“FAS/WM: A Fast Path to Finding a New WMS ”

Over the last 10 years, The Progress Group has actively been reviewing the Warehouse Management Systems market place and performing dozens of WMS selection and implementation projects. To help expedite the gathering of requirements for these projects, we have developed a list of warehouse management system features which we call the Functional Analysis Sheets, i.e. FAS/WM.

This list, consisting of hundreds of questions, is used by our consultants to inventory the system needs of each major area of a client’s warehouse. We then quickly turn the prioritized list of client responses into a Request for Information (RFI) that gets sent to vendors to bid on a project.

Now for the first time you can use this same refined list of questions to help get your project done quicker and to perform a more comprehensive inventory of your needs. TPG is making this list available at no charge. Click here to learn how to download FAS/WM v1.0 today!

What is FAS/WM?

Simply, this tool is a spreadsheet that reflects what we have learned warehouse management systems can do in the following functional areas:

• Pre-Receiving / Dock-Appointment
• Receiving
• Putaway
• Returns Processing
• Order Download / Cartonization
• Order Routing
• Wave Planning / Inventory Allocation
• Replenishment
• Picking
• Packing
• Shipping
• Task Management / Interleaving
• Inventory Management
• Yard Management
• Reporting
• Value Added Services and WIP
• Interfaces to Material Handling Equipment

Through vendor demonstrations, reading user manuals and assessing home grown WMS systems, we have collected over 700 WMS features in the above areas that we ask about on this spreadsheet.

In addition to the spreadsheet we will provide you a twenty page user manual for FAS/WM that describes how to use the spreadsheet to identify a vendor.

What Do the Functional Analysis Sheets Look Like?

The FAS/WM spreadsheet looks like the following:

What Do the Functional Analysis Sheets Look Like?

The functionality features are grouped by operational area and separated by gray highlighted titles. For each item, the spreadsheet contains a unique identifying Item # and a short Functionality description (additional details, when necessary, are provided as a comment associated with the entry). Next are two columns related the user’s need for the particular feature. The column titled S/R/N/U is used to record necessity to your operation. Each feature should be graded as either: “Showstopper”, “Required”, “Nice to Have” or “Unnecessary”.

The next columns, which are frequently modified to suit a project’s unique needs, are used to record a vendor’s compliance with the listed feature. The vendor will be instructed to use C/P/M to indicate whether their system “Complies”, “Plans to comply” or must be “Modified to comply” with the feature.

Why Use FAS/WM?

FAS/WM is extremely valuable for two major purposes. Obviously, it can short cut the time it takes to inventory your WMS functional needs as well as improve the thoroughness of your analysis. However, another even greater advantage of using FAS/WM which we also believe differentiates the checklist is that it was designed to capture not only standard features but many of the WMS features that really seem to improve warehouse operations.

When our consultants use this to inventory a clients needs, there is a two way dialog. We aren’t just taking an order like a waitress; we use the checklist to teach best practices, as well. We have seen a lot of warehouses over the years and been very diligent and careful to document WMS features on our checklist that seemed to add a lot value and also might be applicable to other sites. This means that our checklist is also a great tool to help hone what you are asking for and to make sure you are asking for things that add value to an operation.

Even if you are not going to buy a WMS, the FAS/WM is a great tool to assess an in-house system to determine what new features might be interesting to add. You can use the tool to help brainstorm new features and to help justify investing in what you have further before you go out onto the market and pay for a new system.