What is the primary purpose of supply chain mapping?

The primary purpose of supply chain mapping is to visualize the flow of materials, information, and funds throughout the supply chain. This process allows organizations to create a comprehensive picture of their supply chain operations, illustrating how products move from suppliers to customers, where there may be bottlenecks, and how information is shared among different stakeholders.

By mapping out these processes, companies can identify inefficiencies, improve communication, and optimize their operations. This visualization also helps in strategic decision-making, as it highlights dependencies and relationships between various components of the supply chain, which are crucial for effective management and problem-solving.

In contrast, creating financial reports, analyzing market trends, and tracking employee performance are important aspects of business management, but they do not focus specifically on the holistic view of the supply chain's operations and interactions that mapping provides. Thus, the option that emphasizes visualization of the entire supply chain process stands out as the primary purpose of supply chain mapping.