Workshop Level 1: AI in Supply Chain - Foundations

Workshop Date will be held over 2 sessions Tuesdays, August 18th  and 25th from 430pm PM to 630 PM Pacific Time.

Includes session materials which will be sent to you prior to the session date in PDF format Electronically.  

Pricing:

• ASCM WC Members $75.00 plus GST (includes course materials)
• $95.00 plus GST for a non member (includes course materials)
• Qualifies for 4 points for Certification Maintenance
• Great Preparation for the Level 2 Agentic AI Session 

Workshop Objective:

To equip participants with practical, hands-on experience using today's Large Language Models (LLMs) to solve real supply chain challenges, no coding required. This workshop reflects the significant leaps in AI capabilities over the past year, including enhanced reasoning, multimodal understanding, tool integration, and more reliable business applications.

By the end of the sessions, participants will be able to:

1. Distinguish AI Hype from Reality: Identify what today's LLMs can reliably deliver in supply chain operations — and where they fall short.
2. Use Advanced LLM Features: Analyze documents and images, work with large datasets, and apply multi-step reasoning to supply chain problems.
3. Build Practical AI Workflows: Complete a hands-on simulation in demand forecasting, supplier risk assessment, or inventory optimization.
4. Connect AI to Business Tools: Demonstrate how LLMs integrate with spreadsheets, databases, and enterprise systems through tool use.
5. Validate AI Outputs: Apply critical evaluation techniques to catch hallucinations, bias, and errors before they impact decisions.

ASCM Western Canada will also be conducting the Level 2 Program (in person) on October the 8th at our annual Summit this year in Surrey BC 

You'll get the most value from a Level 2, which builds on that foundation and dives into autonomous AI workflows. Level 1 is still worthwhile if you want a refresher/introduction on the latest AI capabilities.

Workshop Outline:

I. Welcome & Scene-Setting

• Introductions: Your role and your supply chain pain points
• How LLMs have evolved over the past year
• Setting expectations: Where AI excels vs where human judgment stays critical

II. Modern LLM Capabilities for Supply Chain

• Reasoning & analysis: Complex problem-solving, multi-step thinking
• Multimodal understanding: Documents, images, charts, invoices
• Extended context: Working with large datasets and long documents
• Tool use: Connections to calculators, databases, web search, and more

III. Hands-On Simulation (Choose One)

• Option A: Demand forecasting & analysis
• Option B: Supplier evaluation & risk assessment
• Option C: Inventory & logistics optimization

IV. Ethics, Limitations & Validation

• When AI gets it wrong: Hallucinations, bias, overconfidence
• Data privacy in practice
• Building validation habits

V. Wrap-Up & What's Next

• Key takeaways
• Preview of Level 2 (Agentic AI)
• Resources, Q&A, and networking

Before the Workshop

• Platform: [Specify: ChatGPT / Claude / Other] Please create a free account before the session
• Technical requirements: Stable internet connection, laptop or desktop recommended

Who Should Attend

• Supply chain professionals curious about practical AI applications
• Operations managers, procurement specialists, logistics coordinators
• Anyone new to using LLMs in a business context
• No technical or coding background required

Certification of Maintenance: 4 points

Facilitator: Dr. Hala EL Ouarrak, CSCP

Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Automatic Control Engineering
PMP, PMI-ACP, LSSBB, CSCP
Manager of Airports Operational Excellence at Porter Airlines
CEO of an IT project management and e-learning consulting startup
Director of Education, ASCM Toronto Chapter
You can learn more about Hala on LinkedIn.