What can Instructors do to Help Improve SMR Test Results?

Roger W. Harris,
Terra Grande District Staff VP & GM, MSS Technologies, Inc.
MS, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, C.P.M., PMP, CPSM

Past President, APICS Colorado Chapter

Introduction

Roger Harris

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!

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.

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, so the numbers could really be worse. Through student surveys, our students taking CPIM courses have an approximate pass rate of 78-82% at the Colorado Chapter.

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

APICS Corp. Research

100%

SMR Pass Rates

Percentage

75%

50%

25%

0% 20-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65

Age Ranges

Exams, ECM & Courseware

I believe that the Exams match the Exam Content Manual for the most part. Courseware matches the exam for the most part. Outside research or study may be required if a student needs additional knowledge as with any CPIM exam.

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 or species I am planning to catch? SMR: What marketing, pricing, differentiation or manufacturing strategy should I should use for the particular product, market or customer?

What Knowledge or Experience Should the Student Have?

Statistics show that experience does matter!

Experience in many areas of Business, Operations, Planning/Materials, Sales and Marketing, and Information Technology. Experience and knowledge in all three levels of management and planningstrategic, tactical and operational.

Take the SMR Exam as the last of the 5 CPIM Exams. Experience is not a guarantee to pass nor is it absolutely needed.but it can help!

How Should I Study?

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 for specific subject matter.

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, your Marketing text or Sales Management text that you still have from a course you took long ago. Also any of the texts you have from the other CPIM modules.

What Areas Seem to be Troublesome for Many?

Some Sections seem to be very difficult for APICS Folks These three are the most common from my experience.

SMR Section 1

Developing Business Strategy aka Sales and Marketing! Infrastructure Systems Change Management.Project Management

SMR Section 6

SMR Section 7

SMR Section 1

Developing Business Strategy

A lot of Sales and Marketing material Most students do not have a lot of Sales and Marketing experience My experience shows me that many students need extra study for some areas

SMR Section 1

SMR Sales and Marketing

SMR Sales and Marketing

SMR Section 1

Spend time studying SWOT. Spend time studying the strategies of others and WHY?

Competitors Suppliers & Customers Regulations, trends, technology, sustainability, etc. Look at the attractiveness of your industry to entrants and WHY?

Spend time studying your environment.

What is your competitive strategy and WHY?

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 but many were covered well in other modules

Infrastructure Systems

Infrastructure Systems

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.

SMR Section 7

SMR Section 7

SMR Section 7

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 have during 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

Real People Real Situations

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 of other 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

Real Examples of students that followed this Formula

20 years Operations, Quality and Accounting experience 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 and Real Life examples Passed exam without issue

Real Examples of students that followed this Formula

15 years experience in Materials Management including a Director level position at medium sized company.

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 at quizzes from other sections Spent about 4 hours reviewing Participant Guide and Real Life examples Passed exam without issue

Real Life Examples of students that followed this 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 quizzes and areas of concern Spent 7 hours on this review Passed!

Recently..

Several folks have contacted me or posted on the APICS Supply Chain Channel asking for help with SMR 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 Participant Guide or Class to pass!

SMR Course

Developing the Business Strategy The Global Environment and Sustainability Operations Strategy Operations Strategy Choices & Financial Measurement Aligning Operations with SC Partners Infrastructure Systems Change Management Case Studies

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 on areas where the student may not have experience I believe Real Life examples help students understand much better

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 the first time they took the exam Opinions formed are from my own students experience and difficulty and other folks experience and difficulty with the SMR exam This concept to concentrate on 3 areas of SMR assumes that you have a good understanding of the other more SCM / Operations based areas of the exam

Thank you, thank you very much!

Roger W. Harris, MS, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, C.P.M., PMP, CPSM Past President, APICS Colorado Chapter VP & GM, MSS Technologies, Inc. rharris@msstech.com

Information & References

APICS SMR CPIM Instructor Guide APICS SMR CPIM Student Guide APICS Age/Pass Rate Research Project Roger Harris, trial and error experience