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APICS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER
COMPETENCY MODEL

INTrODuCTION
Supply chain managers are crucial to the global economy. They represent a unique discipline responsible
for supporting the global network of delivering products and services across the entire supply chain,
from raw materials to end customers. Specifically, supply chain managers engage in the design, planning,
execution, control, and supervision of supply chain activities with the objectives of creating net value,
building a competitive infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with demand,
and measuring performance globally.

APICS The Association for Operations Management is the premier membership organization providing
education, certification, and career development opportunities to supply chain professionals worldwide.
The APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) Learning System and corresponding
certification gives professionals the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. Knowledge and skills
combined with work experience create the competencies required for individuals to excel in their careers
and distinguish themselves in their field. In recognition of this, APICS developed the Supply Chain
Manager Competency Model to guide individuals considering careers in supply chain management,
supply chain professionals seeking to advance their positions, and human resource managers who are
hiring in this fast-growing field.

About the Model
The structure of the APICS Supply Chain Manager Competency Model follows guidelines set by the
Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor. The model is
visually represented in a diagram for easy reference, as seen on the following page. The model is organized
into tiers of competencies and includes descriptions of the activities and behaviors associated with each
competency. The Competency Model Clearinghouse defines competency as “the capability to apply or use
a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform 'critical work functions' or
tasks in a defined work setting.” In many cases, the competencies outlined in this model are adapted from
the APICS Operations Management Body of Knowledge (OMBOK) Framework.

Acknowledgements
The APICS Supply Chain Manager Competency Model was a research project undertaken by the APICS
2009 Future Leaders. They were supported by the 2009 Body of Knowledge Committee, the 2009 Voice
of the Customer Committee, and staff in the Professional Development Division of APICS. In addition,
APICS leaders and staff used public domain information obtained from the Competency Model
Clearinghouse (www.Careeronestop.org) in the model’s creation.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced or copied in any
form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, or information storage and
retrieval systems – without written permission of the publisher.

©2009 APICS The Association for Operations Management

Occupation-related
Supply Chain Manager Specific requirements (Tier 7)
includes requirements such as certiﬁcation, licensure, and specialized educational degrees, or physical
and training requirements for Supply Chain Managers.

Bachelors or Equivalent Degree Supply Chain Industry Association Membership Supply Chain-Specific Certification


Supply Chain Manager Technical Competencies (Tier 6)
are specific to the role of Supply Chain Manager.

Locating Distribution Warehousing Logistics International Strategic Sourcing/ Management Management
Facilities Regulations Supplier Relationship Customer Applying Lean/Six
Profession-related

Relationship Sigma Tools

Supply Chain Manager Knowledge Areas (Tier 5)
are broad knowledge areas used as a basis for specifying more detailed knowledge areas required for work as a Supply Chain Manager.
Performance Warehouse Transportation Supply Chain
Risk Sustainability
Trade-offs Management Management Synchronization
Management

Operations Management Technical Competencies (Tier 4)
represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by all occupations within operations management, including Supply Chain Manager.
Strategy Development Supply Chain Process Improvement/ Execution, Planning, Project Lean Management Enabling Technology
and Application Management Six Sigma Scheduling Control Management Application



Workplace and Leadership Competencies (Tier 3)
represent those skills and abilities that allow individuals to function in an organizational setting.
Problem Solving/ Teamwork Accountability/ Customer Focus Planning and Conﬂict Enabling
Decision Making Responsibility (Internal and External) Organizing Management Technology
Foundational

Academic Competencies (Tier 2)
are primarily learned in an academic setting, and include cognitive functions and thinking styles.
Math, Statistics, Reading and Writing Applied Science Supply Chain Foundations of Fundamentals of Operations and
Analytical Thinking for Comprehension and Technology Fundamentals Business Management Technology Enterprise Economics

