Did you know that companies such as
than
Exemple de réflexion sur des points clé pour une décision de changement
informatique de stock. Discussion Proposée par http://www.lomag-man.org/
By
contrast, others are spending $
This
report will explain why traditional upgrades are so costly, and how HighJump Software, a
The Decision to Upgrade Your Warehouse
Management System
To
actively compete in today's ever-changing business environment, companies need
a warehouse management system (WMS) with robust, adaptable functionality that
can stand the test of time. This is often a central component of a
comprehensive system that can supplement warehouse management operations with
functionality for supply chain visibility and event management, transportation
and yard management, collaborative inventory management, supplier execution
enablement, data collection and RFID. Collectively, these components represent
a supply chain execution (SCE) solution that can provide competitive advantage
in an ever-changing business environment.
If you're
like most logistics or IT managers and executives, you're probably relying on a
five+ year-old WMS that requires you to pay your current provider to upgrade
your system with important new features (i.e., RFID) that address your specific
business requirements. You may also need to add new supply chain execution
functionality but are unable to implement it with your current WMS. But the
decision to upgrade is not one that can be easily made, regardless of its
necessity. The upgrade process affects more than just your order-fulfillment
operations. Long implementation periods and the re-development of custom code
create a ripple effect throughout the organization in terms of high costs, risk
to core business processes and diminished efficiency.
The Underlying Problem: Custom Code
Why does
such a common undertaking have to paralyze your operations and your
profitability? The reason: Conventional systems contain a shortcoming in their
design in that many changes can only be accomplished through switches. Anything
beyond the functionality offered with these switches must be incorporated with
the addition of inflexible custom coding, which doesn’t carry forward with an
upgrade. This custom code is added during the original system implementation to
bridge the gap between the standard product and your company
’s unique needs. As further needs develop, more code is added. In some
situations, this reaches an extreme where so many changes have been made that
any new modifications become a major undertaking, effectively reducing or even
paralyzing the system’s ability to be altered at all. The problem with this strategy
is that the system will ultimately contain haphazard functionality that is
difficult to locate and document—and that might adversely impact other areas of
the software application.
Continuously upgrading these types of warehouse management systems with
additional code-level changes leads to a potentially disastrous spiral of
exorbitant costs, extended timeframes, and a high level of system and
operational risk.
All previous code-based modifications have to be re-applied when the system is
upgraded. For you this means a never-ending process that
results in loss of competitive advantage and possibly irreparable damage
to key customer relationships. At some point it becomes impossible to recognize
any return on investment because the upgrade process contains nothing but
negative outcomes.
*Please
note that the $
What You Can Expect to Gain With This Report
In this report
we will examine the five critical factors every warehouse, logistics, IT and
supply chain professional must consider when evaluating the decision to upgrade
their existing WMS. We will also explore warehouse management and supply chain
execution systems from HighJump Software, a
As a
result, you will be able to consider the possible impact involved with these
interrelated critical decision factors as you determine the best course of
action for your business, whether that means upgrading your existing system or
replacing it with a more adaptable, cost-effective solution.
The
simple fact that traditional warehouse management systems contain custom code
is the reason they are so expensive to upgrade. A full system upgrade can push
your total cost of ownership (TCO) to $
The
complexity of modifying the code means that only the vendor or vendor-certified
IT consultants can undertake the type of modifications that you need to keep
current with customer needs. Businesses oftentimes find themselves "held
captive" by their vendors because they have no other means of altering the
code. This type of work typically requires three to six months in development
time, which can accrue a hefty bill from your vendor for the necessary coding,
testing and debugging. Much of this is due to the fact that any previous
code-based changes made to tailor the system’s standard functionality to fit
your particular business needs must be re-applied, re-tested and
re-implemented.
Your
customer service could also be negatively affected by diminished efficiency in
the event of unexpected system downtime during the upgrade process. Ultimately,
you could lose revenue if shipments are lost, expectations are not met and
unhappy customers start exploring alternative distribution options. Worse yet,
you haven't solved the root cause of this perpetual problem.
