Elevating Supply Chain Digital Consciousness

MHI just released the Supply Chain Digital Consciousness Index (DCI) online assessment tool. This tool is based on the findings of the 2019 MHI Annual Industry Report, titled “Elevating Supply Chain Digital Consciousness,” and is designed to help companies measure and gauge their progress on the journey to more digital, always-on supply chains.

Four Stages of Digital Adoption and the Supply Chain DCI

The 2019 MHI Annual Report defined a pyramid of digital adoption that has four technology stages, starting with the collection of data through digital connectivity, and then moving up the pyramid to generate increasing supply chain value and insights from that base data through automation, advanced analytics, and ultimately artificial intelligence.

The report also included a Supply Chain Digital Consciousness framework, developed by MHI and Deloitte, to help organizations assess their digital mindset and gauge their progress on the journey to becoming more digitally conscious.

The Supply Chain Digital Consciousness framework characterizes a supply chain on four levels of awareness — from dormant to elevated — and across five digital categories. The five digital categories span all dimensions of supply chains, from leadership, talent development and workplace culture, to technology and innovation adoption, to customer experience.

The 2019 MHI Annual Report defined a pyramid of digital adoption that has four technology stages.

This framework can help companies understand their current level of digital adoption and then identify gaps and next steps to boost digital consciousness and supply chain performance. Within this framework, the report includes a Supply Chain DCI assessment tool companies can use to measure where they are on their digital adoption journey.

The Supply Chain DCI quantifies the current level of supply chain digital consciousness, as well as measures progress made toward desired end-state. It helps firms determine the current state of their digital consciousness, determine and prioritize gaps in order to develop a comprehensive strategy for digital consciousness that meets their unique business goals.

The Supply Chain DCI assessment tool can be found at mhi.org/dci. The 2019 MHI Annual Industry Report can be downloaded at mhi.org/publications/report.