Project Management

Warehouse Projects: Scheduling Best Practices

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“Are we on schedule?” Schedules are a critical element of warehouse projects. They are important in both planning and project communication. Using scheduling best practices will help you plan and communicate effectively throughout the project. Here are some things to keep in mind as you build (or receive!) schedules. Schedules: Who they are for and … Read more

Two Tips for Reducing Project Schedule Risk

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Project schedules are always a big focus in project execution. There’s so much time, money, and relationships tied to them, especially in big warehouse projects which often include construction, equipment, and software. Nobody likes delays, but there’s a lot ‘under the hood’ of a schedule that can make it go sideways. People, environment, other projects, … Read more

Getting to Buying

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Managing warehouse implementation projects usually involves spending money. Big warehouses will take a lot of money. Spending that money with high efficiency (speed & quality) is a critical part of a successful implementation. Here is what to look out for during the project to stay on track: Identify Big Spend & Long-Lead Items Early When … Read more

Prioritizing Warehouse Improvement Projects

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If you’ve been around “continuous improvement” you know that there are always warehouse improvement projects. Most of the time, they’re not hard to find. Projects are often “low-hanging fruit” where processes are obviously in need of help. But with all that opportunity, while it may not be hard to identify what to do, it may … Read more

Warehouse Design Approach

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Warehouse design is critical to running efficient operations. But warehouse design is a complex problem with many inputs and just as many, if not more, possible solutions. And it has to be done for every warehouse startup. It’s important to have a philosophically and analytically sound approach to developing the solution, because you’ll spend huge … Read more

Warehouse Start-Ups: Ramp Planning

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A critical planning piece for a warehouse startup is the volume ramp plan. This is important because it informs the organization about what the new facility will be capable of and what they should plan for. It is a key deliverable that the Project Manager should identify and track during the planning process. Let’s explore … Read more

Warehouse Startups: Organizing the Implementation

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Managing a new warehouse start-up covers a lot of work. There are many moving parts and these parts have to be coordinated and managed. It can be daunting to think about whether you’ve accounted for everything. Let’s examine the work breakdown structure for a generic warehouse startup. Typical work structure At a workstream level there … Read more

Starting a Warehouse: Change Control

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When you’re starting up a new warehouse, change control may be the last thing on your mind. After all, you’re probably thinking about the conveyors, hiring, and forklift delays. It’s understandable because change control is often considered as administrative distraction, and–let’s be real–it’s not the most exciting part of the PMBOK. But managing change is … Read more

Warehouse Efficiency Tip – Prototyping

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When you’re designing and starting a warehouse, you want it to be as efficient as possible. At the same time, it may not be possible to have full knowledge of how the equipment and systems will interact. You can mitigate this warehouse design risk by testing prototypes of the warehouse equipment before you buy and … Read more