In short,
upgrading an antiquated code-based system keeps you tied to your vendor for
costly modifications.
Chances
are, you're already short on time. With the speed of
today's unpredictable business environment, you'd probably prefer to spend your
day managing customer expectations instead of managing a lengthy upgrade to
your WMS. Or perhaps the increasingly complex demands of your customers have
compressed the timeframe in which you can implement the changes your business
needs to increase efficiency and remain competitive.
Unfortunately,
the complexity of modifying code-based processes not only requires you to wait
until your vendor can schedule the appropriate resources to begin the project,
but it also means that the modifications involved will likely require three to
six months to implement. In some cases, the upgrade process can extend over a
year due to the intricacy of altering the underlying code.
Although
many vendors promise short implementation times, the actual process typically
goes far beyond their estimates. This happens because business requirements are
constantly changing, even while a company's system is undergoing an upgrade.
Many companies find themselves in a situation where midway through the upgrade
they have to make additional changes which require the vendor to rework what
has just been upgraded, further delaying the completion date.
In
essence, extended periods of time spent upgrading your WMS is time not spent
focused on the efficient operation and continual improvement of your business.
Upgrading
a typical WMS can pose a variety of threats to your core business operations.
Once again, the prevalence of custom coding means that these types of systems
are not architected to handle change. Therefore, the difficulty involved in
code modifications represents a serious risk for lost data and disrupted
business due to system debugging and other testing that may lead to unexpected
downtime.
In
addition, upgrades made to one part of the system can have unintended effects
on related functions. The likelihood of this occurring increases with the
volume of custom code. Moreover, the traditional upgrade process puts business
operations at risk if the upgrade cannot properly support them. Equally risky
is the prospect of maintaining a WMS infrastructure that has limited to no
support from the suppliers of related equipment and software.
Ultimately,
the potential risk to customer relationships must be considered in the upgrade
decision. Customers today demand short order cycles and high degrees of
accuracy throughout the fulfillment process. Shipping mistakes and other
customer service errors that can result from glitches in the upgrade process
can cost you dearly in lost customers and revenue. Ironically, the upgrade
process for a code-based WMS can threaten the stability of the operations and
customer service it is intended to improve.
Your
present need to adapt your WMS to the changing business environment is evidence
of the fundamental importance of system adaptability. Just think of the number
of changes—both planned and unplanned—that have occurred in your business over
the last
It is a
serious mistake to assume that any software upgrade—no matter how comprehensive
it may seem during the initial implementation—can provide all of the
functionality your business will need down the road. That's why adaptability is
so crucial. A system upgrade that does not meet new business requirements
forces you to develop more custom code, which puts your organization at a
competitive disadvantage as it diverts capital and resources away from other
core business goals. As discussed in examining the cost, time and risk factors,
modifying code is not an easy or risk-free task. In the end, your company will
bear unnecessary expense and jeopardize operations in meeting the changing
demands of your customers.
The
inherent inflexibility of code-based systems prohibits you from quickly and
cost-effectively reacting as your business environment changes.
Whether
you require vendor support for incremental changes to your WMS, a new version
upgrade, or the answers to frequent questions, the level of support your vendor
provides is critical to your ability to operate efficiently. Oftentimes
companies decide to postpone upgrading to the latest version of their vendor ’s WMS software due to the fact that their previous
custom changes will need to be re-applied to the new version. Unfortunately,
this is essentially foregoing an upgrade to the level of support they will
receive. This occurs because the vendor’s support staff is continuously trained
to deal with issues pertaining to the most recent version of the software, and
therefore becomes less knowledgeable about previous versions as time passes.
Similarly,
delaying a potentially complex upgrade to your WMS can require you to maintain
older versions of related infrastructure such as databases, operating systems
and other software. Again, this means that the support personnel trained to
deal with these components are focused on providing assistance for the newest
versions and not those that are several years old. In some cases, support for
older infrastructure is transferred from the original provider to a third-party
vendor, who can then charge a premium to support organizations that elect to
maintain older software and infrastructure components.