Personal Effectiveness Competencies (Tier 1)
represent motives and traits as well as interpersonal and self-management styles and generally are applicable to a number of industries at a national level.
Awareness of the Integrity Continuous Learning Effective Communication Interpersonal Skills Creativity
Needs of Others


FOuNDATIONAL COMPETENCIES
Personal Effectiveness Effective Communication
• Express information to individuals or groups
Competencies (Tier 1) considering the audience and the nature of the
Personal Effectiveness competencies represent
information (e.g., technical or controversial);
motives and traits as well as interpersonal and self-
speak clearly and confidently; organize information
management styles, and generally are applicable
in a logical manner; speak using common English
to any number of industries.
conventions including proper grammar, tone and pace;
track audience responses and react appropriately to
Awareness of the Needs of Others
those responses; effectively use eye contact and non-
• Understand others' business needs and goals.
verbal expression.
• Have perspective into others’ points of view.
• Receive, attend to, interpret, understand, and respond
• Build rapport and credibility with colleagues.
to verbal messages and other cues; pick out important
• Anticipate others’ needs and respond to their
information in verbal messages; understand complex
concerns and problems.
instructions; appreciate feelings and concerns of
verbal messages.
Integrity
• Practice meaningful two-way communication by
• Demonstrate trustworthiness and professionalism
speaking clearly, paying close attention and seeking
in dealing with clients, peers, and team members.
to understand others, listening attentively and
• Respond in a consistent manner to situations that
clarifying information and attending to nonverbal
require honesty and candor.
cues and responding appropriately.
• Avoid conflicts between work and personal interests
• Influence others; persuasively present thoughts and
or activities.
ideas; gain commitment and ensure support for
proposed ideas.
Continuous Learning
• Demonstrate an interest in personal learning and
Interpersonal Skills
development; seek feedback from multiple sources
• Relate well to clients, colleagues, and team members.
about how to improve and develop; modify behavior
• Maintain a positive, supportive, and appreciative
based on feedback or self-analysis of past mistakes.
attitude.
• Take steps to develop and maintain knowledge,
• Actively listen to others and demonstrate an
skills, and expertise necessary to achieve positive
understanding of their point of view.
results; participate fully in relevant training programs
• Create an open environment that encourages people
and actively pursue other opportunities to develop
to work together to solve problems and improve
knowledge and skills.
practices and services.
• Anticipate changes in work demands and participate
• Explore and resolve conflicts as they arise.
in assignments or training that address these
• Communicate clearly to avoid misunderstanding.
changing demands; treat unexpected circumstances as
opportunities to learn.
Creativity
• Engage in personal career development by identifying
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity about why things
occupational interests, strengths, options, and
are the way they are. Challenge the status quo.
opportunities; make insightful career planning
• Change, elaborate, adapt, and improve own ideas
decisions based on integration and consideration of
or those of others.
others’ feedback; seek out additional training to
• Demonstrate a bias towards action; materialize
pursue career goals.
thoughts into products or services.


