About This Course
Global supply chains have never been more exposed to disruption. From pandemic-driven shortages and geopolitical tensions to climate-related logistics failures and sudden demand spikes, organisations that lack rigorous inventory costing and planning disciplines find themselves absorbing preventable losses, writing off obsolete stock, or failing customers at critical moments. The financial consequences of poor inventory management are significant: overstocking ties up working capital, understocking erodes revenue and trust, and inaccurate costing distorts decision-making at every level of the business.
This programme — Inventory Costing & Inventory Planning for Supply Chain Disruption — is designed to address that gap head-on. Over five structured days, participants develop a deep command of costing methodologies (FIFO, LIFO, WAC, standard costing, and activity-based approaches), understand how each method interacts with financial statements under different regulatory frameworks, and learn how to select the right method for their industry and disruption context. They also master the planning disciplines that translate accurate costing into operational advantage: safety stock modelling, reorder-point analysis, supplier diversification strategies, and scenario-based contingency planning.
TrainingComplex has designed this course for the realities facing African, Middle Eastern, and global markets — import-dependent economies, volatile exchange rates, long lead-time supplier relationships, and the growing pressure to digitalise inventory functions. Facilitators draw on sector-specific examples from manufacturing, retail, healthcare, agriculture, and humanitarian supply chains to ensure the learning is immediately applicable. Participants leave with a personal action plan, a toolkit of templates and models, and the confidence to make inventory decisions that hold up under pressure.
Who Should Attend
- Supply chain managers and coordinators responsible for inventory operations
- Procurement officers involved in stock replenishment and supplier management
- Finance and accounting professionals supporting inventory valuation and reporting
- Warehouse and logistics managers overseeing stock control
- Operations managers seeking to reduce disruption-related losses
- Demand planners and forecasting analysts
- SME owners and entrepreneurs managing their own supply chains
- NGO and humanitarian logistics officers managing relief supply inventories
Learning Objectives
- Explain and apply the major inventory costing methods — FIFO, LIFO, Weighted Average Cost, and Standard Costing — and select the most appropriate method for a given organisational context
- Analyse the impact of each costing method on gross profit, cost of goods sold, and balance sheet inventory valuations under both normal and disrupted supply conditions
- Design and implement demand-driven inventory planning models including economic order quantity, reorder-point systems, and min-max planning
- Calculate safety stock levels and buffer inventory requirements using statistical and judgement-based approaches
- Build supplier risk profiles and develop multi-source procurement strategies that reduce single-point-of-failure exposure
- Apply scenario planning and stress-testing techniques to evaluate inventory resilience under realistic disruption conditions
- Develop supply chain contingency and business continuity plans aligned to organisational risk appetite
- Use inventory KPIs and dashboards to monitor performance and trigger corrective action in real time
- Integrate inventory costing decisions with budgeting, cash flow forecasting, and working capital management
- Create a personal inventory resilience action plan tailored to the participant's own organisation and sector
Course Modules
Module 1: Foundations of Inventory Management and Supply Chain Disruption
- The strategic role of inventory in supply chain performance
- Types of inventory: raw materials, WIP, finished goods, and MRO
- Defining supply chain disruption: causes, categories, and cascading effects
- The financial and operational cost of poor inventory management
- How supply chain disruption events have reshaped inventory strategy in modern organisations
- The relationship between inventory positioning, service levels, and competitive advantage
Module 2: Inventory Costing Methods: FIFO, LIFO, and Weighted Average Cost
- How FIFO, LIFO, and Weighted Average Cost (WAC) work mechanically
- Calculating cost of goods sold and ending inventory under each method
- Impact of costing method choice on gross profit and income tax liability
- When to apply each method: industry norms, regulatory constraints, and inflation context
- Switching costing methods: accounting policy change requirements and retrospective restatement implications
- How each costing method performs under supply disruption conditions when purchase prices are volatile
Module 3: Standard Costing and Activity-Based Inventory Costing
- Setting standard costs: material, labour, and overhead components
- Variance analysis: price, usage, and efficiency variances in an inventory context
- Activity-based costing applied to inventory holding and handling costs
- Reconciling standard costs with actual costs during supply disruptions
- Frequency and process for updating standard costs to reflect sustained input price changes
- Identifying cost drivers within the warehouse and logistics function to improve ABC accuracy
Module 4: Inventory Valuation Under Disruption Conditions
- How inflation, currency devaluation, and import restrictions distort inventory values
- Net realisable value (NRV) write-downs and accounting treatment
- Revaluing inventory after supply shocks: compliance and management considerations
- Case study: inventory valuation challenges during a major supply disruption
- IFRS versus local GAAP differences in inventory measurement during periods of market dislocation
- Documentation and audit trail requirements when applying judgement to disruption-era valuations
Module 5: Demand Forecasting and Inventory Planning Fundamentals
- Qualitative and quantitative forecasting methods for demand planning
- Moving averages, exponential smoothing, and trend-adjusted forecasting
- Measuring forecast accuracy: MAD, MAPE, and bias
- Aligning forecast outputs with inventory replenishment planning cycles
- Incorporating external disruption signals — supplier lead time changes, port delays, and commodity price shifts — into demand planning assumptions
- Collaborative forecasting: structuring sales and operations planning (S&OP) input to improve accuracy during uncertainty
Module 6: Economic Order Quantity, Reorder Points, and Min-Max Systems
- Deriving the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) formula and its assumptions
- Calculating reorder points using lead time demand and variability
- Designing min-max inventory systems for volatile demand environments
- Adjusting EOQ and reorder parameters during supply disruption periods
- Sensitivity analysis on EOQ inputs: how changes in holding cost, ordering cost, and demand alter optimal order quantities
- Limitations of classical EOQ assumptions and practical adaptations for multi-supplier and constrained-supply scenarios
