Introduction
Supply chain strategy development, covering segmentation, network design and roadmap, is a 10-day course for leaders of supply chain, planning, procurement, logistics and strategy functions, ending with a three-horizon supply chain strategy and roadmap for a case company. Many organisations run one service model for every customer and a network footprint that no longer matches the business strategy they are meant to serve. Nominees already lead supply chain functions or strategy work, and the course is taught through multi-sector case studies. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this supply chain strategy development course.
Course Objectives
- Translate business and competitive strategy into explicit supply chain priorities, trade-offs and an ambition statement
- Segment customers and products and set differentiated service levels and lean, agile or hybrid supply chain designs for each segment
- Evaluate network footprint options using facility location methods, inventory positioning and cost-to-serve evidence
- Design a supply chain operating model, organisation structure and decision rights that support the chosen strategy
- Build a business case, balanced scorecard and investment priority list for supply chain strategy initiatives
- Assemble a three-horizon supply chain strategy and roadmap with a change plan ready for executive review
Target Audience
- Leaders accountable for end-to-end supply chain performance and its contribution to business strategy
- Heads of demand and supply planning functions shaping service levels and inventory policy
- Heads of procurement setting sourcing direction and make-or-buy positions
- Heads of logistics responsible for network footprint, warehousing and distribution capacity
- Strategy and transformation managers who prepare supply chain plans and investment proposals
- Operations finance managers who appraise supply chain investment and working capital choices
Course Outline
Day 1: Strategic Context and Supply Chain Diagnosis
- Competitive Strategy Choices Translated Into Supply Chain Priorities
- Business Strategy Alignment Map for Supply Chain Decisions
- Cohen and Roussel Strategic Asset View of Supply Chains
- Current-State Strategic Diagnosis Using Cost, Service and Capital
- Strategic Gap Statement and Supply Chain Ambition Draft
Day 2: Strategy Frameworks and Reference Models
- Fisher Functional Versus Innovative Product Model Application
- Lambert and Cooper Framework Components for Strategy Design
- SCOR Digital Standard as a Strategic Reference Model
- Lean, Agile and Leagile Strategy Archetypes Compared
- Customer Order Decoupling Point and Postponement Options
Day 3: Customer Segmentation and Supply Chain Segmentation
- Customer Needs Segmentation by Order Profile and Value
- Service-Level Strategy Matrix for Each Customer Segment
- Demand Variability and Volume Grid for Product Segmentation
- Segmented Supply Chain Design Matching Flows to Segments
- Decoupling Point Placement Decision for Hybrid Supply Chains
Day 4: Network Design, Footprint and Cost-to-Serve Analysis
- Centre-of-Gravity Method for Strategic Facility Location
- Mixed-Integer Network Optimisation Scenarios and Data Requirements
- Inventory Positioning Across Central, Regional and Forward Nodes
- Cost-to-Serve Pareto Analysis by Customer and Product
- Footprint Options Appraisal Balancing Responsiveness and Efficiency
Day 5: Week-One Case Study on Diagnosis, Segmentation and Network
- Case Company Strategic Diagnosis From Financial and Service Data
- Case Segmentation Matrix and Service-Level Proposal
- Case Network Footprint Option Comparison and Recommendation
- Case Cost-to-Serve Findings and Customer Repositioning Proposal
- Week-One Strategy Position Paper and Peer Challenge
Day 6: Agile Principles, Sourcing Strategy and Sustainable Choices
- Agile Supply Chain Principles for Market Sensitivity and Speed
- Make-or-Buy Decision Framework at Strategic Portfolio Level
- Kraljic Portfolio Choices Shaping Strategic Sourcing Direction
- Circular Supply Chain Options Including Closed-Loop Reverse Flows
- Technology Roadmap Overview for Planning and Execution Platforms
Day 7: Operating Model, Organisation Design and Strategic Governance
- Supply Chain Operating Model Canvas and Design Choices
- Centralised, Decentralised and Hybrid Organisation Structure Options
- Decision Rights Matrix for Planning, Procurement and Logistics
- Scenario Planning With Plausible Futures for Network Choices
- Strategic Risk Lens Applied to Footprint and Sourcing Options
Day 8: Stakeholder Alignment and Change Management for Strategy
- Stakeholder Map for Executive, Finance and Commercial Sponsors
- Supply Chain Strategy Narrative and Executive Storyline
- Change Readiness Assessment for New Operating Model Rollout
- Capability Building Plan for Planning and Procurement Teams
- Communication Cadence and Strategy Steering Forum Charter
Day 9: Strategy KPIs, Maturity Assessment and Business Case
- Balanced Scorecard Translating Supply Chain Strategy Into Measures
- Supply Chain Capability Maturity Assessment Across Process Areas
- Strategic KPI Tree Linking Service, Cost and Working Capital
- Business Case Model With Net Present Value Logic
- Investment Prioritisation Matrix for Competing Strategy Initiatives
Day 10: Capstone Case Study on the Three-Horizon Supply Chain Strategy
- Case Company Brief and Horizon One Quick-Win Selection
- Horizon Two Network and Operating Model Shift Plan
- Horizon Three Agile and Circular Capability Bets
- Integrated Roadmap With Business Case and Scorecard Targets
- Three-Horizon Supply Chain Strategy and Roadmap Board Defence
Skills You Will Gain
- Supply Chain Strategic Alignment
- Customer and Product Segmentation
- Decoupling Point Design
- Network Footprint Appraisal
- Cost-to-Serve Analysis
- Operating Model Design
- Strategic Business Case Development
- Supply Chain Roadmapping
Why Attend This Course
- Produce a three-horizon supply chain strategy and roadmap for a case company, ready for the executive committee and finance director to review
- Decide which customer and product segments warrant lean, agile or hybrid flows and where the decoupling point should sit
- Avoid costly footprint and sourcing commitments that rest on habit rather than cost-to-serve and scenario evidence
- Share the segmentation matrix, operating model canvas and balanced scorecard templates with planning, procurement and logistics teams
Conclusion
Back at work, the participant gives the three-horizon supply chain strategy and roadmap to the executive committee and finance director, who use it to approve segment service levels, footprint changes and the first wave of funded initiatives. Planning, procurement and logistics heads then work from one set of priorities, decision rights and scorecard targets. After the first annual planning cycle, the organisation should review whether horizon one initiatives delivered their business case, whether segment boundaries still hold and which scenarios need updating.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What should participants prepare before the supply chain strategy development course?
Participants should already lead or advise a supply chain, planning, procurement or logistics function. Bringing high-level data on customer segments, network sites, service levels and supply chain cost helps them test the segmentation, footprint and business case methods against their own organisation.
How does supply chain strategy development differ from a supply chain fundamentals course?
A fundamentals course explains end-to-end flows, core processes and operational metrics. This course assumes that knowledge and focuses on strategic choices: segmentation, decoupling points, network footprint, operating model, business case and a multi-year roadmap aligned with business strategy.
Why does supply chain strategy development rely on segmentation rather than one supply chain design?
Different products and customers carry different demand patterns and service needs. One design either over-serves stable, low-margin flows or under-serves volatile, high-value ones. Segmentation lets lean, agile and hybrid flows coexist, each matched to the cost and responsiveness its segment requires.
What do participants take back from the supply chain strategy development course?
Participants return with a three-horizon supply chain strategy and roadmap built on a case company, plus templates for diagnosis, segmentation, cost-to-serve, operating model design, balanced scorecard and investment prioritisation that can be reused for their own strategy cycle.
