Managing Supply Chain Disruption During COVID-19

In this course, you will learn about why and how supply chains become susceptible to a disruption. We will examine this by discussing supply side and demand side issues, primary supply chain flows, complexity, risk management and a combination of solid theoretical supply chain perspectives and current real-world stories. You will learn about the structural, relational and operational factors that come into play during a supply chain disruption and the mechanisms for the effective management of these factors. Your understanding will be enhanced through examples from manufacturing and health contexts, and the PPE supply chain disruption during COVID-19.

• What is Supply Chain Management?
• In this module, you will be introduced to the concept and practice of supply chain management. Supply chain management from the past and current times will be compared to highlight its importance. The fundamental operation of the supply chain model will be explained using the SCOR Model, and the definition will be used to discuss roles, relationships, costs, logistics, and the supply chain “rights.” An example of how supplier performance can be measured will be given with a few examples of perfect order. The module ends with an explanation of matching products with a supply chain strategy based on Marshall Fisher’s well-known and Hau Lee’s supply chain strategy adaptation. A variety of examples are used.
• Exploring the Concept of Supply Chain Disruption
• In this module, you will be exploring the concept of supply chain disruption. Typical structural characteristics (e.g. complexity, lack of visibility, diamond shape, etc.) that make supply chains susceptible to disruption, will be identified and discussed. Risk, risk events, and risk management will be defined, the major disruption-related risk types will be described, and the importance of supply chain resilience will be explained. The module ends with a discussion about disruption probability and impact severity. Examples from manufacturing and health supply chains are used.
• Discussing a Disruption: COVID-19 & the PPE Supply Chain
• In this module, we will be applying the concepts learned from Module 1 and Module 2 to an actual supply chain disruption case. Specifically, this module explores several parts of the PPE supply chain that was disrupted during COVID-19. In addition, new concepts will also be introduced. For challenges in managing PPE demand, the bullwhip effect will be applied and ideas discussed. Fisher model and Lee’s adaptation will be revisited to discuss some of the strategic PPE challenges. The module ends with a discussion on issues and potential success factors of attempts to meet surge demand with surge capacity. Examples from the upstream and downstream health supply chain are used.
• Best Practices for Managing Supply Chain Disruption
• In this module, we will be discussing a variety of practices that can help organizations manage supply chain disruptions. An overarching set of practices will be explained first. In addition, practices for managing the bullwhip effect disruption will be given using the downstream health supply chain as an example. You will engage in three very simple simulated disruption events that will ultimately generate more specific best practices in supply chains. The module ends with a general discussion on managing the organization and caring for people. A variety of examples are used.