Ultimately,
running on an outdated WMS not only hinders efficient operations, but also
decreases the level and quality of support you receive from your vendors.
Finally, A Better
Alternative!
HighJump
Software, a
• Dramaticaly Reduced Costs
Some
companies bite the bullet and resign themselves to the belief that all
warehouse management systems, whether old or new, require the expensive and
painstaking process of custom code modification every time the system must be
changed. While this may be true for older, proprietary systems, HighJump's unique architecture permits changes to be made
without any custom coding. In its place are powerful configuration tools that
can be employed by the users themselves to accomplish "point and
click" changes without requiring vendor resources. This dramatically
reduces the costs of maintaining a warehouse management system on an ongoing
basis. And, more importantly, it enables companies to avoid the code
modification process for future upgrades—keeping total cost of ownership low.
Minimized Timeframes
One of
the key benefits of HighJump's adaptable architecture
is that modifications are easy to make on an ongoing basis. This solution
doesn't require your operations personnel to spend their already limited time
working with your vendor to apply new functionality. Your operations team is
empowered to make changes on an incremental basis in no time at all. In
addition, even new system installations are performed quickly due to the fact
that HighJump leads the industry in its rate of
successful implementations.
Mitigated Risk
HighJump's adaptable infrastructure grows with your business, thereby mitigating
many of the risks involved with typical upgrades. System downtime is minimal as
upgrades are made in hours or days, not weeks or months. Because of this, your
business is up and running quickly with new functionality that accurately
addresses the unique needs of your business operations. Ultimately, your customer
relationships will remain strong as you deliver uninterrupted service.
Proven Adaptability
While the
expense and time involved in typical upgrades make frequent changes to
traditional systems prohibitive, HighJump's warehouse
management system can be quickly and cost-effectively adapted whenever needs
change. This advanced, highly flexible system allows changes to be implemented
on an incremental basis versus waiting to do massive upgrades every few years.
No other system on the market can make this statement, and it's one of the
reasons HighJump has more than
Continuous Support
HighJump's customers benefit from a full-system approach that supplements software
and upgrades with training, consultation and toll-free telephone support. This
support includes having the latest software version shipped directly to you on
CD-ROM, which your operations team can then use to perform the upgrade in a
matter of hours. HighJump's unique architecture
allows all customers to receive identical upgrade packages, which enables you
to update your system’s underlying functionality without altering any of the
modifications you may have made.
The
simplicity of upgrading HighJump’s solutions means
that you’re always running on the latest version—and you always have access to HighJump’s support personnel who are completely
knowledgeable about dealing with your questions and concerns. Furthermore,
running the most recent version of your HighJump
system enables you to keep current with new versions of related databases,
operating systems and software, which improves the level of support you receive
from these vendors.
Conclusion
Responding
to changing customer needs is a never-ending process. Many companies prefer to
endure the pain of periodic system upgrades rather than implement an entirely
new warehouse management system—an option that may not even be explored because
of misconceptions about implementation costs, maintenance and complexity.
Forging ahead with upgrades without looking at other options puts your
company's bottom line and competitive advantage at risk.
HighJump
Software's uniquely adaptable architecture provides businesses with a
state-of-the-art WMS that can adapt to a changing business environment.
Implementing this type of flexible system as an alternative to traditional
system upgrades allows companies to position themselves to meet the customer
service demands of the future—without exorbitant fees. Typical upgrades are
simply too expensive, risky and time-consuming to implement as often as they
are needed.
Contact HighJump Software, a
Cliff Frank
Manager, Business Solution Advisor HighJump
Software, a
About HighJump
Software, a
HighJump
Software, a
HighJump
Software phone:
©
Exemple de réflexion
sur des points clé pour une décision de changement informatique de stock. Discussion Proposée par http://www.lomag-man.org/
Remerciements
à HighJump Software.