smr for instructors

7/29/2019 SMR for Instructors

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What can Ins tructors do to Help Improve

SMR Test Resu lts?

Roger W. Harris, MS, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, C.P.M., PMP, CPSMPast President, APICS Colorado Chapter

Terra Grande District Staff

VP & GM, MSS Technologies, Inc.


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Introduction

Roger Harris


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Agenda

What is Strategic Management of Resources? What are the pass rates of SMR? How is SMR like Fishing? What experience & knowledge will help the student? How can you prepare, what areas seem to be

troublesome? Case study examples of professionals passing the

SMR exam!


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Strategic Management of Resources

Planning and managing resources such as

materials, machines, facilities, labor, money,markets, customers, suppliers in a strategic

fashion.

Longer term and higher level thinking than

operational or tactical planning or thinking. Many CPIM students and instructors dont have a lot

of experience at the strategic levels of companies.


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Current Pass Rates for SMR

2012 the pass rate for SMR was ??????%

2011 the pass rate for SMR was 51% 2010 the pass rate for SMR was to 51%

2009 the pass rate was 60%

These could include folks taking it multiple times, sothe numbers could really be worse.

Through student surveys, our students taking CPIMcourses have an approximate pass rate of 78-82% at

the Colorado Chapter.


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SMR Pass Rates

Does it matter what order you take the exams for

CPIM? YES! If you take the SMR as the 1st exam: 33% pass

If you take the SMR as the 2nd exam: 38% pass

If you take the SMR as the 3rd exam: 53% pass

If you take the SMR as the 4th exam: 57% pass

If you take the SMR as the 5th exam: 72% pass


7/38Age Ranges

Percentage

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

20-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65

SMR Pass RatesAPICS Corp. Research


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Exams, ECM & Courseware

I believe that the Exams match the Exam ContentManual for the most part.

Courseware matches the exam for the most part.Outside research or study may be required if astudent needs additional knowledge as with anyCPIM exam.


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SMR is just like Fishing! Fishing: What type of fish am I looking to catch?

SMR: What business am I in?

Fishing: What lake, pond or stream should I fish in? SMR: Where am I going to do businessGlobally? Domestically? Locally?

Fishing: Where will the fish be feeding?

SMR: Where should I look for customersWhat market segments?

Fishing: What bait or equipment should I use for the particular time, place orspecies I am planning to catch?

SMR: What marketing, pricing, differentiation or manufacturing strategyshould I should use for the particular product, market or customer?


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What Knowledge or Experience Should theStudent Have?

Statistics show that experience does matter!

Experience in many areas of Business, Operations,

Planning/Materials, Sales and Marketing, and InformationTechnology.

Experience and knowledge in all three levels ofmanagement and planningstrategic, tactical and

operational.

Take the SMR Exam as the last of the 5 CPIMExams.

Experience is not a guarantee to pass nor is it

absolutely needed.but it can help!


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How Should I Study?


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How Should I Study?

Take a Chapter / Partner CPIM SMR course Many areas are covered in the course you may not be

100% familiar with.even if you have years of

experience!

We will talk about this more in the case studies

Use the Participant Guide as a basis for your study.

Use outside materials as needed to supplement forspecific subject matter.


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What About Textbooks? Many! Over $500 worth.

Alternative: SMR Sourcebook

Selected reading from texts

$250

Use the APICS Dictionary!

I normally recommend that any text on the subject

matter you need is good. For example, yourMarketing text or Sales Management text that youstill have from a course you took long ago. Also anyof the texts you have from the other CPIM modules.


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What Areas Seem to be Troublesome forMany?

Some Sections seem to be very difficult for APICSFolks

These three are the most common from myexperience.

SMR Section 1

Developing Business Strategy aka Sales and Marketing! SMR Section 6

Infrastructure Systems

SMR Section 7

Change Management.Project Management


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SMR Section 1

Developing Business Strategy

A lot of Sales and Marketing material

Most students do not have a lot of Sales and Marketingexperience

My experience shows me that many students need extrastudy for some areas


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SMR Section 1


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SMR Sales and Marketing


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SMR Sales and Marketing


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SMR Section 1 Spend time studying SWOT.

Spend time studying the strategies of others and

WHY? Competitors

Suppliers & Customers

Spend time studying your environment.

