Supply Chain Continuity Planning

Introduction

Global supply chains are long, complex and exposed to natural disasters, geopolitical events, cyber attacks, supplier insolvency and transport disruption. A single failure at a key supplier, or a supplier's supplier, can halt production, delay services and damage customer relationships.

This Supply Chain Continuity Planning training course shows how to identify, assess and reduce supply chain disruption risk. Participants learn how to map supply chains beyond the first tier, identify critical suppliers and single points of failure, assess supplier continuity capability, design mitigation strategies such as dual sourcing and buffer stock, and coordinate response when disruptions occur.

The course brings together procurement, operations and continuity perspectives to build a practical, joined-up approach to supply chain resilience.

Course Objectives

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the sources and consequences of supply chain disruption
• Map supply chains and identify critical suppliers and dependencies
• Assess supplier continuity arrangements and capability
• Identify single points of failure and concentration risks
• Select appropriate mitigation strategies for critical supplies
• Include continuity requirements in contracts and supplier management
• Plan and coordinate the response to supply disruptions
• Monitor supply chain risk and improve resilience over time

Target Audience

This training course is suitable for a wide range of professionals, including:

• Supply chain and procurement managers
• Business continuity professionals
• Operations and production managers
• Logistics and inventory planners
• Risk managers
• Supplier relationship managers

Training Methodology

The course uses practical mapping exercises, supplier assessment tools and disruption scenarios. Participants map a case study supply chain, rate supplier criticality, evaluate sample supplier continuity questionnaires and design mitigation strategies. A disruption simulation tests coordination across functions.

Target Competencies

• Supply chain mapping
• Supplier criticality assessment
• Supplier continuity evaluation
• Mitigation strategy design
• Disruption response coordination
• Supply risk monitoring

Day One: Supply Chain Disruption Risk

• Types of supply chain disruption and recent examples
• Why lean and global supply chains are vulnerable
• Business impacts of supply failure
• Linking supply chain risk to business impact analysis
• Roles of procurement, operations and continuity teams
• Standards and good practice for supply chain continuity
• Exercise: identifying disruption risks in your supply chain

Day Two: Mapping and Prioritising Suppliers

• Mapping supply chains beyond first-tier suppliers
• Identifying critical products, materials and services
• Supplier criticality and segmentation models
• Geographic concentration and single-source risks
• Hidden dependencies on logistics and utilities
• Using data and tools for supply chain visibility
• Workshop: mapping a case study supply chain

Day Three: Assessing Supplier Continuity

• Supplier continuity questionnaires and evidence requests
• Assessing supplier plans, sites and recovery capability
• Financial health and insolvency warning signs
• Cyber and information security risks from suppliers
• Supplier audits and joint exercises
• Contract clauses for continuity and notification
• Exercise: evaluating supplier continuity responses

Day Four: Mitigation Strategies

• Dual and multiple sourcing strategies
• Strategic inventory and safety stock decisions
• Alternative logistics routes and modes
• Product and specification flexibility
• Collaborative planning with key suppliers
• Balancing resilience against cost
• Workshop: designing mitigation for critical supplies

Day Five: Responding to Disruption and Building Resilience

• Early warning and supply chain monitoring
• Activating supply disruption response plans
• Allocating scarce supply and communicating with customers
• Working with suppliers during recovery
• Lessons learned and continuous improvement
• Reporting supply chain resilience to management
• Simulation and personal action plan for supply chain continuity