Specific tasks to manage employees in the warehouse - Task-driven management

While we started on the topic of Task-driven management by the end of last year, it will also kick off the first quarter of 2024. In a pilot, employees will test whether they can be managed more specifically via work orders instead of pick lists. From the warehouse office they can then have employees pick up, collect and ship multi-user orders. Developers Karsten and Christian have started working on this topic and explain what the current situation is in this update.

The project is divided into three phases, the first phase of which has already been completed. Karsten begins: “An extensive foundation has now been established. With this project we want to make the tasks on the work floor more specific. We see that the expertise in the warehouse is mainly in the minds of employees, making it increasingly difficult to classify employees based on workload. With this component, warehouse employees can be assigned more specific tasks, allowing employees to work on the same order independently of each other.”

From the sales department, employees can instruct customers' wishes towards the warehouse. The warehouse planner can then plan employees on the floor in more detail and organize processes more effectively. “That fits in better with the working method,” Christian kicks off. “But we don't want to force companies to work this way. We offer them the opportunity to manage employees more specifically, but they can also choose to maintain the current working method.”

For Christian, this was the first project in which he participated in the sprint. “It's nice to be able to contribute to the development of the product. This was a very suitable project to get acquainted with GreenCommerce and the related applications.” The developments are not only limited to GreenCommerce, but also affect the Transport App and the WMS App. Moreover, you also have different interests to represent within an organization.

Employee groups have been added in GreenCommerce to which work orders can be attached. These groups indicate a certain degree of expertise per employee. For example, one employee is better at building mixed pallets and another at driving full pallets. Christian: “The work orders were then processed in the Transport App and the WMS App. This way I immediately got to know the background and code of GreenCommerce.”

To determine the direction, functionalities have been tested with two customers. Christian: “That was a very positive experience that provided valuable feedback. The enthusiasm about the developments in the Transport App confirmed that we are moving in the right direction. That is also the goal; that the developments are in line with the working methods of customers.”

Furthermore, an extra level was needed within GreenCommerce to better distribute the work. This meets the customer's working method, because instructions are entered into the system in such a way that the correct information is automatically displayed on the transport documents.

Karsten concludes with a preview: “In the WMS App, the order picking process is made equivalent to the current screens. Before the new parts can be introduced to the warehouse employees, the replacement must have at least the same functionalities. In this way we work towards a smooth transition without any inconvenience to the employees. The expectation is that after the next sprint all components will be ready to be tested in the pilot.”

Keep an eye on the roadmap page regularly for updates on this topic.

Questions or more information?
Do you have questions or would you like to receive more information? Please reach out to us via info@greencommerce.nl or +31 174 - 642 622.