The ASQ Supply Chain Management Primer

This primer was written to promote the application of basic and sound supply chain management principles. It was written for a global audience of practitioners and their managers. Authors and reviewers were chosen from around the world to capture these accepted methods used in national and international commerce. Most of the described methods come from decades of use in quality management programs. They are equally important when managing for environment, safety, security, and sustainability. They are basic.

Supply chain management is a system. Like all systems, it is composed of many connected processes, all working in harmony to achieve organizational objectives. There are five basic activities we must implement for superior achievement of those objectives. The processes in typical sequential order are:
• Define your requirements
• Select a supplier
• Award the business
• Build and strengthen relationships
• Monitor the performance

These five activities apply to all organizations, be they government, industry, healthcare, or education. The five activities combined create an enterprise system.