A roundup of CSCMP Hot Topic publications

The past year or so has been a bit of a crazy time for supply chain professionals. With changes happening at such a rapid pace, finding time to sit down and read up on industry research might seem low on the list of things to do. To make it easier to keep pace with the latest trends and industry topics, CSCMP offers a selection of short Hot Topic publications written by industry experts. Here’s a brief recap of some of the publications recently released:

In “ERP Selection: Four Areas to Supercharge Your Process,” (September 2021), author Jason Juds of the business management consultancy Liberty Advisor Group discusses how traditional selection methodologies for enterprise resource planning systems are riddled with inefficiencies and take much longer than they should. Juds outlines four focus areas that will make the selection process quicker as well as drive value. A focused approach will reduce the time spent on a software selection by 30–50%, according to Juds.

Author Angela Fernandez, vice president of community engagement for the information standards organization GS1 US, explores the massive changes undergoing in the food industry in “Crossroads: Food Safety Hinges on Tech-Enabled Traceability” (August 2021). Along with shifting consumer preferences, shopping and eating habits underwent a massive change in 2020. As these changes unfolded, the importance of agility in the food supply chain became clear as well as the need for the digital modernization of our food system.

As Roby Kaufholz, vice president of product innovation at supply chain planning software company ToolsGroup, writes in “Don’t Start a Supply Chain Machine Learning Project Before,” (May 2021), machine learning seems to be everywhere you look, from television commercials and supply chain conferences to university degrees. But despite its buzzword status and the fact that it’s been around since the late 1950s, this technology is still shrouded in mystery for many supply chain practitioners. In this hyped-up stage in technology maturity, it’s crucial to be well informed so you can see beyond the headlines and apply the technology correctly to solve business problems and deliver real value.

To download these Hot Topics and more, visit cscmp.org. The publications are free to CSCMP members and nonmembers.