Building Resilient Supply Chains in IFS Cloud SCM

Executive summary

Build resilience through small, modular services and live views of operations.
IFS Cloud SCM supports this model with Projections using OData v4, API Explorer, Events and IFS Connect, lobbies, embedded analytics, and IoT connectors.
Start with one value slice. Prove impact. Expand step by step.

Who should read

• Supply chain leaders

• ERP program managers

• Process owners in planning, procurement, warehouse, logistics

• Data and analytics teams

Business outcomes

• Faster risk detection

• Faster response to delays

• Lower expedite cost

• Fewer stockouts

• Higher OTIF

• Clear ownership for KPIs and APIs

• Upgrade friendly extensions

Scope and assumptions

• You run IFS Cloud SCM

• You start with one value slice

• You expose data through Projections with OData v4

• You use role lobbies for daily work

• You embed BI for analysis and trends

Key terms and KPI formulas

• Inventory turnover. Cost of goods sold divided by average inventory

• Fill rate. Delivered quantity divided by ordered quantity

• Forecast bias. Sum of forecast minus actual divided by sum of actual

• OTIF. On time and in full deliveries divided by total deliveries

• Dock to stock. Time from receipt at dock to bin putaway

Architecture overview

• Process services. Planning, procurement, warehouse, transport

• Integration. Projections with OData v4, API Explorer, IFS Connect, events, message queues, REST endpoints

• Visibility. Lobbies for role KPIs and alerts. Embedded Power BI for drilldowns

• Signals. IoT Business Connector and Connected Assets for sensor events. Event actions in SCM for workflow triggers

• Governance. Data ownership, API catalog, version control, security model

Configuration blueprint

Step 1. Prerequisites

Select services in scope now.

• Demand Planning and Inventory for forecast, replenishment, stock policies, visibility

• Procurement for supplier performance, contract status, lead times, inbound risk

• Warehouse Management for receipts, picking, traceability, putaway

• IoT and Connected Assets where telemetry triggers actions

Confirm entities exposed through Projections with OData v4 and registered in API Explorer.
Typical set. Items, suppliers, purchase orders, sales orders, shipments, bins, receipts, sensors.

Step 2. Module enablement

Parameterize each module.

• Units of measure, calendars, sites, warehouses, zones, locations

• Replenishment policies. Min max, safety stock, lot sizes, review cycles

• Supplier setup. Lead times, Incoterms, delivery terms, contract validity

• WMS setup. Receiving flows, ASN usage, putaway rules, picking strategies

Expose Projections for each domain. Verify in API Explorer.
Configure events for key changes. Delivery date change, ASN delay, quality hold, backorder creation.
Use IFS Connect to send events to queues or REST targets.
Use IoT connectors to capture sensor readings and raise SCM actions.
This pattern keeps core clean and upgrade friendly.

Step 3. Visibility setup

Build role lobbies for planners, buyers, and warehouse leads.
Add tiles for inventory turnover, stockouts, lead time variance, dock to stock, pick accuracy, supplier OTIF.
Add alert tiles driven by events. Example. Inbound delay over eight hours. Sensor breach for temperature or vibration.
Embed Power BI pages for trends and root cause analysis. SKU location heatmaps. ABC and XYZ classes. Forecast accuracy cohorts.

Step 4. Data and visualization

Define KPI owners and formulas first.
Bind each KPI to an authoritative OData Projection. One source of truth.
Choose refresh rules.

• Operational tiles. Event driven or sub hourly

• Analytical pages. Hourly or daily based on SLA

Keep data lineage in a shared catalog. Reference the API Explorer entry for each Projection.

Step 5. Change management

Train each role to read tiles and drilldowns.
Create playbooks per signal. Expedite, split shipment, alternate supplier, reslotting, inspection.
Automate recurring actions with event to task flows.
Establish governance for APIs, dashboards, and KPI changes.
Set a review cycle for metric definitions and access rights.

Worked example. Procure to receive slice

Goal

Reduce surprise delays. Shorten reaction time. Improve OTIF.

