The Importance of Supply Chain Design

Dr Niharika Garud teaches ‘Designing Supply Chains‘, one of the key subjects within the Professional Certificate in Supply Chain Management (PCSCM), a 100% online program that gives students a strong foundation in one of the business world’s most rapidly evolving sectors.

“In our course, we focus on the core elements of supply chain design. Essentially it allows you to investigate the key elements that go into the design of a supply chain, the key elements that will affect the outcomes of the organisation, and how you can analyse these components with a performance perspective. It's a course that gives you a sense of how critical supply chain and network design are,’ says Dr Garud. “It requires students to learn aspects of different design elements, and it covers cases and examples from a huge spectrum of industries, so whatever background a student comes from, we hope to provide some insight into their respective fields.”

As a course designed for working professionals, there’s an expectation that the PCSCM student cohort will come from a variety of backgrounds and industries. That interdisciplinary insight is a major part of the learning experience.

“You might be an engineer, or a manager, or work in professional services. Some will have degrees in engineering, or business and management, science, law, or arts. The PCSCM is about building on that experience, for people who want to enhance their skillset and develop an understanding of the supply chain.”

The course is delivered online, offering a level of flexibility and convenience for working professionals. It’s offered on the Insendi learning platform, which was specially designed for professionals studying business school programs.

“We started designing this course last year, with the intention that it was always going to be a 100% online course. The material caters perfectly to the online space and offers enough flexibility that you can still work full time and study. We’ll also continue to evolve the course. There have been so many learnings that have come out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past couple of months and the way the world has responded, which we’ll be able to build on as we refine both the course and the program in future. We’re looking forward to the feedback that will come when our first cohort of students complete the course this year.”

Now, as we continue to face the challenges of COVID-19 and consider what our future may look like, understanding supply chains is more essential than ever.

“There’s going to be opportunities for people who can make quick and reliable decisions regarding supply chains, whether that be about identifying changes that are coming in the market, or ways your organization can adapt its operations as deemed necessary. These are the core skills for supply chain and operations management,” she says. “I think now, as we see the effects of this pandemic, more and more people are going to want to understand how to design and build local supply chains or supply chains that are more resilient to such widely spread pandemics. It’s going to be a necessity as we see global supply chains change. Those managers who have that skillset and are able to adapt, are going to have an advantage in the future.”