Supply Chain Planning Skills for Navigating the Future: Executive Summary

Supply chain planners occupy some of the most dynamic and strategically important positions in business today. As disruption becomes the norm and organizations race to keep up with economic shifts and new technologies, planners are no longer just balancing supply and demand. They’re leading cross-functional efforts, analyzing complex data, and making decisions that shape how businesses respond to uncertainty. At the same time, many experienced planners are retiring, intensifying talent shortages and making it more urgent than ever for organizations to equip new planning professionals with an evolving skillset.

To better understand both the skills and talent development programs needed to meet the demands of this moment, APQC and Dr. Dan Pellathy of the University of Tennessee conducted global research with 462 supply chain planning professionals. 

This executive summary provides an overview of the full report that includes the skills most critical to the future of the role, highlights major gaps in skills development, and offers a roadmap for building more agile, capable planning teams.

Click here for the full report.