Supply chain maturity models

The literature on the topic presents a number of supply chain maturity models. Such models most often facilitate the analysis of the status quo in supply chain processes they also constitute a source of guidelines for the improvement of these processes, thus helping in reaching higher levels of supply chain excellence. Models fulfilling the objectives specified above include  

Regardless of how proficiency criteria are determined, all the above models present the road to excellence understood as the fulfilment of supply chain management principles. The levels of excellence most frequently pertain to selected supply chain processes or resources. Less often, they relate to conditions that should come with improvements. Issues related to the circumstances (background) of process and resources excellence are very important, as the low effectiveness and unsatisfactory efficiency of measures imdertaken in this area is often caused by ignorance on the part of the entities initiating and implementing SCM principles. 

As the studies of Poirier s model show, already the first stage of maturity means the that company is undertaking integrating measures at the selected processes level, i.e. most often logistics, purchasing and operations. Owing to the elimination of the conflict of objectives, the 

Maturity level Qualities 1 Enterprise integration II Internal supply chain management (corporate excellence) III Collaboration with selected partners IV V Collaborative supply Supply network chain management connectivity (value adding) 

Essence of the stage Purchasing and logistics Internal excellence Network building Leadership in the sector 

---

The historic definition, as defined by the first and second generation of supply chain pioneers, is limited and applicable to only stages 1 and 2 of the supply chain maturity model in Chapter 1 (Figure 1.3). The basis of the design of these traditional processes is the premise that an underlying pattern in historical customer shipment data can be identified using statistics. Any additional unexplained patterns could be simply addressed as randomness, or an unexplainable variation. These same processes assumed that the patterns (demand signals)— in this case, only trend/cycle and/or seasonality— will continue into the future. 

The first phase is called the Construction Phase and aims to identify the DDSC components and develop the Demand Driven Supply Chain Maturity Model, and comprehends three major steps, as described below ... 

It will not be presented the detailed VICS assessment in the body of this book. However, it will be considered as a key input when developing the E)emand Driven Supply Chain Maturity Model in Chap. 5. 

Demand Driven Supply Chain Maturity Model... 

In this book, it is proposed to apply the AHP method to identify the weights for each component of the Demand Driven Supply Chain, and also for each category within each component, in order to ensure a consistent comparison, and a reliable overall score performance in the demand driven supply chain maturity model. 

Anna Baraniecka is Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Wroclaw University of Economics (WUE), where she received her PhD in Business Logistics. She has extensive experience in supply chain management in the pharmaceutical industry as she has engaged in numerous consulting projects in the field. One of her most important research topics is Efficient Consumer Response (ECR). She has been interested in supply chain maturity issues for several years. She is co-author of a novel supply chain maturity model tailored to the pharmaceutical industry. 

---