Business Automation and Software Blog

Detailed Steps for WMS Selection and Implementation

Posted by Robert Baran on Tue, Nov 10, 2015 @ 02:00 PM

When you have decided to switch or upgrade to a new warehouse management system (WMS) to improve your distribution automation, it is important to follow detailed steps in order to achieve your goals. A WMS has a long expected life span and switching costs can be high, so making the best decision the first time is vital. Even so, there will be a time when the benefits of switching outweigh those costs. We discussed indicators that it is time to switch or upgrade in last week’s blog “Knowing When to Implement a New Warehouse Management System”; now let’s look at the steps you should take to select a new WMS.

Step 1: Pre-Planning

The first step to choosing a new WMS is to do your homework. You can’t evaluate new systems if you don’t know what you need or why you need it. Evaluate your existing system first—what functions is the WMS currently doing well? Where do your processes need improvement? What processes are broken and negatively affecting profitability and customer satisfaction? What functionality do you want to provide in the future?

As with any major expenditure, it is important to get buy-in up front. Form a project team including all affected departments and be sure to involve management. With your project team, you should evaluate your current system, share your expectations and agree on your future needs. Once you have agreement, create a list of required functions.

Using your list of requirements, evaluate the benefits you expect to achieve through them. For example, back-office integration will eliminate redundant data entry and improve data integrity. Don’t forget the intangible benefits you may attain including increased employee engagement.

Step 2: Intelligence Gathering

Once you know what you want to achieve, it is time to find the right warehouse management system solution. Being smart about the way you gather product and vendor information will save you time and get you to the best WMS software for your distribution automation strategy.

Start by screening solutions with phone interviews. Eliminate those who do not meet your required functionality. Once you have narrowed down the field, examine the remaining products more closely. Now is the time to consider service issues such as implementation time, reseller capabilities and software manufacturer product support. After these screening interviews, it is finally time for product demonstrations.

Step 3: Analysis

When you have settled between two to three vendors, it is time to analyze the WMS products in-depth. Have your project team participate in product demonstrations to compare and rate system capability. As part of your analysis, you should identify all costs—software, hardware, additional modules, customization, implementation, training and future support.

Step 4: Implementation

You’ve chosen a system and now is the time to implement it. Start with a plan and revisit your timeline. Have you included back-office integration? Have you considered which processes can be improved with distribution automation? Postpone modifications that are not essential to your business until after the initial implementation. Then schedule your roll-out. Be sure to include time to ramp-up to the new system and to identify and solve problems.

Step 5: Review

Your system may be in place, but there will be opportunities for continuous improvement. Measure your systems against the benchmarks you set for yourself and identify areas that can be optimized.

Following this process will enable you to successfully choose the right warehouse management system for your business. However, you don’t have to do it alone. PositiveVision specializes in finding and implementing management software solutions that streamline inefficient processes, grow revenue streams and reduce costs. Contact us if you would like to learn more about automating your business processes.

To learn more best practices for WMS software selection and implementation, download our whitepaper, “How to Choose a Warehouse Management System”. The whitepaper includes a detailed checklist of warehouse management system requirements to help you consider your choices.

Topics: Distribution Automation, Warehouse Management System, WMS