Introduction

In today's complex and interconnected global economy, an efficient and resilient supply chain is a critical differentiator, making Business Intelligence (BI) in Supply Chain and Logistics Management an indispensable capability for organizations seeking to optimize operations, reduce costs, enhance customer satisfaction, and navigate market volatility. By transforming vast amounts of operational data into actionable insights, BI empowers supply chain professionals to gain real-time visibility into inventory, transportation, warehousing, and demand, enabling proactive decision-making, predictive planning, and continuous process improvement. This training course is meticulously designed to equip supply chain managers, logistics professionals, operations analysts, procurement specialists, inventory managers, and business leaders with cutting-edge knowledge and practical skills in understanding core supply chain metrics and KPIs, mastering data collection and integration from diverse logistics systems, leveraging leading BI tools for demand forecasting and inventory optimization, exploring predictive analytics for risk management, and effectively communicating supply chain insights to drive strategic operational excellence and achieve competitive advantage. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to harness the power of data to build smarter, more agile, and highly efficient supply chains.

Duration

10 days

Target Audience

• Supply Chain Managers
• Logistics Managers & Analysts
• Operations Managers
• Procurement Specialists
• Inventory Managers
• Warehouse Managers
• Transportation Managers
• Demand Planners
• Business Analysts (with a supply chain focus)
• IT Professionals supporting supply chain systems

Objectives

• Understand the fundamental concepts of supply chain and logistics management.
• Master key supply chain metrics and KPIs across various functions.
• Learn to identify, collect, and integrate data from diverse supply chain systems.
• Develop proficiency in using BI tools to analyze supply chain performance and create compelling visualizations.
• Understand demand forecasting and inventory optimization techniques.
• Explore predictive analytics for supply chain risk management and disruption mitigation.
• Develop skills in designing and building interactive supply chain dashboards and reports.
• Learn about data quality, governance, and security considerations in supply chain data.
• Understand how to communicate supply chain insights effectively to business stakeholders.
• Formulate strategies for implementing and scaling BI initiatives in supply chain.
• Apply BI for supply chain analytics to drive operational efficiency and strategic decision-making.

Course Content

Module 1. Introduction to Supply Chain Management and BI

• Defining Supply Chain Management (SCM): Key components and processes
• The Role of BI in SCM: Enhancing visibility, efficiency, and decision-making
• Challenges and opportunities in supply chain data
• The data-driven supply chain: From reactive to proactive
• Overview of common BI applications in supply chain

Module 2. Core Supply Chain Metrics and KPIs

• Demand Planning Metrics: Forecast accuracy, bias
• Inventory Metrics: Inventory turnover, days of supply, stockout rate
• Procurement Metrics: Spend analysis, supplier performance, on-time delivery
• Logistics & Transportation Metrics: On-time delivery, freight cost, route efficiency
• Warehouse Metrics: Order fulfillment rate, picking accuracy, storage utilization

Module 3. Data Sources and Integration for Supply Chain Analytics

• ERP Systems: SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics
• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS): Inventory, picking, shipping data
• Transportation Management Systems (TMS): Route optimization, freight tracking
• Demand Planning Software: Forecast data
• Integrating disparate supply chain data sources for end-to-end visibility

Module 4. Data Preparation and Transformation for Supply Chain Data

• Cleaning Supply Chain Data: Handling missing values, inconsistencies (e.g., product IDs, locations)
• Standardizing Data: Units of measure, product categorization
• Building supply chain data models: Product, Location, Time, Order, Shipment
• Using Power Query (or equivalent) for supply chain data ETL
• Ensuring data quality for accurate supply chain insights

Module 5. Demand Planning and Forecasting Analytics

• Analyzing Historical Demand Patterns: Trends, seasonality, cycles
• Forecast Accuracy Measurement: MAE, RMSE, MAPE
• Using BI tools for basic demand forecasting visualization
• Identifying factors influencing demand
• Visualizing forecast vs. actual demand

Module 6. Inventory Optimization Analytics

• Analyzing Inventory Levels: By product, location, warehouse
• Stockout Analysis: Identifying causes and impact of stockouts
• Inventory Turnover Analysis: Optimizing inventory holding costs
• ABC Analysis for inventory categorization
• Visualizing inventory health and optimization opportunities

Module 7. Procurement and Supplier Performance Analytics

• Spend Analysis: Categorizing and visualizing procurement spend
• Supplier Performance Metrics: On-time delivery, quality, cost
• Identifying single points of failure in the supply chain
• Visualizing supplier relationships and risks
• Optimizing procurement strategies through data

Module 8. Logistics and Transportation Analytics

• Route Optimization Analysis: Identifying efficient routes, cost savings
• Fleet Utilization: Tracking vehicle performance, fuel consumption
• On-Time Delivery Performance: By carrier, route, customer
• Freight Cost Analysis: By mode, lane, product
• Visualizing transportation network efficiency

Module 9. Warehouse Operations Analytics

• Order Fulfillment Rate and Accuracy: Picking, packing, shipping efficiency
• Storage Utilization and Space Optimization
• Labor Productivity in the warehouse
• Throughput Analysis: Inbound, outbound volumes
• Visualizing warehouse operational KPIs

Module 10. Supply Chain Risk Management and Resilience Analytics

• Identifying Supply Chain Risks: Disruptions, geopolitical, natural disasters
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies: Using data to quantify risk
• Supplier Risk Profiling
• Visualizing supply chain vulnerabilities and resilience
• Predictive analytics for potential disruptions

Module 11. End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility Dashboards

• Designing Executive Supply Chain Dashboards: Strategic overview
• Operational Dashboards: For daily management of logistics, inventory
• Creating interactive and drillable supply chain reports
• Best practices for visual storytelling in supply chain BI
• Communicating complex supply chain performance

Module 12. Predictive Analytics in Supply Chain (Introduction)

• Predicting Demand Fluctuations: Using advanced time series models
• Predicting Equipment Failure: For proactive maintenance
• Predicting Delivery Times and Delays
• Introduction to simple predictive models (e.g., regression, classification)
• Interpreting predictive outputs for supply chain decisions

Module 13. Supply Chain Network Optimization

• Network Design Analysis: Location of warehouses, distribution centers
• Transportation Mode Optimization: Air, sea, rail, road
• Cost-to-Serve Analysis: Optimizing delivery costs
• Simulation and Optimization tools for supply chain networks (conceptual)
• Visualizing optimized supply chain networks

Module 14. Data Governance and Security in Supply Chain BI

• Importance of Data Quality: For accurate supply chain insights
• Data Governance Frameworks: Ensuring consistency and reliability
• Data Security and Privacy: Protecting sensitive operational data
• Compliance with industry regulations
• Establishing data ownership and accountability in supply chain data

Module 15. Future Trends in Supply Chain BI

• AI and Machine Learning in Supply Chain: Predictive demand, autonomous logistics
• Blockchain for Supply Chain Transparency and Traceability
• Digital Twins for real-time supply chain simulation
• IoT for real-time asset tracking and condition monitoring
• The role of prescriptive analytics in optimizing supply chain decisions.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 7 working days before commencement of the training.