Supply Chain Information Systems and Technology

What this page covers

This unit sits in the Technology, Performance and Risk strand of Logistics and supply chain. Most of the resources are mind maps. Many of them take the same starting point: how information moves through a supply chain and which technology supports it.

• Systems: the mind map on Supply Chain and Customer Relationship Management Systems links supply chain management, customer relationship management, business-to-business electronic commerce and supplier portals.
• Information flows: several maps on managing information flows list what good information looks like: accessible, relevant, accurate, timely and transferable.
• Technology and change: maps on RFID, EDI benefits, system dynamics simulation and digital transformation in the logistics industry.

Where to start

Begin with the mind map Information Flows and Technology. It explains why information matters to responsiveness in global supply chains. Next, open Supply Chain and Customer Relationship Management Systems to see the main systems side by side.

Then read a few of the maps on managing information flows. They overlap, so compare them and notice what each one stresses. Some are in other languages or use different wording, which can help if you study in more than one language.

Using quizzes and maps together

There are two quizzes, both titled Trade & Logistics. Their questions are practical, such as a product with a bill of materials in several configurations. Take one after you have read a map, and note which questions you missed. Then go back to the matching map and look for the branch that covers that point.

The page also holds a couple of notes made from mind maps, plus flowcharts on IT processes and the challenges of digital transformation. These are useful for a quick second pass.

For teachers

Teachers can pick a map as ready-made material for a session on information flows or logistics technology, then ask students to compare two maps and say which is clearer.

Choose a map that matches what you are studying, then try building your own from what you learned.