Supply Chain Operations and Management

Amazon Web Services via Coursera

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Overview

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Designed for aspiring operations and supply chain professionals, this course introduces the foundations of supply chain management. You will explore how materials, information, and decisions flow across supply chain environments. No prior AWS experience is required. Familiarity with business operations, logistics, analytics, or supply chain concepts may be helpful, but is not essential. Learners examine how inventory management, procurement, transportation, fulfillment, and customer service activities are coordinated through enterprise systems used to support inventory, logistics, customer, and operational workflows. Through practical scenarios, learners explore how organizations manage inventory movement, warehouse execution, purchase order workflows, shipment coordination, and workflow visibility across day-to-day supply chain operations. The course also introduces foundational operational workflows, including inventory control, order management, transportation coordination, and operational reporting. Learners develop an understanding of how operational data is captured, validated, and used to support supply chain execution and service performance. By the end of the course, learners will be able to interpret supply chain workflows, apply core operational processes, and understand how enterprise systems support execution across modern supply chain environments. The course is intended for learners looking to start a career in supply chain operations or management, or supply chain professionals who would like to broaden their knowledge and expertise.

Syllabus

Supply chain lifecycle and operational context
- This module introduces the structure and flow of modern supply chain operations, focusing on how materials, information, and decisions move across planning, sourcing, execution, and continuous improvement stages. Learners examine how operational workflows connect inventory management, procurement, transportation, and customer service activities into a coordinated system. The module emphasizes how supply chain roles interact with enterprise systems and operational processes to ensure materials flow efficiently and customer requirements are met. By establishing a clear understanding of supply chain lifecycle stages and customer roles, learners develop the foundational context required to execute operational tasks and interpret system-driven workflows in later modules.
Inventory and warehouse operations
- This module develops operational capability in inventory control and warehouse execution. Learners examine how inventory is stored, tracked, counted, and moved within warehouse environments using standard operating procedures and warehouse management systems (WMS). The module focuses on how inventory accuracy is maintained through cycle counting, how storage and slotting decisions impact efficiency, and how warehouse workflows such as picking, packing, and staging are executed. Learners also examine how pallet configurations and location systems support organized storage and retrieval. By the end of the module, learners will understand how warehouse operations support inventory visibility and material flow, and how execution accuracy impacts downstream supply chain performance.
Procurement and order management
- This module develops capability in procurement and order management processes, focusing on how purchase orders are created, validated, and executed within supply chain systems. Learners examine how procurement activities support material availability and how purchase order structures define quantities, pricing, and delivery expectations. The module also introduces validation processes such as Two-way and Three-way matching to ensure accuracy between purchase orders, receipts, and invoices. Learners also examine how procurement transactions progress through operational stages such as requisition, approval, supplier confirmation, receipt validation, discrepancy resolution, and payment processing. In addition, learners explore basic negotiation concepts and cost breakdown approaches that support purchasing decisions. The module emphasizes how procurement workflows are executed within enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and how accurate data entry supports financial and operational control. By the end of the module, learners will be able to interpret procurement workflows, execute purchase order processes, and understand how validation and negotiation support effective sourcing decisions.
Transportation and logistics execution
- This module develops capability in transportation and logistics execution, focusing on how goods are moved across supply chain networks and how delivery processes are coordinated using transportation management systems (TMS). Learners examine how shipments are planned, executed, and tracked, including how transport modes, carrier selection, and delivery terms influence logistics performance. The module introduces key concepts such as INCOTERMS, delivery statuses, and proof of delivery (POD) processes. The module also introduces reverse logistics concepts such as returns coordination, refurbishment routing, and disposal or recovery flows associated with returned or rejected goods. In addition, learners explore how logistics workflows are supported by system interactions and contractual agreements, including how carrier performance is tracked and how logistics contracts define service expectations and responsibilities. By the end of the module, learners will be able to interpret transportation workflows, execute shipment coordination processes, and understand how systems and contracts support logistics operations.
Supply chain systems and data handling
- This module develops capability in supply chain systems and data handling, focusing on how enterprise systems support operational execution and coordination across supply chain functions. Learners examine how systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning, Warehouse Management System, Transportation Management System, and Customer Relationship Management (or ERP, WMS, TMS, and CRM respectively) capture, process, and share operational data. The module emphasizes how accurate data entry, system transactions, and feature usage enable visibility, control, and coordination across procurement, inventory, and logistics workflows. In addition, learners explore common supply chain system features and how they support activities such as order processing, inventory tracking, shipment coordination, and allocation. The module also introduces applied system interaction through scenario-based tasks that simulate real-world system usage. By the end of the module, learners will be able to interpret how supply chain systems support operations, perform basic system-driven tasks, and understand how data accuracy impacts supply chain performance.
Course project: Supply chain operations and management
- In this project, learners will complete an integrated operational investigation that spans procurement, inventory, transportation, and enterprise systems. Using a realistic supply chain case and supporting operational records, learners interpret an end-to-end workflow, validate data consistency across Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), and Transportation Management Systems (TMS), and identify operational risks and workflow breakdowns. They will also recommend corrective actions that improve coordination, execution accuracy, and customer service.