Expert Tips for Finding the Right WMS

You’ve been given the monumental task of finding a new WMS, and you need it fast, but where do you begin? The first thing to do is slow down! WMS selection is not a process you can rush, it requires research, planning, and a whole lot of thought. Finding the right WMS means finding a system with the functionality you need, from a vendor you can trust, who aligns with your company and can deliver against your goals.

The team at Made4Net believes WMS solutions shouldn’t be complicated. They shouldn’t take long to implement. And, they shouldn’t cost so much! In an effort to help you select a solution that aligns with those beliefs, we put together a set of best practices to help you find the right WMS. Our framework includes five steps:

Step #1: Create an Internal Resource Plan

Step #1 is all about securing a commitment to the endeavor. To do so, you’ll need to create an internal resource plan and get commitment from the entire business that your WMS project will be staffed accordingly. This means you need to delineate all the full-time and part-time resources by department that will be needed for the project, and get insight from the organization including your warehouse team, your IT group, and executive leadership on what support will be made available for the duration of the project.

Each team will take a different approach to evaluating the need for a new WMS and will want a thorough understanding of the resources associated with procuring and operating a new WMS. Engaging full participation from all parties involved will ensure you don’t wind up understaffed.

Step #2: Build a Business Case

Step #2 involves building a Business Case for the WMS project that enables you to establish key metrics for establishing a budget, measuring results, and analyzing the cost/benefit ratio of the project. As you build your Business Case, keep the big picture in mind. Be sure to prequalify the details internally from three key perspectives: business, operations, and IT.

Supply chain needs are always evolving, and everything moves at the speed of light, with acquisitions, new services, and new business lines to manage. All these demands will put a strain on your operations, so you’re wise to begin your WMS search with a very broad look at your overall needs and goals. Interviewing all business, operations, and IT resources will help you understand the bigger picture so you can avoid having to backtrack in the future.

Step #3: Define Specific Requirements

In Step #3 you’ll create an RFX that outlines and matches both your short- and long-term goals. This means defining all functional requirements, including all traditional WMS functions from inside the warehouse, plus activities related to yard management, dock scheduling, labor reporting, different picking activities, shipment processing activities, etc.

Creating a matrix or spreadsheet of your functional requirements is incredibly helpful, it will serve as a narrative of your operation. Every detail related to putaway, picking, loading, shipping, etc., should be documented to show vendors exactly what is needed to create a system that is right for you. This document will essentially allow you to ask the vendor a simple question, “This is what I need. Can you do it?” You can then use this requirements matrix as a comparison tool during the vendor selection process in Step #5.

Step #4: Find Vendors

During Step #4, you’ll conduct general research on 5-8 vendors. You’ll examine functionality, costs, and services to get a high-level idea of fit. From there, you’ll be able to narrow down a short list of vendors to engage with. The ideal shortlist falls between 3-5 vendors; engaging with 5 or more vendors creates unnecessary extra work and expense that you want to avoid.

Step #5: Dive Into The Selection Process

A new WMS involves a long-term partnership with a software vendor. In Step #5, you’ll navigate a series of activities including site visits, demonstrations, customer visits and more to be sure you choose the vendor that fits you to a tee. This is the time to bring out the detailed requirements matrix you created in Step #3. It will help vendors understand your exact process and needs. Your team can rank vendors on a scale of 1 to 5 for each functional requirement, helping you make an objective decision.

But that’s not all, you also want to make sure the vendor is a cultural fit with your organization. A new WMS is a long-term partnership, so you need to take this fact into consideration when making your decision. Make sure the vendor is focused on improving their software in your vertical and market, and that the software will be available for the foreseeable future.

Finally, you want to invite your vendors for a site visit, so they can see where their solution will be deployed and can provide you with the most accurate RFX response. A site visit offers complete transparency into your operations so you can avoid hearing a vendor say, “I didn’t know that!” down the line.

Finding the right WMS takes careful planning, research and strong leadership throughout the process. If you’re interested in learning more about our approach and what five industry experts have to say about WMS selection, visit the Knowledge Center on the Made4net website and download a copy of our Ask the Experts: Tips to Getting the WMS Selection Right white paper.

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