smr for instructors
TRANSCRIPT
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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
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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
Infrastructure Systems
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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Infrastructure Systems
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Infrastructure Systems
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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.
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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