Academic Competencies (Tier 2) materials, and components into a finished product that
Academic competencies are primarily learned in an is delivered to the end customer.
academic setting and include cognitive functions and • Recognize the ways that supply chains link value chains.
thinking styles.
Foundations of Business Management
Math, Statistics, and Analytical Thinking • Understand all management activities carried out in
• Practice applied mathematics in collecting and the course of running an organization, including
interpreting quantitative data. controlling, leading, monitoring, adjusting, organizing,
• Demonstrate the ability to scrutinize and break down and planning.
facts and thoughts into their strengths and weaknesses. • Analyze financial statements and explain the implications
• Develop the capacity to think in a careful and of standard financial ratios and all components of the
discerning way, to solve problems, to analyze data, balance sheet and income statement.
and to recall and apply information. • Create interactive decision support models that
allow the development of multiple scenarios and
Reading and Writing for Comprehension demonstrate the sensitivity of outcome to multiple
• Understand what has been read; gather information independent variables.
from a text. • Calculate project and organizational cash flow forecasts;
• Demonstrate an understanding of material read by present value investment comparisons and risk-adjusted
forming opinions and sharing personal experiences. return calculations.
• Apply the strategies of self-questioning, retelling, writing, • Demonstrate knowledge of visual presentation
summarizing, predicting and verifying, story mapping, techniques including charting, histograms, and flow
role play, and responsiveness. sheets, as well as oral and written
presentation techniques.
Applied Science and Technology • Practice basic business communications.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the factors that • Understand fundamental organizational behavior.
are considered important to the branch of knowledge
or technology. Operations and Enterprise Economics
• Understand the use of technology and its interrelation • Understand the importance of and demonstrate the ability
with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon to take raw materials or knowledge and convert it into a
such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied product or service that has more value to the customer
science, and pure science. than the original material or data.
• Develop knowledge of specific tools and how they • Determine the success or failure rate of a business
affect a person’s ability to adapt to and control his using financial accounting, incorporating terms and
or her environment. techniques including: income; expense; cost of goods
• Demonstrate an ability to gain knowledge or sold; gross margin; balance sheet; return on assets;
understanding to meet a specific, recognized need. inventory turns; capital asset management; and
• Possess knowledge that is sufficiently general, clearly cash management.
conceptualized, carefully reasoned, systematically • Employ the technique of break-even analysis, which
organized, critically examined, and empirically tested finds the break-even point, the volume at which
with regard to the specific science or technology. revenues exceed total costs.
• Find the Best Operating Level (BOL), the level of capacity
Supply Chain Fundamentals for which a process was designed. This is the also volume
• Understand that supply and logistics is a system of output at which average unit cost is minimized.
of organizations, people, technology, activities, • Use cost accounting systems to keep track of all costs
information, and resources involved in moving a of building products, labor, material, overhead, and
product or service from supplier to customer. variances. These systems include activity-based costing
• Possess basic knowledge of supply chain activities, (ABC) and cost analysis and control.
including transformation of natural resources, raw


Workplace and Leadership • Practice good customer relations management and
maintain a customer relations program.
Competencies (Tier 3) • Demonstrate ability able to balance the needs of the
Workplace competencies represent those skills and organization and the needs of the customer.
abilities that allow individuals to function in an
organizational setting. Planning & Organizing
• Effectively plan what is to be achieved and involve all
Problem Solving and Decision Making relevant staff members.
• Practice goal-directed thinking and action in situations • Anticipate important or critical events, identifying
for which no routine solutions exist. resource requirements and assigning responsibility
• Understand a problem situation and its step-by-step for specific work, including deadlines and
transformation based on planning and reasoning. performance expectations.
• Demonstrate ability in choosing between alternative • Demonstrate the use of information-gathering
courses of action using cognitive processes such as techniques, analyzing situations and identifying
memory, thinking, and evaluation. implications in order to make correct decisions.
• Demonstrate ability to map processes of likely • Demonstrate ability to monitor progress and to make
consequences of decisions, to work out the importance changes as required.
of individual factors, and to choose the best course • Ensure that staff is aware they will be accountable for
of action. achieving the desired results through planned program
evaluation and individual performance appraisal.
Teamwork • Ensure that staff is provided with the necessary tools
• Demonstrate a commitment to the mission and to succeed.
motivation to combine the team's energy and
expertise to achieve a common objective. Conflict Management
• Understand the dynamics of effective teamwork in • Demonstrate ability to manage conflict by identifying and
order to attain higher levels of team performance. handling conflicts in a sensible, fair, and efficient manner.
• Demonstrate ability to work as part of a tight-knit • Demonstrate skill in effective communicating, problem
and competent group of people. solving, and negotiating with a focus on party interests.
Accountability and Responsibility Enabling Technology
• Demonstrate a willingness to accept responsibility • Provide a means to generate giant leaps in performance
or and accountability for one’s actions. and capabilities of the user using equipment and
• Exhibit a moral, legal, or mental accountability in areas methodology.
for which one is responsible. • Possess knowledge of hardware and software
• Understand that these two workplace competencies are components which, when properly integrated,
intertwined, and that both abilities must be present in enable a specific process to be realized.
order to succeed. • Understand that all technology enables something.
Customer Focus (Internal & External)
• Understand this is an organizational orientation toward
satisfying the needs of potential and actual customers.
• Ensure that the whole organization, and not just
frontline service staff, puts its customers first.
• Ensure all activities, from the planning of a new
product to its production, marketing, and after-sales
care, are built around the customer.
• Understand that every department and every employee
should share the same customer-focused vision.

