Most important supply chain management skills?

Depending on the responsibilities which are in each organization a little different, a good supply chain manager needs to have or acquire good market knowledge, specially in regards to sourcing. It is also very important to have good knowledge about ERP, MRP, DRP and all other factors of supply chain, i.e. impacts of safety stock, lot sizes, MOQ's, leadtimes, forecasting, etc. and how these factors interact with eachother. Only by having this knowledge, the supply chain leader can effectively contribute to the companies success.

Hi Rory,
Institute for Supply Management(ISM) did extensive research with upper level executives, from various industries, on what they wanted from their supply chain staff, at manager-level and above, in order to develop the Certified Professional in Supply Management(CPSM) certification. The following skill areas are the result:
Contracting and Negotiation
Social and Environmental Responsibility
Cost and Finance
International Sourcing
International Supplier Relationship Management
Forecasting
Materials and Inventory Management
Logistics
Organization and Department Assessment
Product and Service Development
Quality
Planning

Creativity, Customer service sense and Technical knowledge are very important in addition to the business logic of the industry he is working in.

The ability to capture Customer demands, Customer requirements, Customer behaviour, -to understand his Customer so he can plan his flow accordingly.

All of the qualities listed are extremely important, but it really begins with the right ethics. Most of the skills can be learned, but the personal foundation has to be right.
A

Understand, in great detail, the particulars of the related flow path/customer centric supply chain. Cost, capabilities, constraints,and culture ... so as to properly architect/leverage/optimize its inherent value, profitability for all stakeholders and maintain consistent service levels to the affected customer.