Information Technology In Supply Chain Operations: A Road Map To Success

In today\'s aggressive market place, organizations are looking for ways to better manage their supply chains through the successful deployment of information technology, thus obtaining competitive advantage. This paper forwards a road map to successful implementation of Information Technology (IT) to Supply Chain Management (SCM). It scrutinizes the Supply Chain (SC) members and how data is transferred within the supply chain in order to establish a launching base for IT intervention. A five phase model and seven-step practical plan are proposed after careful evaluation of critical success factors, the role of IT in SCM and the overall benefits which can result in successful application of IT to SC operations. The paper concludes by stressing that connecting numerous information systems and integrating data streams can significantly increase operational efficiency of an organization.JORIND Vol. 3 (2) 2005: pp. 7-1