Feature-Oriented Modeling of Supply Chain Management Systems

Level: MSc

Research area/discipline: Software Engineering

Prerequisites: Software Engineering (INF-32306), Programming in Python (INF-22306)

Short description:

A supply chain is defined as a system consisting of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer. Due to the increased global competition many companies are forced to improve their efficiency of the supply chain using systematic supply chain management (SCM) approaches. The underlying idea for SMC is based on the observation that practically every product that reaches an end user represents the cumulative effort of multiple organizations defining the supply chain. Supply chain management, as such, is the active management of supply chain activities to maximize customer value and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. SCM activities typically include the management of the flow of materials, information, and finances in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Further, SCM involves coordinating and integrating these flows both within and among companies.

Various different SCM systems can be identified each with their own benefits. In this project you will define a variability model that represents the common and variant features of SCMs. For this you will apply the so-called feature-oriented design approach that is frequently used in the software product line engineering domain to represent a product family. The feature model as such defines both a view on the domain and are used as an input for the SCM architecture. The project will result in a family feature model that can be used to describe various SCMs.

For more information: bedir.tekinerdogan@wur.nl