Supply Chain Basics
What is the main goal of supply chain management?
To enhance customer satisfaction through efficient delivery of products.
Which of the following is the primary driver of customer value: quality, cost, or limited choices?
Quality.
What is supply chain collaboration?
The process of working with suppliers, partners, or other stakeholders to improve efficiency.
What is process thinking?
An approach where companies focus on improving business processes to achieve greater efficiency.
What is system thinking?
A way of seeing the whole organization and how different parts interact and affect each other.
What does SCM stand for?
Supply Chain Management.
How can an efficient supply chain improve customer satisfaction?
By delivering products on time and at the right quality.
True or False: Flexibility means producing fewer product variations to cut costs.
False.
True or False: Redesigning a process means completely changing the product.
False.
True or False: System thinking focuses only on one department at a time.
FALSE
Name one key component of a supply chain.
Suppliers, manufacturers, logistics, or customers.
What are two ways to measure customer satisfaction?
Customer feedback surveys, repeat purchase rates.
Give an example of how collaboration can improve a company’s performance.
Sharing real-time inventory data with suppliers to avoid stockouts or overproduction.
What is the first step in redesigning a business process?
Identifying the inefficiencies or bottlenecks in the current process.
How can system thinking improve supply chain performance?
By ensuring that different departments or processes work together efficiently and avoid silos.
What is the bullwhip effect in supply chains?
It refers to increasing fluctuations in inventory levels as you move up the supply chain.
True or False: A higher price always leads to higher customer value.
False
How does flexibility in supply chain management help meet changing customer demands?
By allowing the company to quickly adapt its production and logistics to suit market changes.
Give an example of how process redesign can improve efficiency in production.
Streamlining the communication between design and production teams to reduce delays.
Give an example of how poor system thinking can cause delays in supply chain operations.
If sales teams don’t communicate product demand to the manufacturing team, leading to stock shortages.
What are the five main components of a supply chain?
Planning, sourcing, making, delivering, and returning.
Give an example of how supply chain efficiency can lead to better customer value.
Faster shipping times or better product quality due to a well-managed supply chain.
Explain why supply chain collaboration is critical to success in modern businesses.
It allows companies to share information and resources, reducing costs, improving efficiency, and increasing responsiveness to customer needs.
What is the primary goal of process redesign?
To improve the flow of work and reduce inefficiencies.
How does system thinking help in cross-departmental collaboration?
It helps by ensuring information flows smoothly between departments, leading to better coordination and fewer delays.