Planning a successful WMS implementation

The success or failure of a WMS implementation can dramatically affect a company's bottom line and market share - not to mention the careers of the key staff involved.

A WMS tightly controls every aspect of a warehouse's operation from receiving through to shipping. Failure is not an inevitable outcome for a WMS implementation. Many implementations are completed successfully and some greatly exceed initial expectations. There are many factors which determine a successful WMS implementation. Implementing a WMS involves numerious tasks that directly impact how people, product flow, procedures, equipment and information interact. While the details of these tasks vary between implementations, there are elements common to all implementations, and the success of any implementation hinges on how well an organisation manages these elements.

While a WMS implementation has many technical aspects, it is important to remember it is also an operational exercise - its goals and objects are operational. To have a successful implementation, an organisation must pay attention to the operational and people sides of the implementation. This aspect of the implementation begins at project initiation and ends well after go-live.

Implementation is a people process. From top management to people on the floor, and a WMS implementation must have support from all levels to succeed. There is no doubt the most essential element in a successful WMS implementation is hard work.
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At The RIC Group we have been implementing WMS Solutions for over 14 years and have learnt from experience that it is definitely better to do it right the first time.