--- title: 20 Steps To Take Charge of Your Supply Chain's Performance (SCM) description: Achieve world-class supply chain performance with our 20-step guide. Boost efficiency and optimize SCM processes. Click now for expert tips and insights! image: https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubfs/Stock%20images/SCM%20-%20Supply%20Chain%20Management.%20The%20Words%20in%20White%20Color%20on%20Cloud%20of%20Yellow%20Words%20on%20Blue%20Background..jpeg --- ![](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubfs/Stock%20images/SCM%20-%20Supply%20Chain%20Management.%20The%20Words%20in%20White%20Color%20on%20Cloud%20of%20Yellow%20Words%20on%20Blue%20Background..jpeg) # 20 Steps To Take Charge of Your Supply Chain's Performance (SCM) Table of Contents ## How to Improve Supply Chain Performance   **Supply Chain Performance Management** (SCPM) requires the [successful management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/4-ways-to-bring-digital-innovation-to-your-company) of many simultaneous [business processes](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-partner-website-ranking-inbound-marketing-benchmark-report).  In part one of our [guide](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-training-courses) to SCPM we present 20 [Supply Chain Management Best Practices](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-understand-sap-supply-chain-management-and-bw) for you to implement today!   ![Supply Chain Performance Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stock%20images/SCM%20-%20Supply%20Chain%20Management.%20The%20Words%20in%20White%20Color%20on%20Cloud%20of%20Yellow%20Words%20on%20Blue%20Background..jpeg?width=320&name=SCM%20-%20Supply%20Chain%20Management.%20The%20Words%20in%20White%20Color%20on%20Cloud%20of%20Yellow%20Words%20on%20Blue%20Background..jpeg "Supply Chain Performance Management")   ## 20 Steps to Take in [Supply Chain Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/how-to-dominate-any-market-marketing-sales-entrepreneurship-method) Performance Improvement ![20 Steps to Take Charge of Supply Chain Performance](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Supply%20Chain%20Performance/20%20Steps%20to%20Take%20Charge%20of%20Supply%20Chain%20Performance.png?width=1920&height=6784&name=20%20Steps%20to%20Take%20Charge%20of%20Supply%20Chain%20Performance.png)   1. Your system must be able to accurately track and measure your **Order Fulfillment Rates** and take necessary actions to improve lagging supply chain processes. 2. Comply with leading industry standards for [performance management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/a-step-by-step-process-for-setting-profit-improvement-goals-using-sap) (e.g. **SCOR**) to improve business and supply chain forecasting accuracy and business results.  Understand that the [SCOR model](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/value-stream-mapping) is constantly evolving based on evolving [Best Practices](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-sap-certification-ought-to-work).  Revisit these often. 3. Deliver alerts about deviations from performance targets to improve **Supply Chain performance**. 4. Collect and collate data directly from operational processes, such as **order-to-cash** (OTC), from SAP or non-SAP systems, to drive down supply chain costs. 5. Embed decision support in business processes to drive [operational excellence](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/five-forces-model).  BI everywhere! 6. Enable accurate measurement of **cash-to-cash** cycle times, by specific product or region, to drive cash flow improvements for [supply chain processes](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/common-business-processes-supported-by-sap). 7. Enable **real time supply chain visibility** to monitor and report on operational and related [financial performance](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/roce-return-on-capital-employed-simply-explained) using a supply chain performance dashboard. 8. Ensure good trade-off decisions are made **based on facts** and not gut-feel to [optimize supply chain decision-making](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/total-cost-of-ownership-tco).  Understand the implications of the Central Limit Theorem. 9. Ensure proactive identification of **supply chain risks** and implementation of mitigation [strategies](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/developing-balanced-scorecards) before issues become major problems. 10. Ensure an understanding of the **impact of one [metric](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/business-ratio-formulas-financial-formulas) on another** to help plan and mitigate [supply chain risks](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/6-financial-management-excellence-tips). 11. Ensure visibility into **Supply Chain [KPI's](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/5-kpi-design-best-practice-guidelines)** to fully understand [operational drivers](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-determine-your-fully-loaded-cost-rate) affecting performance. 