Regulations, trends, technology, sustainability, etc. Look at the attractiveness of your industry to entrants and

WHY?

What is your competitive strategy and WHY?


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SMR Section 6


Experience in ERP Systems can help here

Areas that need a little extra time and study:

ERP systems and the evolution and strategy and WHY?

ERP Implementations

Pull system, Where and When strategy applies

There are a lot of other sections to infrastructure butmany were covered well in other modules


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SMR Section 7

Change Management.Project Management

Subjects to take a closer look at:

Change Management

Risk Management

A lot of Project Management experience can help.


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SMR Section 7


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SMR Section 7


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SMR Section 7


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SMR Section 7 Pay attention to the following:

The Strategic value of change

The rolls of people and leaders in change

The potential risks and failures and the impact they haveduring change

Project Management for change

Definition of a project

Phases of a project

Statements of Work (SOW)

Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)

Controlling projects

Closing out projects


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Real People Real Situations


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Real Examples of students that followed this

Formula 30 years experience Operations and Supply Chain

Manager with large companies.

Had no problem with any of the other 4 CPIM exams

Failed the SMR on multiple occasions

Had taken the SMR course

Had purchased many texts

We reviewed SMR sections 1, 6, 7 as well as a couple ofother sections where there were questions

Spent 6 hours reviewing the Participant Guide

Introduced Real Life examples for areas of concern

Passed exam without much problem


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Real Examples of students that followed thisFormula

20 years Operations, Quality and Accountingexperience with a small company

Had no problem with any of the other 4 CPIM exams

Failed SMR exam on multiple occasions

Had taken the SMR course

Had purchased additional study material

We reviewed SMR sections 1, 2, 6, 7 as areas of concern

Spent about 3 hours reviewing the Participant Guide andReal Life examples

Passed exam without issue


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Real Examples of students that followed this

Formula 15 years experience in Materials Management

including a Director level position at medium sizedcompany.

Had no problem with any of the other 4 CPIM exams Failed SMR twice!

Had completed SMR course twice!

Did not want to review SMR sections 1, 6, 7

We reviewed SMR sections 1, 6, 7 as well as looked atquizzes from other sections

Spent about 4 hours reviewing Participant Guide andReal Life examples

Passed exam without issue


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Real Life Examples of students that followedthis Formula

20 years experience in Production Management

Had no problem with self study on any other CPIM exams

Failed SMR twice! Had not taken any CPIM courses

Did not have a copy of the Participant Guide

Purchased over $2000 in study materials

We reviewed SMR sections 1, 6, 7 and all the quizzesand areas of concern

Spent 7 hours on this review

Passed!


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Recently..

Several folks have contacted me or posted on the

APICS Supply Chain Channel asking for help withSMR

Common themes:

They have failed the exam

They do not have a Participant Guide

They have not taken an APICS SMR Class

In some cases they do not believe they need a ParticipantGuide or Class to pass!


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SMR Course

Developing the Business Strategy

The Global Environment and Sustainability

Operations Strategy

Operations Strategy Choices & FinancialMeasurement

Aligning Operations with SC Partners Infrastructure Systems

Change Management

Case Studies


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Conclusions

To pass, one must think strategically

Many students dont have experience with

Sales and Marketing Infrastructure Strategy

Change and Project Management

The Participant Guide for SMR is a great tool when

used with real examples and emphasis is placed onareas where the student may not have experience

I believe Real Life examples help studentsunderstand much better


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Clarifications This presentation is the opinion of Roger Harris

31 years experience in APICS

29 years experience in Business/SCM/Operations

Many successful CPIM / SMR students Thousands of CPIM students served

I have helped many folks that were not my own students for thefirst time they took the exam

Opinions formed are from my own students experience and

difficulty and other folks experience and difficulty with the SMRexam

This concept to concentrate on 3 areas of SMR assumes that youhave a good understanding of the other more SCM / Operationsbased areas of the exam


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Thank you, thank you very much!

Roger W. Harris,MS, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, C.P.M., PMP, CPSMPast President, APICS Colorado Chapter

VP & GM, MSS Technologies, Inc.

[email protected]


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Information & References

APICS SMR CPIM Instructor Guide

APICS SMR CPIM Student Guide

APICS Age/Pass Rate Research Project

Roger Harris, trial and error experience

smr for instructors

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