Setup

• Enable Procurement and WMS

• Expose PurchaseOrder, PurchaseReceipt, Supplier Projections

• Create an event on expected delivery date change or late ASN

• Route the event through IFS Connect to a queue or REST endpoint

• Build a buyer lobby with tiles

  • POs at risk. ETA variance above threshold

  • Receiving backlog. Lines waiting over target

• Embed a Power BI page for trends by supplier and part class

Operations

Event fires on delay. Tile count updates.
Buyer triggers playbook. Expedite or split. Alternate supplier when needed.
Warehouse prepares slots based on new ETA.
Analytics page refreshes hourly for trend tracking.

Outcome

Faster detection. Shorter expedite cycles. Higher OTIF. Lower cost per delivered unit.

Event catalog starter

• Supplier delay detected. When ETA change exceeds threshold. Action. Flag PO risk. Notify buyer team. Create expedite task

• ASN late. When ASN not received X hours before planned dock. Action. Notify receiving. Open investigation task

• Quality hold raised. When inspection fails. Action. Block putaway. Notify quality and planning. Replan supply

• Sensor breach on cold chain. When temperature exceeds limit. Action. Hold receipt. Create quality task. Notify logistics

Projection catalog starter

• Item. Master data for SKU and attributes

• Supplier. Performance, lead times, contracts

• PurchaseOrder and PurchaseOrderLine. Dates, quantities, prices, status

• PurchaseReceipt and ReceiptLine. ASN, receipt time, inspection status

• InventoryPartInStock. On hand by location

• Shipment and ShipmentStop. Outbound visibility

• SensorObservation. Telemetry records

Dashboard design guide

• Keep each lobby under nine tiles per role

• Use clear labels and units

• Add thresholds and color rules for exceptions

• Link each tile to one action or one drilldown

• Document each KPI on the same page. Formula, owner, last review date

Security and access

• Assign access by role

• Restrict Projections to required fields

• Use OAuth where needed for external BI

• Log API usage

• Review access quarterly

Data quality checks

• Daily checks for null keys and invalid codes

• Lead time outliers

• ASN missing rate by supplier

• Mismatch between received and expected quantity

• Sensor gaps longer than SLA

Phased rollout plan

30 days

• Pick one slice. Procure to receive or forecast to replenish

• Expose required Projections

• Build a minimal lobby with five tiles

• Wire two events with clear playbooks

• Train one team

60 days

• Add embedded BI views for trends and root causes

• Add one IoT signal if relevant

• Expand playbooks to include supplier NCR flows

• Publish API catalog pages for involved Projections

90 days

• Extend to one adjacent slice. For example inbound to dock to stock

• Add more tiles and KPIs based on outcomes

• Automate recurring tasks from events

• Review adoption and adjust training

Adoption metrics and OKRs

• Mean time to detect disruption. Target below one hour on critical SKUs

• Mean time to respond. Target under one working day for top suppliers

• Stockouts on A class parts. Reduction target quarter over quarter

• Expedite spend. Reduction target quarter over quarter

• Lobby usage. Daily active users per role. Target ninety percent of involved users

• Data freshness SLA. Percent of tiles within target refresh window

Risk register and mitigations

• Unowned KPIs lead to conflicting numbers. Assign owners and review cadence

• Overloaded lobbies hide the signal. Limit tiles. Use alerts for exceptions

• Custom code breaks upgrades. Extend through Projections, events, connectors

• Poor data quality blocks action. Add daily checks with auto tickets

• Training fatigue slows adoption. Short sessions. Role based playbooks. Office hours

FAQ

What is composability in IFS Cloud SCM
You assemble processes from small services. You expose data by Projections. You connect steps with events and APIs.

Why start with one slice
You prove value fast. You reduce change risk. You build patterns which scale to other flows.

How do lobbies differ from BI pages
Lobbies serve daily work and alerts. BI pages serve analysis and trends.

Which KPIs to start with
Inventory turnover. OTIF. Dock to stock. Forecast bias. Pick accuracy. Select one per role first.

Next step

Questions or a short pilot.
IFS-ERP Dariusz Myśliwiec
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Phone. +48 519 460 428
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