Can you learn analytics and supply chain management together?

Customer demand is fulfilled by a series of interlinked and interdependent processes, which is cumulatively known as the supply chain. These activities are associated with the flow of information, fund and product or services, as the case may be. The stakeholders who are instrumental in the path of the supply chain are vendors, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and customers. The sole process of supply chain management aims towards customer satisfaction and retention, besides maximising the bottom line of all the stakeholders of the chain. Various Supply Chain Management Online Training Programs are also available in various institutes.

Subjects to be learnt 

There are several premier institutes in India that teach the subject of supply chain management as a PG course. However, a prospective candidate may also complete a Supply Chain Management Certification course after graduation to pursue a professional career. The basic subjects to be learnt in order to handle these activities are marketing management, finance, organisational behaviour, economics, mathematics, statistics, brand promotion, corporate communication, etc. whereas the elective subjects may include warehousing management, logistics, international trade, export import business activities, etc. Technically there is no bar to which type of graduates may attempt their career in the PG courses in Supply Chain Management courses. However, it may be noted that a commerce background will certainly be advantageous.

Overview of Data Analytics 

Today the usage of the internet has increased multifold times. With the easy accessibility of smartphones across the country, India alone has an active internet user base of 70 crores. Online social platforms like Facebook, communicators like Messenger, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp or professional platforms like LinkedIn generate huge databases on a daily basis. These data capture user behaviour and areas of interest. Similarly, a large amount of data can be also retrieved from client organisations, too. These are the fields that are captured to understand the needs of customers. Similarly, organisations also have records of their own data for predictive or prescriptive analysis in the future. Thus the work of data analytics starts with the process of identifying and then follows the sequence of collecting, cleaning, analysing, interpreting and visualising data. The sole purpose of data analytics is to make a meaningful prediction for a Business House in different functional fields to achieve and surpass the targeted bottom line of the organisation. To achieve this goal, an analysis of risks in business and operations is performed with due diligence.   

Topics to be learnt 

There are a good number of reputed institutes that teach the subject as a PG course. However, a prospective candidate may also learn the subject as a certificate course for three or six months. Data analytics online courses are also available in India. Like the supply chain management course, there is no bar for students of any field. However, it may be noted that mathematics and statistics are the first subjects, which a candidate will be expected to know.

In order to pursue a career as a data analyst (at the beginning stage) or a data scientist / consultant (at a mature or experienced stage), the institutes teach the following topics/skill sets –

• Advanced Excel Topics (such as Functions, VLOOKUP, Macros & VBA, Charts and Pivot Table)
• SQL or Structured Query Language (Aggregate Function, Joins, Views, Query Optimisations, Triggers and Transactions)
• Programming Language – 1) Python, 2) R and 3) SAS or Statistical Analytical System
•  Artificial Intelligence
•  Machine Learning
•  Visualisation Tools – 1) Tableau and 2) Power BI
•  Soft Skills like communication, time management, problem-solving and analytics skills

A common pertinent question that hovers around the minds of prospective candidates is whether they can learn Analytics and Supply Chain Management together. The simple answer in one word is “yes”. However, one needs to be focused on his / her professional field. If the candidate is interested in working in the Supply Chain Management domain of an organisation, learning Data Analytics will certainly be an added advantage for him/her in understanding the solutions provided by predictive or prescriptive analysis. On the other hand, if a candidate is focused on becoming a Data Scientist, then he/she must concentrate on the core subject first. Nevertheless, he/she may also study supply chain management to understand the functional elements in a better way to equip him/her with more practical/real-time field-based knowledge.

Conclusion

In this context, it may be noted that both the courses are available offline, as a PG course and also online, as a certificate course. Depending on the individual focus, the candidate may choose a combination of online and offline courses for the two courses simultaneously or even may opt for online certification courses for both topics, depending on priorities.  The IIT Supply Chain Management Course at Imarticus which provides live online training will help you to reach your goal. Both fields have excellent career growth potentials, particularly for candidates having innovation in thoughts, analytic skills and excellence in communication. There is no second thought that candidates with a combined knowledge of both subjects shall definitely excel in their career growth and would be rated as the most valuable employees by their organisations.