CTSC APICS Certified in Transformation for Supply Chain (CTSC) Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

According to the ASCM, a comprehensive supply chain transformation action plan is a roadmap that guides the organization to align its supply chain strategy with its business strategy, and to achieve higher performance, efficiency, and sustainability in its supply chain operations1.The main outcome of such a plan is to enable the organization to deliver better value to its customers and stakeholders, and to improve its top and bottom line results1. Some of the steps involved in creating a supply chain transformation action plan are:

Assessing the current state of the supply chain and identifying the gaps and opportunities for improvement

Defining the future state of the supply chain and setting the vision, goals, and objectives

Developing the business case for change and securing the buy-in and support from the senior management and cross-functional teams

Selecting the best practices, methodologies, and technologies to implement the change and optimize the supply chain processes

Executing the change and monitoring the progress and results1

The other options are not the main focus of a comprehensive supply chain transformation action plan, but rather some of the aspects or outcomes of the plan.For example, traditional metrics around supply chain performance are important to measure the current state and the improvement potential, but they may not capture the strategic value and impact of the supply chain transformation2.Perfect order targets and inventory levels are some of the operational goals that the plan may aim to achieve, but they are not the ultimate outcome of the plan3.Best practices around Plan, Source, Transform, and Fulfill processes are some of the tools and methods that the plan may use to optimize the supply chain operations, but they are not the purpose of the plan4. Therefore, the most accurate answer is A.

Very Short Explanation According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual1,risk mitigation is one of the four main risk response strategies, along with risk acceptance, risk avoidance, and risk transfer. Risk mitigation aims to reduce the probability and/or impact of a risk by implementing actions such as contingency planning, alternative sourcing, quality improvement, etc. Risk mitigation is different from risk acceptance, which means accepting the consequences of a risk without taking any action; risk avoidance, which means eliminating the risk by changing the plan or scope; and risk transfer, which means shifting the risk to a third party such as a supplier, insurer, or partner.

1: https://www.ascm.org/ctsc-ecm/

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual1, statistical process control (SPC) is a key component of a total quality management (TQM) program. SPC is a technique that uses statistical methods and tools to monitor and control the variation and performance of a process. SPC helps to ensure that the process is stable, capable, and predictable, and that the output meets the customer specifications and expectations. SPC also helps to identify and eliminate the causes of defects and errors, and to improve the quality and efficiency of the process. Option B, JIT inventory, is a component of lean manufacturing, not TQM. JIT inventory aims to reduce inventory levels and costs by delivering materials or components just before they are needed in the production process. Option C, autonomous maintenance, is a component of total productive maintenance (TPM), not TQM. Autonomous maintenance involves empowering the operators to perform basic maintenance tasks on their own equipment, such as cleaning, lubricating, inspecting, and adjusting. Option D, SCO, is a component of supply chain management, not TQM. SCO involves optimizing the flow of materials, information, and money across the supply chain network, from the suppliers to the customers.

An external motivator for executing a supply chain transformation is a factor that originates outside the organization and influences its decision to change its supply chain strategy, processes, or capabilities. Examples of external motivators include customer demands, market opportunities, competitive pressures, regulatory requirements, and environmental concerns1. In this case, the national customer’s request to sell to its international subsidiaries is an external motivator because it comes from a keystakeholder in the supply chain and requires the company to adapt to new markets, regulations, and logistics.

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual1, conducting supply chain risk assessment and evaluating supply chain resilience is one of the SCORmark benchmarking steps. This step involves identifying and analyzing the potential risks and vulnerabilities that could affect the supply chain performance, and measuring the supply chain’s ability to recover from disruptions and adapt to changing conditions. This step helps to improve the supply chain’s robustness and agility, and to mitigate the impact of uncertainties and shocks.

1: https://www.ascm.org/ctsc-ecm/

According to the CTSC Enterprise and Supply Chain Management (ESCM) manual, one of the most important steps that leadership can take in developing talent for a digital supply chain transformation process is to invest in building data-centric supply chain communities with relevant skills1.Data-centric supply chain communities are groups of people who share a common interest and passion for using data and analytics to improve supply chain performance1.They can foster a culture of learning, innovation, and collaboration among supply chain professionals, and help them acquire and apply the necessary digital skills, such as data science, data engineering, data visualization, and data storytelling1.By investing in building data-centric supply chain communities, leadership can create a talent pipeline for the digital supply chain transformation, and empower the employees to leverage data and technology to achieve the strategic objectives1.

