Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) are the software designed to provide visibility to warehouse inventory and manage warehouse operations such as receiving, putaway, directed picking and many more advance features. In this post, we will discuss how you can use an existing or new WMS solution in your warehouse to best utilise its features.
“The highest type of efficiency is that which can utilize existing material to the best advantage.”
Jawaharlal Nehru
Computers and software systems are designed to do what human told or set them to do. Efficiency and effectiveness of any software solution are as good as it has been implemented and further used by the business. Therefore, there are two aspects to an efficient and effective WMS. The first is implementation and second is how the business uses the application. We will discuss both these areas in pursuit of overall business process improvements.
Implementation
The implementation strategy is key to the effectiveness of a WMS solution to any warehouse. There are various implementation methodologies that implementation partners and consultant use. The key stages of an implementation methodology are:
Project Initiation
This is the first step in WMS solution implementation, where the Project Manager from warehouse operations and the consultant team set up their team, the project plan and schedule.
Discovery and Planning
This is one of the most important phases of WMS implementation. At this stage, the consultants and warehouse team discuss the needs and requirements of business and agree on the deliverables. It’s recommended that the warehouse team documents all their processes before this phase, this will ensure that all aspects of warehouse operations are covered and consultants could understand it as much as possible. The main tasks to be completed in this phase are:
- Discussing and documenting all business requirements.
- Gaps Analysis
- Identification of software and modules to fulfil business requirements.
- Identify infrastructure requirements.
- Prepare a document that lists business requirements and solution, including any customisations.
The outcome of this phase is a business solution document that lists business requirements and the solution to be implemented. Once this document is signed by both the Lead Consultant and Warehouse Operation Manager, any further change in the scope or solution will need to go through the change request management process.
Deployment
Under this phase of project implementation, the WMS solution is installed and configured as documented in the previous phase. Any customisations discussed in the previous phase will be completed and configured as well.
Once the WMS application is deployed and ready for the next phase, one important task still needs to be completed in this phase, unit testing. This is done by Consultant to make sure the solution is deployed and working as per the discussions and documentation completed in the previous phase.
User Training and UAT
The next phase of the implementation is training and user testing. Training covers in detail all functions of the WMS application. Once the training is completed the system is handed over to the WMS and users keep testing the application before the go-live.
At this is the time the Project Manager from the warehouse team will distribute tasks to their team members and set responsibilities. The super users will be solution matter experts (SMEs). Some of the main tasks to be completed by SMEs in this stage are:
- Complete understanding of operational policies and procedures like receiving, warehousing and distribution operations.
- Testing and making sure the deployed solution is as per the business requirements documented earlier.
- Learn and train warehouse staff on new WMS processes and help them to adopt the new system.
- Write test cases, perform UAT (user testing) and support the go-live.
- Become the go-to person for any warehouse related issues and help users to find a solution to their issues in the system.
Go-Live
Once all the above tasks are completed successfully, the Consultant and WMS team can schedule for the solution to go-live. The go-live is the stage where the warehouse team start using the warehouse software. To prepare for the day, the warehouse team and consultants should prepare a go-live plan and checklist, which clearly states what needs to be done (every task), who is doing it (responsibility), and when to do it (schedule).
Closing Phase
Generally consultants provide onsite support for a few days or a week after go-live day. This is to provide immediate help and make the users settle into the new processes and application. Once the client is settled, the project closing report is signed off by the client to mark the successful completion of the project.
Using WMS software and continuous improvement
A successful implementation ensures all warehouse operations are mapped in the new system and users can complete their day to day operations. However, no matter how well a WMS Solution is implemented there is always scope for improvement. Improvement is a continuing process and is relative to the state of operations and policies in place.
Once the WMS solution is implemented it is always recommended to review the processes and policies after a few months. It can be 3 months for small businesses and 6 months for medium to large businesses. This is the time when SMEs (subject matter experts) meet and share their feedback on the newly implemented WMS solution. In this review, each voice counts.
The consultant should document the feedback from each SME and prepare an Audit Document. This document records how the users are operating the software and new processes. The document also provides expert opinions on the scope of improvements. Once the warehouse users are comfortable in using the new system, it’s the time to introduce advance features and WMS concepts that help the business to gain efficiency in overall warehouse operations.
KISS (Keep It Straight and Simple) is a simple yet important concept to follow during solution design and reviews. Simplicity is about eliminating difficult and cumbersome processes and introducing more meaningful processes in operations.
Note: Views in this article are general in nature, please talk to your consultant or warehouse expert before deciding to implement a new WMS solution or change your existing warehouse policies.
