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CIPS L6M3 Exam Syllabus

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Before starting your L6M3 exam preparation, it is recommended to review the complete CIPS Global Strategic Supply Chain Management exam syllabus and carefully go through the exam objectives listed below. Once you understand the exam structure and objectives, you should practice using our free L6M3 questions. We also provide premium L6M3 practice test, fully updated according to the latest exam objectives, to help you accurately assess your preparedness for the actual exam.

CIPS L6M3 Exam Objectives

Section Objectives
Understand how strategic supply chain management can support corporate business strategy 1.1  Assess the relationship between functional, business and corporate levels of strategy
The relationship between the supply chain, business and corporate levels of strategy
The impact of supply chain management on business and corporate performance
The impact on profitability of the supply chain
Supply chain risks and their impact on business and corporate performance
1.2  Evaluate the contribution of strategic supply chain management
Creating sources of competitive advantage such as cost, improved quality, time to market, product and service differentiation
Enterprise profit optimisation
The use of outsourcing to achieve competitive advantage
Offshoring and sourcing from low cost countries
Quality improvement methodologies in the supply chain
1.3  Evaluate the impact of market change on strategic supply chain management
STEEPLED (social, technical, economic, environmental, legislative, ethical and demographic) factors and their impact and risks on supply chains
Distinguishing between disruptive and incremental change
Changing markets and market volatility
The impact of globalisation on supply chains
Assess the supply chain risks of achieving expected international minimum standards.
1.4  Contrast approaches to develop and implement strategic relationship management
Models of strategic alignment
Customer and supplier relationship management
Methodologies for the implementation of strategic relationship management
Understand and apply supply chain design tools and techniques 2.1  Compare approaches to segmentation
Approaches to segmenting customers and suppliers
Managing the product and service mix
Creating strategies for the different tiers of a supply chain
2.2 Assess approaches to developing networked supply chains
Supply chain flows and the use of supply chain and value stream
Tiering in supply chains and the use of network sourcing
Identifying value-added activities and the value chain in supply chain networks
Network optimization modeling
The use of reverse logistics in supply chain networks
2.3 Assess the role of distribution systems
Channel design
The impact of e-commerce on distribution networks
Logistics flow path design
Physical network configuration
Challenges in transportation management
Locations of distribution centres
Positioning in local, regional and global chains
2.4 Evaluate ways to achieve lean and agile supply chains
Comparing lean and agile supply chains by variety and volume
Implementing lean supply and lean thinking
Matching supply with demand
The impact of promotions and causal events on demand
Improving demand planning accuracy and the use of statistical forecasting
Using technology to communicate data in supply chains
Understand and apply techniques to achieve effective strategic supply chain management 3.1  Evaluate approaches to developing and implementing supply chain collaboration
Supply chain evolution from transactional information sharing to collaborative approaches in supply chain management
Applying PADI (Pragmatic/Performance, Administrative, Divergent/Development and Integration) frameworks for collaboration
Creating collaborative relationships with customers and suppliers
The use of shared services in supply chains
Data integration in supply chains
3.2 Evaluate approaches to change management when working with stakeholders
Communicating plans with customers, suppliers senior management and other organisational functions
Gauging resources for strategic supply chain management
The role of the change agent
Gauging the acceptance of strategic change
3.3 Analyse approaches to measuring supply chain performance
Measuring processes and the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in supply chain management
Measure of organisational, functional, team and individual performance
The use of surveys to obtain feedback
Applying balanced scorecards in the supply chain
3.4 Analyse how the development of knowledge and skills can help achieve effective strategic supply chain management
The concept of knowledge management within the organisation and with suppliers
Developing procurement and supply chain competences
Training and development to improve knowledge and skills within the organisation and with suppliers
Approaches to measurement, analysis, improvement and control to develop knowledge and skills
Understand and apply methods to measure, improve and optimise supply chain performance 4.1  Evaluate the impact of the supply chain on corporate performance
Ensuring added value outcomes
Timely reporting of data to senior management and stakeholders
Matching supply with demand
4.2  Assess methods to measure supply chain performance
KPIs
The use of technology to communicate supply chain data
Systems integration strategies
Measurement of safety, quality, costs and deliverables
The use of benchmarking
The development and application of balanced scorecards for supply chain performance
4.3  Assess methods to improve and optimise supply chain performance
Number of operating facilities and their locations
Number of suppliers
Flow of items through the supply chain network
Network Optimisation Models (NOM)
Risk identification and management
Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR)
Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
4.4  Assess tools and techniques that are available to help the organisation to achieve strategic fit
Understand customer and supply chain uncertainty:
Customer need for each targeted segment and associated uncertainty
Define desired cost and service requirements
Identify the unpredictability of demand, supply,disruption and delay that supply chain must deal with
Understand the supply chain capabilities:
What is the supply chain designed to do well?
What does the supply chain struggle to achieve?
Achieving strategic fit:
Restructure supply chain to support competitive strategy
Change competitive strategy to exploit supply chain design
Cost-responsiveness frontier
The responsiveness spectrum
The zone of strategic fit
4.5  Assess the challenges to achieving and maintaining strategic fit
Increasing product variety and shrinking life cycles
Globalisation and increasing uncertainty
Fragmentation and increased complexity of the supply chain
Changing technology and the business environment
The environment and sustainability
Official Information https://www.cips.org/qualifications/professional-diploma-in-procurement-supply/global-strategic-supply-chain-management