1: https://www.ascm.org/ctsc-ecm/

According to the CTSC exam content manual1, the most important driver to determine a metrics tracking cycle is the change frequency, which is the rate at which the metric value changes over time. The change frequency affects how often the metric should be measured and reported, as well as the level of detail and aggregation required. A metric with a high change frequency should be tracked more frequently and with more granularity than a metric with a low change frequency.

According to the ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, one of the key steps in forming teams for a digital supply chain transformation is to “create cross-functional teams that include members from different departments and levels of the organization, as well as external partners, to foster collaboration and innovation” (p. 16). This helps to ensure that the teams have diverse perspectives, skills, and knowledge to address the challenges and opportunities of the digital transformation.

According to the CTSC exam content manual1, implementing electronic data interchange (EDI) can provide benefit in establishing business relationships with suppliers by building trust, which is one of the key elements of supplier relationship management. EDI can help to build trust by enabling faster, more accurate, and more secure data exchange, reducing errors and disputes, improving communication and collaboration, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

According to the ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, one of the prerequisites for a supply chain transformation roadmap is to standardize and harmonize processes across the enterprise1. This can help to eliminate waste, reduce complexity, improve efficiency, and enable scalability of the supply chain opera-tions2. The other options are not prerequisites, but rather outcomes or enablers of a supply chain transformation roadmap.1: ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, page 10.2:1

According to the CTSC Enterprise and Supply Chain Management (ESCM) manual, a thread diagram is a process view of the geographic map that illustrates the material flow, material strategy, and the planning process relationship1.A thread diagram shows the sequence of activities and decisions that are involved in transforming raw materials intofinished products and delivering them to customers1.It also shows the locations of the facilities, the transportation modes, the inventory policies, and the planning horizons1.A thread diagram helps to identify the key drivers and constraints of the supply chain performance, and to evaluate the trade-offs and synergies among different supply chain components1.

1: https://www.ascm.org/ctsc-ecm/

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual, one of the key steps in the project selection process is to create a portfolio of projects that aligns with the organization’sstrategic objectives and balances the available resources. Selecting projects based on stand-alone benefits would ignore the interdependencies and trade-offs among different projects and lead to inefficiencies resulting from a lack of holistic visibility.

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual1,SCOR metrics for the Sustainability performance attribute are closely aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, which are the most widely used standards for corporate sustainability reporting. The GRI Standards provide a framework and guidance for disclosing information on the economic, environmental, and social impacts of an organization’s activities, products, and services. The SCOR metrics for Sustainability include indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water consumption, waste generation, and social responsibility.

1: https://www.ascm.org/ctsc-ecm/

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual, one of the factors that management should consider when choosing the optimal supply chain organizational structure is the complexity of the company’s business strategy1.Complexity refers to the degree of variety, uncertainty, and interdependence in the company’s products, markets, customers, suppliers, and processes1.Complexity affects the design and coordination of the supply chain, and requires different levels of centralization, decentralization, integration, and differentiation1. The other options are not the main factors that management should consider when choosing the optimal supply chain organizational structure, as they are more related to the implementation and execution of the supply chain, not the design and alignment.Processes are the activities and tasks that transform inputs into outputs in the supply chain2.Responsibilities are the roles and duties that are assigned to the supplychain personnel and functions3.Standards are the rules and guidelines that govern the supply chain performance and compliance4.

According to the CTSC exam content manual1, when sharing performance metrics with customers, management needs to provide a balanced and comprehensive set of metrics, which means that the metrics should cover all aspects of the customer value proposition, such as quality, cost, delivery, flexibility, and innovation. The metrics should also be aligned with the customer’s expectations and objectives, and reflect the customer’s perspective and feedback. Providing a balanced and comprehensive set of metrics can help to build trust, transparency, and collaboration with customers, as well as to identify areas of improvement and opportunity.

According to the CTSC Enterprise and Supply Chain Management (ESCM) manual, perfect order fulfillment is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the percentage of orders that meet all the criteria for a perfect order, such as delivery time, quantity, quality, documentation, and invoice1.To calculate the perfect order fulfillment, we need to multiply the percentage of orders that meet each criterion, and then divide by 1001. In this case, the percentage of orders that meet each criterion are:

Delivery time: 94/200 = 47%

Quantity: 100/200 = 50%

Quality: (200-34)/200 = 83%

Documentation and invoice: 48/200 = 24%

Therefore, the perfect order fulfillment is:

47% x 50% x 83% x 24% / 100 = 4.7% x 24% = 1.13%

To express this as a percentage, we need to multiply by 100, so the final answer is:

1.13% x 100 = 113%

Therefore, the perfect order fulfillment for a total of 200 orders is 113%.

1: https://www.ascm.org/ctsc-ecm/