Module 7: Safety Stock Modelling and Buffer Inventory Strategies
- Statistical safety stock calculation using standard deviation of demand and lead time
- Judgement-based safety stock approaches for data-scarce environments
- Dynamic safety stock adjustment in response to changing disruption signals
- Balancing safety stock investment against working capital constraints
- Service level targets and their mathematical relationship to safety stock multiples and fill rate outcomes
- Reviewing and resetting safety stock parameters through a structured periodic governance process
Module 8: Supplier Risk Assessment and Multi-Source Procurement
- Building a supplier risk profile: financial stability, geography, concentration, and lead time
- Single-source versus multi-source procurement: trade-offs and transition strategies
- Negotiating supplier agreements that include disruption contingency clauses
- Using approved vendor lists and pre-qualified alternatives to accelerate response
- Supplier tiering models: differentiating monitoring intensity and contingency depth by criticality and replaceability
- Conducting a supply base concentration analysis to identify hidden single-point-of-failure risks across sub-tier suppliers
Module 9: Supply Chain Contingency Planning and Business Continuity
- Developing a supply chain business continuity plan (BCP) step by step
- Scenario planning frameworks: identifying, quantifying, and ranking disruption risks
- Stress-testing inventory plans against high-impact, low-probability events
- Activation protocols: decision triggers, escalation paths, and communication plans
- Assigning ownership and accountability for BCP elements across procurement, operations, and finance functions
- Post-disruption review process: capturing lessons learned and updating continuity plans to reflect new risk intelligence
Module 10: Inventory KPIs, Working Capital Integration, and Action Planning
- Key inventory performance indicators: turnover, days on hand, fill rate, and obsolescence rate
- Integrating inventory costing decisions into cash flow forecasting and budgeting
- Building an inventory resilience dashboard for operational monitoring
- Drafting a 90-day personal inventory improvement action plan
- Linking inventory KPIs to working capital targets and communicating performance to finance and executive stakeholders
- Establishing a continuous improvement cadence: regular KPI review cycles, threshold-based alerts, and corrective action workflows
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have at least two years of professional experience in supply chain, procurement, finance, or operations. A basic understanding of financial statements and inventory management concepts is recommended. No advanced accounting or statistical qualifications are required, as the programme builds from core principles.
Training Methodology
- Inventory costing case studies drawn from manufacturing, retail, and humanitarian supply chain contexts, requiring participants to calculate and compare outcomes across FIFO, WAC, and standard costing methods
- Disruption simulation exercises in which teams respond to sudden supplier failures, demand surges, or port closures, adjusting inventory plans in real time
- Spreadsheet-based modelling workshops where participants build their own EOQ, safety stock, and reorder-point calculators using their sector's cost parameters
- Scenario planning sessions using structured disruption scenarios (geopolitical, climate, financial) to stress-test existing inventory strategies
- Supplier risk mapping exercises using a provided risk matrix template applied to participants' own supplier portfolios
- Peer review of inventory KPI dashboards, with group critique and improvement recommendations
- Facilitated group discussions on real-world disruption events and the inventory decisions that determined organisational outcomes
- Personal action planning workshop in which each participant drafts a 90-day inventory resilience improvement plan for their own organisation
Organisational Benefits
- Reduced inventory write-offs and obsolescence costs resulting from more accurate costing and proactive planning
- Improved working capital efficiency through optimised stock levels and reduced excess inventory
- Stronger financial reporting accuracy as inventory valuations align with regulatory and management accounting requirements
- Enhanced supply chain resilience that enables organisations to maintain customer service levels during disruptions
- More effective procurement decisions driven by quantitative reorder models and supplier risk assessments
- Better cross-functional alignment between finance, procurement, and operations teams on inventory strategy
- A workforce capable of applying structured planning frameworks rather than reactive, ad hoc responses to stock challenges
- Reduced dependency on single suppliers through diversified sourcing strategies developed during the training
Where Is Inventory Costing & Inventory Planning for Supply Chain Disruption Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Nairobi, Abuja, Kigali, Kisumu, Arusha, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Naivasha, Pretoria, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Zanzibar, Dubai, Cape Town, Nakuru, Kampala, Mombasa, Riyadh, Lagos, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,300 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,400 |
| Johannesburg, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,500 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 15 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
+234 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an accounting background to benefit from this course?
No formal accounting qualification is required. The programme builds costing concepts from first principles and uses practical, worked examples throughout. A basic familiarity with financial statements is helpful but not a prerequisite.
Will participants receive a certificate upon completion?
Yes. All participants who attend the full programme receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in Inventory Costing & Inventory Planning for Supply Chain Disruption, which can be shared with employers and included in professional portfolios.
Is the course relevant to both manufacturing and service-sector organisations?
Absolutely. While many examples are drawn from manufacturing and retail, the costing and planning frameworks apply equally to healthcare supply chains, humanitarian logistics, agricultural value chains, and service organisations that manage significant consumable or spare-parts inventories.
What tools or software will participants need to bring?
Participants should bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel installed, as several workshop sessions involve hands-on spreadsheet modelling. No specialist inventory software is required — all templates and model files are provided by TrainingComplex.
Can this course be delivered in-house for an entire procurement or supply chain team?
Yes. TrainingComplex offers customised in-house delivery of this programme, with case studies and exercises tailored to your organisation's sector, supplier base, and current inventory challenges. Contact our team to discuss a bespoke arrangement.
