The study continues with the same successful format used in the initial 2005 study. However, participant feedback has encouraged us to expand the scope to include additional topics such as Procurement, Supply Chain Resiliency (or also known as risk management), Pricing and Margin Management processes and high level financial data to allow for greater correlation of operating performance to financial results. The overall objective remains the same - To produce business unit level results with enough substance and detail to validate current projects and plans and uncover new opportunities.

The following topics and are included in the current study:

Profile
		Supply Chain Strategy - Addresses general issues regarding supply chain strategy, design and performance.
		Organization – Addresses organizational and human performance issues.
		Financial Performance – Collects high level information on financial performance and cost structure.
Commercial Strategy
		General – Collects basic go-to-market strategy and an overview of how the business relates to its customers.
		Customer Segmentation – Probes more deeply into how the business determines the appropriate mix of customers and monitors customer profitability.
		SKU Management – Probes more deeply into how the business determines the appropriate product offerings and associated services while ensuring a profitable portfolio.
		Pricing – Looks into the ability of the business to effectively manage price and price change. Probes into the rigor of the pricing process, the degree to which price impact is understood and the tools used to manage price.
Planning
		Demand Planning – Addresses the process of estimating future demand for products from customers and trading partners. (correlates with SCOR P1.1)
		Supply and Material Planning – Addresses the process of allocating production and material resources to meet supply chain requirements. Topics include production capacity, swaps/tolling arrangements, and supplier relationships. (correlates with SCOR P2 and P3)
		Demand & Supply Balancing (S&OP) – Addresses the process of balancing demand requirements, supply capabilities, service and cost. (correlates with SCOR P1.3)
		Production Scheduling – Addresses the process of allocating capacity and scheduling production with focus on the impact these activities have on supply chain requirements and performance. (correlates with SCOR P3.4)
		Inventory Target Setting and Deployment – Addresses the process of inventory target setting (establishment of desired levels of safety stock at the product, package and location levels) and inventory deployment (the process of determining when and how much inventory should be positioned at stocking points). (correlates with SCOR EP4 and ED4)
Procurement
		General – The general procurement topic seeks to define the goals of the sourcing and procurement functions, how the business is geared to perform strategic sourcing and procurement, and the level of maturity of this function from both a technique and technology perspective.
		Direct – Focuses specifically on the techniques used to acquire feedstocks and materials used in production.
		Indirect – Focuses specifically on the techniques used to acquire goods and services not directly used in production.
		Transportation – Focuses more specifically on the techniques used to design and manage the carrier base.
Network and Assets
		Network Strategy and Facility Management – Addresses the configuration and management of the distribution network to meet supply chain requirements. This topic correlates with SCOR P4 and ED5
		Mobile Asset Management – Addresses the configuration and management of the fleet of mobile assets (including rail, truck, marine and specialized container assets) to meet supply chain requirements. (correlates with SCOR P4 and ED5)
Order Fulfillment and Transportation Management
		Order Management – Addresses the process of order promising and service level management. (correlates with SCOR D1.1, D1.2, D1.3 and ED2)
		Transportation Management – Addresses the process of planning and executing transportation. (correlates with SCOR D1.4, D1.5, D1.6 and ED6)
		Carrier, Rate, and Freight Management – Addresses the process of selecting and managing carriers and 3PLs, negotiating rates and service and freight payment. (correlates with SCOR D1.7, ED2, ES7 and ES9)