Thank you to our partner, Alpine Supply Chain Solutions for this guest post on Best Practice Assessment (BPA).
According to Alpine’s Managing Principal, Michael Wohlwend, “A Best Practice Assessment (BPA) is a great exercise to help organizations uncover opportunities for improvement while benchmarking their operations against competitive, best in class operations. They’re a great fit for companies seeking to define WMS requirements, estimate costs and quantify ROI.”
How does a Best Practice Assessment work?
Most companies seeking a BPA have either never had a WMS before or have been running a legacy home-grown solutions for 10+ years. They’re looking to get a good handle on the cost and benefits of buying or replacing a WMS. As such, a BPA will vary by client and objective, but a standard engagement ensures that all business processes and areas of operation are fully reviewed and assessed. By diving deep into the details, a BPA can uncover capital and non-capital improvements across all operational areas including inventory, space, equipment, labor, and systems.
A standard engagement is a four-week process and will look as follows:
Week 1: Data Collection
Our data-driven methodology leverages a deep dive into metrics in every area of your operations including procurement and receiving; putaway; restocking and replenishment; order processing and selection; shipping, staging, loading, and VAS; and more.
Week 2: Data Validation
We validate initial data findings during an onsite visit and cross reference our findings against Best Practice metrics from market leaders such as WERC, ROFDA, and ISO.
Week 3: Qualification
We share initial findings to prioritize the initiatives that streamline business processes to increase operational performance, improve customer service, and reduce cost.
Week 4: Final Results
We create and deliver a plan of actionable improvement recommendations and associated ROI.
What’s the value of a Best Practice Assessment?
The value of a BPA varies by the initial objective of the exercise. Generally, a BPA enables the supply chain leadership team to confidently respond present what a WMS would cost, how long an implementation would take, internal and external resources that are necessary for successful implementation, and when you could expect to see benefits.
Why the time is right for a Best Practice Assessment
Over the past 18 months, supply chain leaders have faced more complex, changing conditions than ever before. Enterprises of all shapes and sizes are seeking to shake up their supply chain strategies to become more resilient, collaborative, and networked with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. A BPA offers a great method for understanding which supply chain Best Practices will significantly improve product quality, customer service levels, market share and return on assets, and as a result, your company’s overall performance.
Interested in learning more about how a Best Practice Assessment from Alpine Supply Chain could help you? Visit the Alpine website https://alpinesupplychain.com/warehouse-consulting/ or reach out to [email protected] to learn more.
