The Supply Chain Management Processes

Abstract

Increasingly, supply chain management is being recognized as the management of key business processes across the network of organizations that comprise the supply chain. While many have recognized the benefits of a process approach to managing the business and the supply chain, most are vague about what processes are to be considered, what sub‐processes and activities are contained in each process, and how the processes interact with each other and with the traditional functional silos. In this paper, we provide strategic and operational descriptions of each of the eight supply chain processes identified by members of The Global Supply Chain Forum, as well as illustrations of the interfaces among the processes and an example of how a process approach can be implemented within an organization. Our aim is to provide managers with a framework to be used in implementing supply chain management, instructors with material useful in structuring a supply chain management course, and researchers with a set of opportunities for further development of the field.

Evaluating Supply Chain Management: A Methodology Based on a Theoretical Model

“…Key business processes proposed by Cooper et al (1997), Lambert, Cooper and Pagh (1998) and Croxton, Garcia-Dastugue, Lambert and Rogers (2001) are:…”

“…Key business process definitions, objectives and strategic and operational sub-processes stated in literature (Bowersox & Closs 2001;Christopher, 2001;Croxton et al, 2001;Forslund, 2009;Lambert, 2004Lambert, , 2008Lambert, Stock, & Ellram, 1998;Sols, Nowick, & Verma, 2007) were detailed, analyzed, and translated into evaluating parameters or requirements using the jargon of the industrial environment. One hundred requirements were identified for key business processes.…”

“…Despite the increasing interest in SCM area, academics and practitioners still lack solid methodologies to guide and support SCM evaluation and implementation (Akkermans, Bogerd, & Doremalen, 2004;Croxton, Garcia-Dastugue, Lambert, & Rogers, 2001;Lambert, Cooper, & Pagh, 1998). Methodologies related to SCM implementation have been provided by consulting companies and are restricted in publication and use.…”

Supply chain management resources, capabilities and execution

“…Dimitriadis and Koh (2005) The ability to adopt SCM-related processes, understood as processes that interconnect the partners in a supply chain (Croxton et al 2001), is an elementary capability that drives network integration and performance (Lambert, Cooper, and Pagh 1998;Dey and Cheffi 2013). Wilkinson and Young's (2002) and Li et al's (2006) view of the need to jointly manage networks and thus inter-organisational processes in order to enhance competitiveness and overall performance supports such a relationship.…”

“…Wilkinson and Young's (2002) and Li et al's (2006) view of the need to jointly manage networks and thus inter-organisational processes in order to enhance competitiveness and overall performance supports such a relationship. When looking at the interorganisational SCM processes that directly affect the execution of SCM, the literature (Cooper, Lambert, and Pagh 1997;Croxton et al 2001;Lambert, García-Dastugue, and Croxton 2005) comes up with eight processes: (1) customer relationship management, that is, the development and maintenance of relationships with customers; (2) customer service management, that is, a single source of customer information and a key point of contact for administering product service agreements; (3) demand management, that is, balancing the customers' requirements with supply capabilities; (4) order fulfilment, that is, all activities necessary to define customer requirements; (5) manufacturing flow management, that is, all activities necessary to obtain, implement and manage manufacturing flexibility and move products through the plants in the supply chain; (6) supplier relationship management, that is, the development and maintenance of relationships with suppliers; (7) product development and commercialisation, that is, the development and market introduction of new products together with suppliers and customers; (8) returns management, that is, all activities with regard to returns, reverse logistics and avoidance.…”