PrOFESSION-rELATED COMPETENCIES
Operations Management Technical and carrying these through to the problems,
potential causes, and root causes of the problem.
Competencies (Tier 4) • Hold gains in process improvements by establishing
Operations management technical competencies key performance measurements, benchmarking
represent the knowledge, skills and abilities needed metrics, and continuous process improvement
by all occupations within operations management, initiatives to improve process quality on continual basis.
including supply chain managers.

Strategy Development and Application Execution Planning, Scheduling, and Control
• Answer the questions: “Where are we going?” and • Determine the need for material and capacity to
“How are we going to get there?”, and create a address expected demand, execute the resulting
specific and purposeful path when there are clear plans, and update planning and financial
answers to these two questions. information to reflect the results of execution.
• Create a strategy based on the company’s core • Plan the management function by defining goals
values, mission, and your vision. for future organizational performance and decide
• Determine core competencies, strategic challenges. on the tasks and resources needed to attain
• Develop goals, objectives and specific strategies to those goals.
accomplish those goals. • Schedule a timetable of events and decide when
• Create priorities once objectives are determined. and where certain events will occur.
• Deploy action plans throughout the organization. • Control and check errors, taking any corrective
• Establish a process for aligning day-to-day action so that deviation from standards are
decisions to the strategic plan. minimized and the stated goals of the organization
are achieved in a desired manner.
Supply Chain Management
• Demonstrate ability to manage the network of Project Management
interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate • Understand the discipline of planning, organizing,
provision of product and service packages required and managing resources to bring about the
by end customers. successful completion of specific project goals
• Understand that supply chain management spans and objectives.
all movement and storage of raw materials, work- • Achieve project goals and objectives while honoring
in-process inventory, and finished goods from the project constraints, typically scope, time,
point-of-origin to point-of-consumption. and budget.
• Optimize the allocation and integration of inputs
Process Improvement/Six Sigma necessary to meet pre-defined objectives.
• Understand the systematic approach to closing • Define the set of activities that use resources,
of process or system performance gaps through such as money, people, materials, energy, space,
streamlining and cycle time reduction, and identify provisions, communication, and motivation, to
and eliminate causes of quality below specifications, achieve the project goals and objectives.
process variation, and non-value-adding activities.
• Maintain company processes that afford optimum
operation and enhance the company’s quality
management system.
• Demonstrate ability to visualize the total process
and aid in locating problem areas using process
mapping, quality improvement, and visualization
tools to locate, quantify, and correct root causes of
problems.
• Perform periodic evaluations to maintain processes
by gathering pertinent information, such as
problem symptoms from knowledgeable sources

