Supply Chain Control Tower Capabilities: Developing a Taxonomy Integrating Literature and Practice

Supply Chain Control Towers (CTs) have gained relevance as organizations seek greater visibility, responsiveness, and coordination in increasingly volatile supply chain environments. Despite growing academic and managerial interest, literature still lacks a structured and validated model defining the core capabilities of CTs. This study addresses this gap by proposing and refining a capability-based model for CTs in supply chains. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining a Systematic Literature Review, Qualitative Content Analysis, and Directed Content Analysis based on interviews with 17 supply chain professionals. The findings identify four interrelated capabilities, Visibility, Alerting, Decision Support, and Automation, that evolve through organizational learning and technological investment. The study contributes by systematizing the analytical and operational capabilities of CTs, clarifying their interrelationships, and providing a conceptual foundation to support data-driven decision-making and future Operations Research applications in supply chain management.