Project Management

WMS
–

Warehouse Management

Systems

Amy Severance

What is a WMS?

•
WMS
–

Warehouse Management System

•
Tracks inventory from the point of receipt to
the point of shipment

•
Provides RF (radio frequency) functionality to
enable mobile workforce

•
Provides shipment creation, rating
functionality

What is a WMS?

•
Not an order taking system

•
Not an inventory allocation system

•
Requires a “Host” system to interface to

–
ERP (such as SAP)

–
OMS (Order Management System)

–
Purchase Order data, Sales Order data, Item
Master data


Why is it important to have a WMS?

•
Inventory Accuracy

–
Safety Stock: reduce shortages, reduce variability

–
Reduce capital investment in inventory

–
Reduce labor invested in cycle counting

–
Reduce labor dealing with inventory discrepancies

•
Improve productivity

–
Automate manual processes using RF or Voice

–
Provide productivity reporting for employee
management


Why is it important to have a WMS?

•
Visibility

–
Provide management with visibility for running
the operation

•
Number of orders in process

•
Number of ASN’s in transit

•
Customer compliance

–
Shipping Labels, packing lists, other
documentation

–
Packaging Requirements

–
RFID tags


WMS Vendors

•
Manhattan Associates

•
Red Prairie

•
High Jump

•
SAP WMS

How do you select a WMS?

•
Document the business requirements

•
RFP
–

Request for Proposal

•
Sales process

•
Contract Negotiation

•
Sign Contract

•
Review Requirements

•
Hardware Sizing
Questionnaire

•
Transportation
Questionnaire

•
Product
Demo

•
Attend Training



•
Discovery

Site Visit

•
Functional
Design

•
Modification
List

•
Interface Design

•
Statement of Work

& Project
Plan


•
Client Training

•
Conversion
Planning/
Installation

•
Modification

Development

and Testing

•
System

Config

and Testing

•
Development of
User Training


•
Mock

Conversion

•
Integration

Testing

•
Label/Carrier
Compliance

•
Volume Testing

•
Solution

Validation

•
Risk Assessment

•
End
-
user Training

•
Go Live!

•
Post
Implementation

Support

•
Initiate
Transition
to Customer
Support

•
Project
Closure

•
Transition to
Customer
Support

•
Ongoing
Maintenance

Phase 5:

Client Support

Phase 4:

Implementation

Phase 3:

Integration
Testing

Phase 2:

Development

Phase 1:

Design

Phase 0:

Initiation

Project Management

•
Project Planning


•
Resource Planning

•
Risk Assessment


•
Status Reporting

•
Project Budget Management

•
Timeline Management

•
Conversion Planning

•
Issue Maintenance and Resolution

•
Scope/Deliverable Management

WMS Functionality
-

Inbound

•
Yard Management and Appointment scheduling

•
Pre
-
Receiving

–
ASN’s

•
Receiving

•
Directed Putaway

•
Replenishment from Overstock to Forward Pick

•
Cycle Counting

•
Returns

WMS Functionality
-

Outbound

•
“Wave” Management

•
Label/Document Printing

•
Picking

•
Packing

•
Manifest, Prepare shipment

•
Ship Confirm

Generates Variety of Compliant Bar
Code Labels

Inventory

•

reprints

Receiving

•
in advance

•
on demand

Packing/Shipping

•
upon rerouting

•
upon pack verification

•
release from pack & hold

•
reprint

Picking

•
upon wave release

•
upon wave assignment

Receiving

Report

iLPN
label

pallet
label

case pick label

location label

parcel carrier tracking
number

oLPN UCC
-
128
label

outbound
pallet label