Lean Management
• Identify and reduce or eliminate waste in all areas Warehouse Management
of a supply chain. • Control the movement and storage of materials
• Calculate the total system cost of delivering a within a warehouse.
product or service to the customer. • Apply a total systems approach to designing and
• Develop systems that allow employees to produce managing the entire flow of information, materials,
perfect results by: and services – from raw materials, suppliers, through
 Educating suppliers to create value for customers factories and warehouses, and finally to the customer.
by streamlining processes in the value chain. • Monitor the movement of products through a
 Using suppliers whose methods and core warehouse.
competencies will align with lean requirements • Provide and transform inputs into products and
and developing long-term relationships with them. services, and link to the distribution network and
 Reducing or entirely eliminating the cost of local service providers that localize the product.
changing from one product or service to another.
Transportation Management
Enabling Technology Application • Manage transportation operations.
• Recognize that continuous process improvement • Maximize freight loads while minimizing freight costs.
is an accepted way of life in business and that few • Ensure efficient use of transportation resources while
companies lack a continuing quality or process meeting the needs of the customer.
improvement effort. • Integrate movement demands with vehicle resources.
• Implement improvement methods, such as business
process reengineering, Total Quality Management Supply Chain Synchronization
(TQM), Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, and • Balance supply with demand, considering both lead time
Theory of Constraints. and demand variability created by supply patterns not
• Understand that technology and process functionality matching demand patterns.
has an interconnected relationship and that each
• Effectively collaborate and communicate with supply
helps transform the other.
chain members.
• Initiate process improvements that are enabled
• Integrate activities across organizations on the supply
and supported by technology.
chain by ensuring information visibility in inventory
levels, anticipated productions, and material-in-transit.
Supply Chain Manager • Mitigate the bullwhip effect.
Knowledge Areas (Tier 5)
Supply chain manager knowledge areas are broad Risk Management
knowledge areas that can be used as a basis for • Accurately identify risks affecting supply,
specifying more detailed knowledge areas required transformation, delivery, and customer demand.
for work as a supply chain manager. • Develop strategies, for example dual sourcing,
buffering, forward buying, etc that minimize financial
Performance Trade-Offs impact uncertainties, such as yields, timing, pricing,
• Design a responsive, agile and efficient supply chain that and catastrophic events.
has the ability to: • Effectively analyze the probability, control, and impact
 Meet the changing and diverse needs of customers. of risks identified.
 Manufacture and deliver a broad range of high-
quality products and services in the shortest reliable
lead times and in varying volumes to provide
enhanced value to customer.
 Deliver high-quality products with short lead times
at low cost.


Supply Chain Manager Technical • Place high-turn items closest to packing and shipping
areas, which will reduce picking, put-away times, and
Competencies (Tier 6) transportation within the warehouse.
Supply chain manager technical competencies are specific • Select random locations when travel distances are not an
to the role of supply chain manager. important consideration and when overall utilization of
warehouse space is important.
Locating Facilities
• Apply qualitative techniques when quantifiable data Logistics
are not available or when measures for different criteria • Obtain, produce, and distribute materials and products
relevant to the logistics decisions are used. in the proper places and in the proper quantities.
• Apply quantitative techniques when solving logistic • Apply logistics with the movement of personnel, as well
problems, such as the designing of routes and the as the design and development, acquisition, storage,
scheduling of vehicles. movement, distribution, maintenance, evacuation, and
• Incorporate the transportation model to find the optimal disposition of material.
allocation of sources of supply, typically • Develop and implement a formal logistics strategy.
plants, to meet demand at destinations in the network,
typically warehouses. International Regulations
• Efficiently distribute products among suppliers, • Comply with international regulations in decision
manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, warehouses, making in the distribution system, including customs
and customers through a logistics network. regulations on what is restricted from entering a country;
• Reach optimal efficiency of all vehicle assets within a trade tariffs and duties on imported goods; security
network through a vehicle routing process. regulations, such as those contained in the 2007 SAFE
Ports Act; and trade agreements, such as NAFTA or those
Distribution of the European Union.
• Move material, usually one organization's finished goods • Ensure the competitiveness of a country or protect a
or service parts, from the manufacturer or distributor country’s distribution and manufacturing systems by
downstream to the customer. incorporating international regulations.
• Transfer goods and services from the raw materials • Effectively bring material into a free trade zone (FTZ).
suppliers and producers to the end users or consumers. • Consider import and export taxes, relative currency
• Choose shipping methods, considering the trade-offs valuation and volatility, and special agreements between
between costs and benefits. cooperating countries when designing and operating a
• Apply the cross-docking technique when supply chain.
bringing items into a distribution center for
immediate dispatch. Strategic Sourcing/Supplier Relationship
• Divide truckloads of homogeneous items into Management
smaller, more appropriate quantities for use by break- • Effectively locate and source key materials suppliers,
bulk handling. while analyzing the total cost associated with procuring
• Consolidate several items into larger units for fewer an item or service.
handlings, for example placing items in boxes loaded • Focus on developing and maintaining long-term relationships
and wrapped as a pallet by unitization packaging. with trading partners who can help the purchaser meet
profitability and customer satisfaction goals.
Warehousing • Integrate automation of request for quote (RFQ), request
• Receive, store, and ship materials to and from production for proposal (RFP), electronic auctioning, business-to-
or distribution locations by incorporating warehousing business commerce (B2B), and contract management
activities. processes when using a strategic
• Configure warehouses to have formal storage locations sourcing approach.
that identify the row, rack section, level, and shelf • Establish methods of meeting customer satisfaction goals.
location, typically with an alphanumeric location bar
code or label. ©2009 APICS The Association for Operations Management

