Development of Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Agility Model using an Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) Approach

An agile supply chain can respond quickly and cost-effectively to unexpected changes in the market and increase the levels of environmental turmoil regarding both volume and variety. This study aims to present a model for the interactions of pharmaceutical supply chain agility (SCA) factors. In this study, the interactions of variables influencing pharmaceutical SCA were determined using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach. The variables affecting SCA were extracted through library research and thematic literature, and the final variables were entered into the model using experts' views. These variables were classified according to their strength and dependence into 10 levels and 17 variables, and the relationships were determined at different levels. The results show that the indices of information technology, information sharing and organization integrity are the foundation of the supply chain agility and are the most influential indicators. MicMac analysis and the DEMATEL technique were used to test and confirm the model. ISM provides a way by which order can be imposed on the complexity of such variables. This insight from the model helps strategic planning managers to improve the SCA.