance business partner engagement improves assumptions, challenge and accountability

Participants can identify critical supply chain risks and create proportionate treatment plans.

• ISO 31000 principles applied to supply chain risk identification
• Risk registers capture causes, events, impacts, controls and owners
• Supplier dependency quantified through spend, substitutability and recovery lead-time
• Business continuity strategies define buffers, alternatives, triggers and response teams
• Scenario planning tests disruption effects on service, cost and cash
• Risk appetite statements distinguish accepted, mitigated, transferred and avoided exposures

Participants can incorporate environmental, social and compliance requirements into supply chain plans.

• Scope 3 screening identifies material purchased goods and transport emissions
• Supplier due diligence addresses labour, ethics, sanctions and human rights
• Circular supply chain options assess repair, reuse, remanufacture and recovery
• Packaging and transport choices evaluated using cost, damage and emissions measures
• Traceability requirements mapped from regulatory obligations to data collection points
• Sustainability targets incorporated into category, network and logistics decisions

Participants can specify the data, metrics and system controls needed for reliable planning.

• Planning master data assessed for ownership, accuracy, timeliness and completeness
• Data governance defines standards, stewardship, change control and issue resolution
• Control tower use cases prioritised by decision frequency and value
• Planning analytics distinguish descriptive, predictive and prescriptive decision support
• Digital twin applications tested against model scope, data quality and assumptions
• Dashboard design emphasises exceptions, trends, thresholds and accountable actions

Participants can build a performance framework linking operational measures to strategic outcomes.

• SCOR metrics selected for reliability, responsiveness, agility, cost and assets
• Perfect order measurement defines complete, accurate, damage-free and on-time delivery
• Cash-to-cash cycle time links receivables, inventory and payables performance
• Leading indicators distinguish emerging risk signals from lagging outcome measures
• KPI trees connect executive objectives with functional drivers and local actions
• Performance reviews use thresholds, root causes, corrective actions and owners

Participants can build an implementation roadmap with accountable ownership, sequencing and controls.

• Strategic initiatives sequenced by dependencies, benefits, risk and resource availability
• RACI matrices assign accountability for decisions, delivery and benefit ownership
• Change impact assessments identify affected roles, processes, systems and partners
• Pilot design establishes scope, success criteria, controls and scaling conditions
• Stage-gate governance reviews readiness before investment and deployment decisions
• Communication plans align executives, functions, suppliers and frontline teams

Participants can build, review and present a complete strategic supply chain plan supported by evidence, scenarios and implementation actions.

• Strategic planning pack integrates market evidence, segmentation and design choices
• Demand, supply, inventory and sourcing assumptions reconciled into one plan
• Network, cost and service scenarios tested against stated decision criteria
• Risk treatments, sustainability requirements and compliance controls embedded within recommendations
• Implementation roadmap assigns milestones, accountable owners, investments and performance measures
• Peer review challenges evidence, trade-offs, assumptions and executive presentation quality