Electronic supply chain management companies are continually going through changes that are determined by both technological and financial trends. New supply chain web applications are being developed that can make current applications quickly obsolete. To keep up with e-supply chain management industry changes, you have to follow the news that emerges with your vendors and clients as well as regulatory agencies that govern your products and services.

Follow the news by subscribing to the best sources of e-supply chain software information that cover all aspects of your business, including warehouse, inventory, transportation and IT developments. Look for news about e-supply chain management systems from a number of pertinent resources.

1. Get news feeds from websites for online supply chain management that keep you updated regularly.

2. Subscribe to valuable publications for e-supply chain applications that provide insight into coming regulatory and global market developments.

3. Join your local association for additional e-supply chain management information.

Action Steps
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Utilize your electronic systems to receive important supply chain information

To ensure that you don't miss special announcements and e-supply chain management information that will affect your business, register with news feeds to get regular updates and instant reports. You can usually specify the types of alerts you need from news services, such as for trucking and warehousing information or to learn about recent procurement and compliance issues that affect your operations.

I recommend: Supply & Demand Chain is an industry publication that keep readers informed of the emerging issues and news affecting the industry. SCMNews brings you the latest updates and news headlines that are driving the industry so that you can make intelligent business decisions.

Find e-supply chain management sources that provide details on coming trends

Read in-depth electronic supply chain management reports and magazines that cover the industry further than the headlines. Watch for the articles that provide information about global trading platforms, new processing software, customs and taxes, as well as the movements of leaders within the industry.

I recommend: Keep up with changes that are rapidly affecting how the industry operates through the many blogs and news feeds from the Supply Chain IT Toolbox. Stay abreast of industry news through the blogs and news portals offered by EDN.

Participate in trade groups for online supply chain management that give members inside information

By joining other professionals in the e-supply chain applications field, you can build relationships that will help you stay ahead of the news. Attend the conferences and seminars put on by the association to hear experts and their forecasts and analyses for the future of the industry.

I recommend: Participate with your peers and take advantage of the newsletters and research put out by the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management to find out about the latest e-supply chain issues. The Association for Operations Management can keep you updated with news from around the world as well as provide opportunities to attend seminars and meet other experts in the field.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Watch peripheral news items that will affect the Internet supply chain management industry, such as transportation and global economic news, so that you can prepare for emerging issues that will affect your operations.

Thanks to the Internet, supply chain management now moves faster than ever before. The basic principles, however, are the same: optimize what you buy, when you buy it and where you buy or store it. Squeeze enough dollars out of the cost of goods, and you'll improve your bottom line.

Companies like Dell Computer Company and Ford Motor Company have developed some notoriety for stream-lining their e-supply chains and are called cutting edge by some, but it doesn't take a razor to apply these simple steps and optimize your e-supply chain:

1. Collect as much information about your current online supply chain management and implementation as possible

2. Identify and troubleshoot areas that need to be improved

3. Take proactive steps to improve your electronic supply chain management

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Hunt down supply chain information

Collect documentation, invoices and receipts or a record of such so that you're dealing with hard facts and figures. Consult with your purchasers and sellers to clarify anything that isn't immediately clear. Your goal is to understand why purchases were made in that particular place, at that particular time, for that particular price.

I recommend: Sometimes the very first step is just recognizing that a problem is possible. Use the Scribd Supply Chain Checklist and steps three through seven of Goliath's Supply Chain Management Checklist 172 to guide you through evaluating your E-supply chain management. You can also create your own checklist by recording every step of the process and then brainstorming with advisers on how each step could be performed more efficiently.

Eliminate e-supply chain problems

If your supply chain is functioning well, you're beyond fortunate! Most of the time, though, you'll find at least a few small areas that can be improved upon. Choose ways of troubleshooting the problems you've found.

I recommend: If you have a clear understanding of your supply chain's problems, gather your trusted advisers and brainstorm possible solutions. If you still need help or just want an outside pair of eyes and ears helping look for solutions, you may want to employ a consulting firm like Clarity Consulting or Alloquor Consulting to help you target the problem and provide innovative solutions.

Enhance your electronic supply chain management

In all but very small businesses, e-supply chain software can do a lot to automate and optimize your buying, selling and shipping operations.

