Few supply chain professionals would deny the need to design a supply chain to drive value. Yet, ask them what value is and how to design for it, and the room will clear quickly. Why? Most supply chains are inherited, not designed, so those that work with them can make little headway on their own.

Despite these challenges in supply chains, the fundamental question of what drives true value still stands. In the past, supply chain designs focused on physical flows to improve costs. Today, supply chain teams design to improve time to market for new products, harvest opportunities through tax efficiency, meet corporate sustainability goals, balance risk with opportunity, and manage product complexity. All of these components need to be balanced without well-defined processes.