Supply Chain Operations

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, processes, activities, and distinctions in Supply Chain Operations and Operations Management.

Supply Chain Operations (SCO)

The day-to-day activities involved in planning, coordinating, executing, and controlling the flow of materials, products, information, and related resources from suppliers through an organisation to customers.

Procurement and Purchasing

The supply chain activity of sourcing and acquiring raw materials, components, and services from suppliers.

Inbound Logistics

The operational process of transporting and receiving materials from suppliers to the organisation.

Inventory Management

The process of determining stock levels and controlling the flow of raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods.

Warehousing

The supply chain activities involving receiving, storing, handling, picking, packing, and dispatching goods.

Transportation and Distribution

The physical movement of finished products from production facilities or warehouses to customers.

Demand and Supply Planning

The operational process of forecasting customer demand and aligning resources and supply accordingly.

Order Fulfilment

The process of handling customer orders and ensuring their timely and accurate delivery.

Reverse Logistics

The supply chain activity of managing returns, repairs, recycling, reuse, and disposal of products or materials.

Operations

The activities, processes, and resources through which an organisation transforms inputs into outputs (goods or services) to create value for customers and other stakeholders.

Operations Management

The planning, design, coordination, and control of organisational processes and resources involved in transforming inputs into goods and services to achieve efficient, effective, reliable, and sustainable performance.

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

A broader managerial concept that provides the strategic framework for integrating and coordinating strategy, relationships, policies, and flows across the entire supply network.

Supply Chain Operations Flow

The core sequential flow comprising: Suppliers -> Procurement -> Inbound Logistics -> Production -> Inventory/Warehousing -> Distribution -> Customers -> Returns.

The Operations Process

The basic framework of transformation consisting of Inputs -> Transformation Process -> Outputs -> Feedback.

Inputs

Resources such as raw materials, labour, capital, equipment, technology, energy, and information used in the transformation process.

Transformation Process

The core operational activities that convert or process inputs into finished goods or services.

Outputs

The finished goods or delivered services resulting from an organisation's transformation process.

Feedback

Information collected from operations used to assess performance and drive operational improvements.

Operations vs. Operations Management Distinction

Operations represents 'what the organisation does' (the transformation activities), whereas Operations Management represents 'how those activities are planned, organised, directed, and controlled'.

Supply Chain Operations vs. Supply Chain Management Distinction

Supply Chain Operations focuses on day-to-day execution and operational flows ('how activities are executed'), whereas Supply Chain Management focuses on long-term strategy, integration, and coordination ('what should be done and why').