I recommend: Review Phred Solutions' online e-supply chain management system software to see if it's a good fit for your company. FedEx offers their own online supply chain management solution. A wide variety of other e-supply chain software is available through the Capterra Supply Chain Management Software Directory.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're already a seller in the Internet supply chain, shouldn't you be applying the same principles to selling as you just did to buying? Follow the same general action steps with an eye toward optimizing what, when and where you sell. If you're not already a seller - shouldn't you be?

Your manager wants you to look at different e-supply chain management systems. Unfortunately, you don’t know anything about these systems. You’re going to need a quick e-supply chain education and training. You don’t have time to attend school or read a 500-page manual.

The good news is that you have other options. You can find plenty of supply chain information on the Internet. However, you don’t want to feel overwhelmed by all of this information. Here are three ways to quickly learn about e-supply chain management:

1. Become familiar with e-supply chain management via white papers.

2. Learn all about electronic supply chain management through podcasts.

3. Learn about e-supply chain applications by taking courses.

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Learn how white papers can help you with e-supply chain management

White papers can give you a better insight on how to implement and manage a successful electronic change management. Since you run an online business, it's important to learn how to implement e-supply chain management system that are scalable. That way, as your business needs change, your online supply chain management system will be able to meet those needs.

I recommend: Toolbox provides white papers on e-supply chain systems. This white paper focuses on how Cisco developed a scalable system to solve its e-supply chain problems. BNET also offers white papers. You can learn how to make your e-supply chain management systems faster and smarter. These systems are designed to help give your company a competitive advantage.

Become familiar with electronic supply chain management through podcasts

Podcasts can be great resources for e-supply chain education and training. It's important to keep abreast on how your Internet supply chain management system is doing. Though you may be satisfied with your system now, you'll more than likely want to change it in the future as your business changes. Podcasts allow you to learn about the new trends in e-supply chains.

I recommend: Kinaxis has several podcasts on e-supply chain management information. One of the podcasts deals with not only creating your e-supply chain management system, but it also makes sure it’s scalable so that it can adapt to dynamic situations. Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals also features podcasts on e-supply chain management. For example, you can learn about supply chain metrics.

Learn how to get e-supply chain education and training by taking classes

Classes will teach you about the fundamentals of e-supply chain management. For example, you will learn how supply chains and e-commerce have consolidated. With the advent of the digital world, it's important to understand how e-business technologies enhance the performance of your e-supply chain management system. As a result, these technologies help to save your business money.

I recommend: Training-Classes has a program that’s designed for the small business owner or business executive who needs to learn about e-supply chain management in order to compete in the marketplace. TrainUp also offers a comprehensive course on e-chain supply chain management.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Educate yourself on the best practices when it comes to lining up your e-supply chain management system with your company's business strategies.

In the past, a customer may have called in an order, which led to a paper trail and many other phone calls. However, with an E-supply chain that same customer now uses the Internet to purchase goods and the worker places and tracks orders by electronic means. You can use E-supply chain key terms to understand this process better and make more effective inventory decisions.

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Supply chain management

Supply chain management is the generic term for maintaining the flow of both products and information in an orderly process. Supply chain management seeks to maximize customer satisfaction while at the same time minimizing costs. The E-supply chain plays an integral role in this process.

I recommend: Review the supply chain management definition available at the Business Dictionary.

Electronic marketplace

The electronic marketplace is where the sale of goods and services between customers and enterprises takes place entirely by electronic means. In an E-supply chain, this is the primary medium for transactions.

I recommend: Examine the electronic marketplace explanation from Bit Pipe for more information on the term.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Enterprise resource planning involves incorporating software solutions to help manage the E-supply chain. Some of the top companies for ERP solutions are PeopleSoft, Oracle and SAP.

I recommend: Evaluate the enterprise resource planning systems definition from ERP Implementation.

Customer relationship management (CRM)

Customer relationship management (CRM) is the term for the demand side of the E-supply chain. CRM products help you track customer orders and build relationships for a more effective E-supply chain.

I recommend: Study the customer relationship management tutorial from Customer Service Point for further details.

Electronic data interchange

Electronic data interchange is the technology that enables an E-supply chain to function at its optimal level. Electronic data interchange also allows simultaneous updates of many data points in different databases at once.

I recommend: Assess the electronic data interchange primer available at Covalent Works.

Extensible Mark-up Language (XML)

Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) is the primary computer language that programmers use to compile an E-supply chain management system. Essentially, XML allows different software platforms and computer networks to communicate effectively.

I recommend: Use the Extensible Mark-up Language tutorial available at W3C for more information.