Supply Chain Resilience Lags Behind Strategy in New ISM Study

The report, which surveyed 425 global supply chain professionals, highlights a reliance on outdated methods that hinder agility. Despite the shift toward risk-adjusted decision-making, 65 percent of firms still depend on manual reporting for data collection. This reliance creates a significant visibility deficit, making it difficult to respond to the geopolitical and economic volatility that has become a constant in the current landscape.

Technological adoption across the sector remains uneven. Although e-procurement platforms and supplier portals are common, advanced tools like predictive analytics and formal scenario planning are underutilized. Currently, only 46 percent of organizations employ scenario planning, and 49 percent use risk matrices. Instead, most firms continue to lean on traditional financial health checks and quality performance metrics. Cybersecurity has emerged as the primary risk concern, reflecting an expanding threat profile that many existing procurement models are not yet equipped to address. To bridge the gap, the study suggests that success will require a total cost of ownership approach that integrates real-time data visibility with faster, more coordinated decision-making cycles.