# Practical Frameworks

Industry-standard frameworks allow practitioners to map processes and benchmark performance.

## The SCOR Model (Supply Chain Operations Reference)
The SCOR model is the gold standard for process management. Below is the adaptation of the SCOR processes for virtual/digital supply chains:

| SCOR Process | Physical SCM Interpretation | Virtual Resource Interpretation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Plan** | Demand forecasting, Production scheduling | Capacity planning, Predictive auto-scaling |
| **Source** | Procurement of raw materials/parts | Procurement of servers, NICs, Disk arrays |
| **Make** | Manufacturing, Assembly | **Virtualization:** Hypervisor slicing, Containerization |
| **Deliver** | Warehousing, Logistics, Shipping | **Orchestration:** API calls, Network routing, VM deployment |
| **Return** | Reverse logistics, Recycling | **De-provisioning:** Releasing RAM/CPU back to the pool |
| **Enable** | Management, Data, Infrastructure | **Control Plane:** Kubernetes, OpenStack, Cloud Console |

## Critical Breakdowns in Adaptation
When moving from physical to virtual frameworks, three key concepts shift:
1. **Lead Time:** Physical lead time (shipping) is replaced by near-instantaneous delivery, although the "sourcing" of physical hardware still retains traditional lead times.
2. **Waste:** Physical scrap is replaced by **"Resource Stranding"**—where one resource (e.g., RAM) is exhausted, rendering other available resources (e.g., CPU) unusable.
3. **Logistics:** Transportation is replaced by **Network Latency**. The "last mile" is the distance between the edge server and the end-user.

## Other Relevant Frameworks
- **The Five Critical Phases:** Planning $\rightarrow$ Sourcing $\rightarrow$ Manufacturing $\rightarrow$ Delivery $\rightarrow$ Returns.
- **Digital Supply Chain Frameworks:** Emphasis on "Digital Twins," IoT real-time visibility, and AI-driven predictive analytics to transition from reactive to proactive management.