Customer Relationship Management
• Effectively collect and analyze sales and marketing
information to understand and support existing and
potential customer needs.
• Effectively link delivery and service with customer needs
in the design process.
• Incorporate contract management and administration
when holding suppliers and customers accountable for
meeting the work specified in a contract.
• Evaluate contract responsiveness, negotiate changes to a
contract, and ensure that contractors are compensated for
products or services provided.
• Measure customer satisfaction and develop loyal
customers by using performance metrics taken from
the customer’s perspective, with criteria such as on-time
delivery, perception of quality, percentage of complaints,
and length of wait times.

Applying Lean Tools/Six Sigma
• Establish improvement initiatives focused on the
reduction or elimination of waste in all areas of the
supply chain.
• Execute ways of eliminating unnecessary steps in product
design, as well as aligning suppliers’
processes with the delivery schedules required for
lean manufacturing.
• Demonstrate an understanding of unit acquisition cost
by examining the total cost of ownership (TCO).
• Demonstrate the knowledge and experience to actively
participate in Lean teams using tools such as:
 Just-in-Time
 Kaizen events
 Kanban
 Value Stream Mapping
• Demonstrate the knowledge and experience to actively
participate in Six Sigma teams to define, measure,
analyze, improve, and control processes (DMAIC).


OCCuPATION-rELATED COMPETENCIES
Supply Chain Manager Specific Certifications
• Once the professional is in the workplace, it is desirable
requirements (Tier 7) to obtain a supply chain specific certification. While
Supply chain manager specific requirements such as
there are a number of supply chain certifications related
certification, licensure, and specialized educational
to specific industries, general certifications include:
degrees, or physical and training requirements for
 Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)
supply chain managers.
– APICS The Association for Operations
Management
Post Secondary Education
 Certified in Production and Inventory
• The majority of supply chain management
Management (CPIM) – APICS The Association
professionals hold post secondary degrees – a
for Operations Management
Bachelor's or equivalent.
 Certified Professional in Supply Management
• While a number of supply chain professionals
(CPSM) – Institute of Supply Management
have degrees related to supply chain or operations
 SCOR/P – Supply Chain Council
management, the majority hold degrees in other fields
 Certification in Transportation and Logistics (CTL)
including, but not limited to, business, economics,
– American Society for Transportation
engineering, or liberal arts studies.
and Logistics
Association Membership
• Professional association membership ensures that the
supply chain professional is able to link into a network
of practitioners to share best practices, develop their
careers, and continue their professional education.
There are a number of supply chain associations related
to specific industries, including but not limited to:
 APICS The Association for Operations
Management (APICS)
 Institute of Supply Management (ISM)
 Supply Chain Council (SCC)
 Council of Supply Chain Management
Professionals (CSCMP)
 American Society for Transportation
and Logistics (ASTL)
 Warehousing Education and Research
Council (WERC)


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