We believe if we are going to take the time to implement a new WMS system then we should do it with the objective of not just replacing or automating existing business processes. We should implement the software with the idea of delivering business performance improvement in those areas enabled by the software.

To Adroit, the ideal WMS requirements definition process reaches for a defined future state that includes differentiated business processes to support your key business strategies, warehouse efficiency and optimization, integrated food safety, traceability, and compliance reporting, insightful business process metrics to enable continuous improvement, and low friction transactions.

Those requirements come to life through a well-defined project implementation charter that includes:

• Project Goals
• Project Success Criteria
• Potential Risks, Barriers, and Mitigation Plans
• Project Stakeholders
• Project management structure
• Project Governance Process and Standards
• Clear definition of workstreams
• Process Scopes properly mapped into the SCOR process framework
• Project Schedules and Plans
• Change Management Plan
• Technology Management Plan
• Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, and Tailoring/Enhancements Management Processes and known gaps
• Training and Cutover Plans

The integrated design of WMS enables integrated process flows along several key workstreams including

• Receiving
• Lot and Serial Tracking
• Put-away
• Cycle-count
• Pick
• Task Management
• Quality analysis / Quarantine
• Replenishment
• Pack
• Basic cross-dock
• Inventory Control
• Work Order management
• Shipping
• Yard Management
• Labor Management
• Warehouse Optimization
• Value Added Service

Adroit applies the SCOR process models to your organization to provide an initial high-level gap of your business processes to industry standards.  Proper selection and design of the warehouse racking and storage schemes, material handling equipment, and user interfacing technologies is as critical as the proper configuration of the WMS.

We collaborate with you and the WMS configuration team to complete a supply chain map and use it to identify demand and supply business scenarios, and customer and distribution channels. We construct a stratified business scenario document that includes the supply chain view along with your food safety framework and internal operations.  For each workstream, we identify the key and relevant business benchmarks.  We capture the current values, provide you with industry standards, and set both short and long-term improvement targets. With the improvement vision in hand, we then support the WMS software publisher as needed to complete their full software gap assessment and to craft the detailed future state.

Adroit helps to ensure the WMS team is driving to an improved future state and not simply automating or replicating current business practices.

Adroit lead WMS implementations focus on a clearly defined implementation charter, well-defined workstream and technical tracks, clear project management processes, integrated food safety, quality and compliance, technology, material handling, and warehouse design, clear master data standards, and conversions, and a clear path to Business Performance Improvements.

Our resources have in-depth experience in the unique requirements of food and beverage and cold chain system implementations. We focus on mitigating the key causes of implementation failure which include:

1. Lack of project governance
2. Poor software fit
3. Poorly Designed warehouse or material handling processes
4. Lack of organization change management
5. Team issues including lack of time, expertise, and priorities
6. Poor Master data
7. Complex or numerous system integrations
8. Lack of defined success criteria

Adroit applies a rigorous framework to WMS Integrations that focuses upon:

• Clarification of single or bi-directional requirements
• Master data ownership, field mapping, and translations
• Mapping of business process to actions that Create, Read, Update, and Delete records
• Transaction volumes
• Fault Tolerance and Rollback Requirements
• Data Security
• Response times
• Interface monitoring and exception management

There are a number of middleware solutions that facilitate transaction integrations to/from ERP systems including Dell Boomi, Jitterbit, Informatica, Workato, Mulesoft, SnapLogic, TIBCO, and Microsoft. Adroit can assist with the selection of the proper integration framework or approach. These companies position their frameworks as Integration Platforms as a Service (iPaaS).  Selection criteria of an iPaas can include:

• Communication Protocols supported
• Application connectors/adapters for Saas
• Data formats supported. For example XML or JavaScript Object Notation
• EDI
• Data mapping and transformation functionality
• Data quality assessment capabilities
• Routing and orchestration
• Integration script development
• Interface monitoring

Upgrading to the next version of a WMS system can be a costly endeavor. The average on-premise WMS system is over 15 years old and may be locked into place due to straight jacketing enhancements, customizations, and hardcoded interfaces.  In addition to on-premises solutions, many WMS providers are now providing Software as a Service or Managed/Hosted offerings that provide either continually updated versions (evergreen) or regular upgrades.  Certified Food and Beverage and Cold Chain providers need to be sensitive to changing internal business processes or systems that affect food safety, quality, and compliance processes.

Adroit can help you make sense of it all.  We will help you evaluate your options to upgrade to the next on-premise version, move to a hosted version, or go to an online SaaS solution.