12. Establish comprehensive [**risk-based strategies**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-sem-cpm-risk-register-design-template) and automated processes to proactively manage supply chain health. 13. Focus on **end-to-end processes** (e.g. order-to-cash), rather than reinforcing **operational silos** to drive business improvements. 14. Focus on the most relevant SCM KPI's to optimize decision-making while **eliminating wasted effort**. 15. Identify and proactively monitor and **[benchmark](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-do-sap-partner-websites-rank-benchmark-report) supply chain KPIs** to improve supply chain health. 16. Implement agreed-upon a **metrics based architecture** that objectively defines and measures supply chain performance. 17. Implement automated procedures to get the correct information from actual business processes and avoid relying on inaccurate assumptions about the business.  Consider **sensor fused supply chains**, i.e., RF-IDs deployed end-to-end. 18. Implement processes to proactively monitor supply chain performance to **improve revenue generation** and overall customer satisfaction. 19. Implement **real-time exception alert capabilities** to monitor supply chain performance and enable management by exception. 20. Improve the **success rate** of supply chain decisions, by understanding the broader impact of decisions .   These steps constitute a part of a larger set of **SCM Best Practices**.  To implement them will require a **Supply Management Project** and we would like to offer you some tips on our approach to [**Project Management**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-use-a-project-charter-to-start-a-project) as well.   [![Download Our Top Ten SAP Project Management Tips](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118735/9203c3f1-ce06-4cbf-b0de-5b4201575e92.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118735/9203c3f1-ce06-4cbf-b0de-5b4201575e92)   Thanks   Topics from this blog: [Best Practices](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/topic/best-practices) [Supply Chain Performance Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/topic/supply-chain-performance-management) [SCM](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/topic/scm) ### Download SAP BW Mindmap Learn what SAP Business Warehouse is and what it does in under five minutes [![Get this Mindmap](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118735/8db2ad37-8211-47a3-86ae-09b6b2bb297b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118735/8db2ad37-8211-47a3-86ae-09b6b2bb297b) [mailto:someone@yoursite.com](mailto:someone@yoursite.com) ### Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP About the Author: Lonnie Ayers is a Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing consultant, with additional certifications in Hubspot Content Optimization, Hubspot Contextual Marketing, and is a Hubspot Certified Partner. Specialized in demand generation and sales execution, especially in the SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Partner space, he has unique insight into the tough challenges Service Providers face with generating leads and closing sales using the latest digital tools. With 15 years of SAP Program Management experience, and dozens of complex sales engagements under his belt, he helps partners develop and communicate their unique sales proposition. Frequently sought as a public speaker in various events, he is available for both inhouse engagements and ** remote coaching. ** ![Balanced Scorecard Consultant](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubfs/social-suggested-images/Balanced%20Scorecard%20Certified%20Graduate.jpg) He also recently released a book **"How to Dominate Any Market - Turbocharging Your Digital Marketing and Sales Results",** which is available on [ Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Dominate-Turbocharging-Digital-Marketing-Results/dp/1728357950/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1589182458&refinements=p_27%3ALonnie+D.+Ayers&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Lonnie+D.+Ayers)**** [View All Articles by Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/author/lonnie-d-ayers-pmp) ## The SAP Blog Subscribe to our blog and receive SAP BW Updates, demand generation, inbound marketing, sales enablement, technology and revenue generation insights and ideas delivered right to your email. [mailto:someone@yoursite.com](mailto:someone@yoursite.com) ![SAP](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/960101754/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0) ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=199270410761059&ev=PageView&noscript=1) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/20-steps-to-take-charge-of-your-supply-chain-s-performance-scm#blogposting", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@id" : "/#", "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP" }, "dateModified" : "January 23, 2026, 3:48:47 PM", "datePublished" : "2012-01-15 15:34:00", "description" : "Achieve world-class supply chain performance with our 20-step guide. Boost efficiency and optimize SCM processes. 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