Exam Schedule and Registration

Supply Chain Logistics Practitioner Exam

Pre-requisite: Applicants must have demonstrated a general knowledge of TOC Supply Chain Logistics (SCL) concepts by having passed either the TOC Fundamentals exam or the Supply Chain Logistics Fundamentals exam.

Upon successfully completing the SCL Practitioner Exam, the candidate will become TOC Practitioner Certified (TOCPC™) in Supply Chain Logistics, demonstrating their ability to apply, analyze and evaluate the knowledge of this TOC solution area.  They will also receive full endorsement from TOCICO, with their accomplishment recognized on our website while they maintain active membership.

THIS IS AN 8 HOUR EXAMINATION, broken into (2) 4-hour parts.  It is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Russian.

• Member price $200.00
• Non-member price $297.00 (includes 1 year of Standard TOCICO membership)

The following key elements are being evaluated in this exam through a combination of objective and open-ended (e.g., essay) questions. This includes sufficient knowledge and tools (capability) to successfully implement both the Operations (Drum-Buffer-Rope and Buffer Management) and Distribution solutions of TOC. Some of the exam questions will focus on one or more case studies presented in the exam. 

I. Thinking Processes applied to Supply Chain Logistics

Objective: Demonstrate the ability to analyze any environment and its Supply Chain Logistics system using the four fundamental questions of the Thinking Processes.

A. Why change?

i. Knows the goals of the Supply Chain Logistics function

B. What to change?

i. Knows how failure to meet its goals impacts the other entities in the system.
ii. Knows the fundamental limitation(s) that the Supply Chain Logistics solution(s) enables organizations to overcome.
iii. Knows and understands the core conflict in Operations and Distribution systems.
iv. Knows and understands other conflicts in the Operations and Distribution systems.
v. Can verbalize the specific key assumptions underlying the conflicts of Supply Chain Logistics and demonstrate how they cause the specific, common undesirable effects.
vi. Can identify the system’s constraint(s) for the system (i.e. internal supply chain, entire supply chain, operations, distribution).

C. What to change to?

i . Is able to create the necessary injections:
     1. that overcome the erroneous assumptions that underlie the core conflicts in Supply Chain Logistics for any type of organizational system, and
     2. demonstrate the ability to build the logical connections from the proposed injections to appropriate predicted effects on that function and on other functions.
ii. Can identify situations when (and can demonstrate ability to use TP tools) to generate appropriate additional injections that are required to create a customized solution to address common concerns and/or to create the necessary buy-in.
iii. Explain how the Five Focusing Steps (Process of Ongoing Improvement) are applied in the system (supply chain, operations, distribution).

D. How to cause the change?

i. Has sufficient knowledge to identify and communicate obstacles that predictably arise in Supply Chain Logistics implementations as well as derive intermediate objectives (IO’s).
ii. Create IO maps and PreRequisite Trees (PRT’s).
iii. Is knowledgeable about and has the capability to address the metrics/measures needed to successfully implement Supply Chain Logistics solutions.

II. Operations

Objective: Demonstrate understanding of the TOC Operations solution. Demonstrate the ability to compare and contrast Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) and Buffer Management with Lean/Just-in-Time (JIT) and Material Requirements Planning (after being provided brief descriptions of the method(s) they are asked to compare DBR to).

A. Can effectively compare and contrast conventional rules and practices (i.e. process layout, capacity, scheduling of work and control metrics) with those of DBR and Buffer Management, along with an explanation of the impact of each on the operational and financial measures of performance.

B. Demonstrates the ability to apply the solution in the four possible plant types (VATI).

C. Understands when Critical Chain should be applied in a plant instead of S-DBR.

D. Understands how to apply Simplified DBR (S-DBR) in make-to-stock (MTS), make-to-order (MTO) and combination environments (MTS and MTO).

E. Create a schedule based on S-DBR principles. Establish buffer(s) required, their location(s) and size. Establish a raw material release schedule. Set and execute policies for batch sizes and for dealing with idle time on non-constraints.

F. Explain the appropriate measures of performance.

G. Able to effectively apply buffer management:

i. Know how and when to expedite, and
ii. Understand buffer resizing, and
iii. Explain how to use buffer management statistics to improve the system.

H. Explain how to effectively overcome the layers of resistance (to change) through application of the buy-in steps.

III. Distribution

Objective: Demonstrate understanding of the TOC Distribution solution. Demonstrate the ability to compare and contrast the TOC Distribution Solution with other Supply Chain Solutions that are explained in the exam.

A. Can compare and contrast conventional rules and practices for distribution/logistics with the TOC distribution solution, along with an explanation of the impact of each on the operational and financial measures of performance.
 
B. Explain the appropriate measures of performance.

C. Demonstrate the understanding of and ability to apply the Distribution solution in environments with and without aggregation of demand: 

i. Determine the size and location of buffers, and
ii. Explain the impact of the solution on inventories and lead time.

D. Explain how to effectively overcome the layers of resistance (to change) through application of the buy-in steps. 
 

Resources

Supply Chain Logistics Terms & Definitions

SCL Review presentation