Certified Supply Chain Professional
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In the field of supply chain management, a Certified Supply Chain Professional is a designation given to an individual who has achieved a certification in the field by passing an examination developed by a independent certification authority.
Skills and competencies[edit]
The overall goal of a supply chain manager was to ensure adequate and timely supplies needed for an organization, while maximizing profit.[1]
In the early 2000s, supply chain professionals were individuals concerned with the logistics of running an organization such as a business.[2] As of 2012, the profession has grown to include supply chain management outside the firm, including establishing relationships with suppliers and customers potentially international in scope. Skills needed include knowledge of computers and information technology, the ability to work with international partners, a good knowledge of the financial aspects of running a supply chain, and an ability to respond to sometimes volatile changes in in supplies and their costs. Supply chain professionals need to have an understanding of business continuity planning, that is the inventory levels and supply reliability needed for a business to function without interruption.[3]
Roles and responsibilities[edit]
The top priority of a supply chain manager is to integrate the many components and partners involved in a supply chain to maximize profits and to provide a competitive advantage for the organization.[4] The roles a supply chain professionals may play vary by company.[5] A survey by the weekly L’Usine Nouvelle in France revealed that the roles and responsibilities of supply chain professionals include: sales forecasting, quality management, strategy development, customer service, internal and external logistics and systems analysis.[4] Industries change over time and may render existing supply chain designs obsolete. Supply chain professionals need to be able adapt supply chain designs to new circumstances and to be ready to generate alternative solutions to supply chain problems.[4]
Certification[edit]
Supply Chain Professionals can attain a Professional certification by means of a certification exam developed by a third party, usually non profit, certification entity. The value of a supply chain professional certification is that it guarantees a certain level of expertise regarding a supply chain body of knowledge, the set of topics defined by the certification entity.[1]
There are several certification exams developed for Supply Chain Professionals including IIPMR (International Institute for Procurement and Market Research), Institute for Supply Management (ISM), APICS (the Association for Operations Management), ISCEA (The International Supply Chain Education Alliance), IOSCM (Institute of Supply Chain Management) and CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals). ISM's certification is the Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), APICS offers the Certified Supply Chain Professional, or CSCP, and ISCEA'S certification is called the Certified Supply Chain Manager (CSCM).[6] focused on the Procurement and Sourcing areas of Supply Chain Management, also called Supply management.
Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC) has recently changed its name and is now known as SCMA; Supply Chain Management Association (October 2013). It is the main certifying body for Canada with the designations having global reciprocity. The designation Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) designation is the most overarching and preferred designation, linked with several other groups that are progressing toward the SCMP as the supply chain designation sought after by employers in Canada.
The topics addressed by these certicifaction exams vary certification entity and may include[7][6][8][9][10]
- Procurement
- Strategic sourcing
- New product development
- Production and lot sizing
- Quality
- Lean Six Sigma
- Inventory management
- Warehouse management
- Network design
- Transportation
- Demand management, S&OP
- Integrated SCM
- Customer relations management and customer service
- Pricing
- Risk management
- Project management
- Leadership and people management
- Technology
- Theory of constraints
- Operational accounting
Education requirements[edit]
The knowledge needed to pass a supply chain professional certification exam may come from several individual learning experiences that can be very different from one professional to another. A small part of the whole body of knowledge may come from college courses but most of it is acquired from a mix of on-the-job learning experiences, attending industry events, learning best practices with their peers and several books and articles reading.[11] One route to understanding a supply chain certification body of knowledge is to attend certification workshops, which are usually designed in association with the certification entity.[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Robert A. Rudzki, Robert J. Trent (2011). Next Level Supply Management Excellence. J. Ross Publishing. pp. 93–97. ISBN 9781604270594. Search this book on
- ↑ Dittmann, Dr. J. Paul. "Skills and Competencies That Supply Chain Professionals Will Need". Supply Chain Management Review. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ↑ Betty A. Kildow (2011), Supply Chain Management Guide to Business Continuity, American Management Association, ISBN 9780814416457
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Enver Yücesan, (2007) Competitive Supply Chains a Value-Based Management Perspective, PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, ISBN 9780230515673
- ↑ David Blanchard (2007), Supply Chain Management Best Practices, Wiley, ISBN 9780471781417
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 David Jacoby, 2009, Guide to Supply Chain Management: How Getting it Right Boosts Corporate Performance (The Economist Books), Bloomberg Press; 1st edition, ISBN 9781576603451. Chapter 10, Organising, training and developing staff
- ↑ Boston Strategies International
- ↑ http://www.market-research-experts.com/wp/top-5-supply-chain-certifications/
- ↑ TechJumble | Startups And New Technology - Submit Your Tech
- ↑ International Institute for Procurement and Market Research (IIPMR) | CrunchBase
- ↑ Colin Scott (2011), Guide to Supply Chain Management, Springer, ISBN 9783642176753
- ↑ Carol Ptak & Chad Smith (2011), Orlicky's 3rd Edition, McGraw Hill ISBN 978-0-07-175563-4
External links[edit]
- How to master the CSCP Exam
- IIPMR website
- ISM website
- APICS website
- Institute of Supply Management website
- International Supply Chain Education Alliance website
- ISCEA Latin America website
- American Society of Transportation and Logistics website
- Gartner Supply Chain Professionals Resources
- Logistics Viewpoints Career Advice for Young Supply Chain Professionals
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