Project Management of Joshua Ltd Warehousing - Assignment Example

?Project Management: Joshua Ltd Warehousing Project Management: Joshua Ltd Warehousing Executive Summary Many companies and organizations intend to improve the nature and capacity of their warehouses since these structures are their main center of productivity and distribution towards meeting the set company goals and objectives. Notably, concentrated focus in the improvement of the warehouse usually lead to reduction in the logistic costs. However, it usually becomes difficult to reduce customer order cycle times. Nonetheless, the use of advanced technologies within these warehouses will automatically help in leveraging the cycle times. Additionally, such technologies prove data management and visibility. It should be noted that companies and organizations that have above average performers in their warehouses usually performed with maximum quality and quantity along their production lines. Most of such organizations have been classified as world-class companies that have since lowered their warehousing costs annually. Therefore, in adopting a new warehouse for the Joshua Ltd management must consider adopting and implementing the technological systems within the warehouse. Warehouse Technology Investment Plan Most of the warehouse machineries must be in the automated equipment and visible data management that is provided for by the use of the internet monitoring technology. Even though the use of technology shall require adequate training of the employees, the system may be expensive for the very instance; however, the use of automated warehouse will be less expensive at the long run (Roberts, 2011). Additionally, the installations and purchase of such equipment will be expensive for the company including the space that some of these automated equipments may require. Recommendations to the Action Plan Even though it is clear that the Joshua Ltd wants to construct a new and spacious warehouse to boost its productivity and goods and service management, the intended warehouse must improve and ease the warehouse performance, to ensure these are achieved the company must prioritize (Campanella, 2008; pg. 241): Shifting from manual to automated warehouse management systems including incorporation of visible warehouse activities as well as supporting workflow agility. Initiation of reporting capabilities and management planning Planning to adopt and use recommended warehouse layout and slotting tools. These tools will increase goods and services handling within and outside the warehouse. Moreover, in this category, the company may adopt highly experienced integrator systems to increase the productivity within the warehouse footprints (Mckinney, 2003; pg. 78). Finally, the new warehouse management must focus on analytics towards improving gross margin and productivity management. Background Information The current business demands especially business that are involved in supply chain can no longer ignore warehouse management system. Such companies and organizations usually expect more from warehouses especially to support them distribution operations (Site selection & industrial development, 1988; pg. 72). The warehouses provide great visibility in order, stacks statuses, and inventory especially inside the warehouse. Additionally, well-structured and organized warehouse will allow channel expansion and support sales growth as well as increase the tailored customer service fulfillment. Regardless of facility square footage or revenue of the company, different analyses have indicated warehouse management systems especially the automation are fundamental in facilitating effective and efficient warehousing technology towards best class productivity (Csapo? and Balogh, 2012; pg. 187). The contemporary warehouse management systems or technologies offer elaborate and expanded capabilities as well as improved visibility. Therefore, all companies regardless of the size should embark on effective warehouse systems and or technologies to fast track operation and service delivery within such organizations (Fox and Van Der Walt, 2007). Notably, small warehousing systems usually compel pressure on the logistics professionals of warehousing management (Schwalbe, 2010; Harrison and Lock, 2004; and Young, 2010). Additionally, such warehouse systems usually operate at high and dynamic fuel costs; therefore, there are needs for cost cutting measures in these modes of management and increased efficiencies (Senguttuvan, 2007; pg. 271). However, expanding warehouses usually require expansion of squire footages; nonetheless, the online management will entire that provided footage fits required technological warehouse advancement. To ensure that all requirements and advancement in the warehousing technology are back to the system, the Joshua Ltd must have set requirements to be met in constructing its new warehouse facility. Some of the requirements that must be addressed include (Schaeffer, 2000; pg. 38): Creating a warehouse environment that is agile enough to support specific demands of the customer Capturing activities and warehouse matrix as well as sharing them to the real time Installing new warehouse management systems and updating the already existing management technologies with the system to orient, integrate, and configure such systems. Introducing warehouse dashboards as well as updated analytical technology with high degree of performance. After the installation of the new systems, there will be need for formal training associated to the several introduced equipment and tasks. Finally, it would be vital to allow expansion rooms and investing on materials that will handle automations Introduction The vital part or function of the warehouse operations is its ability to allow an enterprise to deliver to the demands of then customers in a timely fashion. Notably, the overall operation of the warehouse usually determines the ability of such warehouse to fulfill their set goals and requirements in rapidly and qualitatively (Gruen, 2010 and Kousholt, 2007). Some of the operations that must be incorporated in the warehouse management systems include human capital, software, systems, and equipments among others. Despite the urge of improving warehouse, there are numerous factors that must be considered including the size of the company the warehouse it to serve. Smaller companies with revenues below $50 million annually usually face numerous challenges as they try to heighten warehousing efficiency (Feagin, 1998; pg. 98). However, these smaller companies usually do commendable job of delivering well and services to customers within a limited order cycle time; nonetheless, their warehouse visibility usually remain inadequate (Hamberg and Verriet, 2012). Additionally, their IT infrastructures and warehouse management systems have also been associated with problems compared to larger companies. Many smaller organizations have neglected warehouse technology; they, they never gain in their productivity and cannot gain from their manual intensive warehouse systems. Some of these small companies are of the fear that simplistic automation may fail to scale up or support them in their operation once the organization or the company grows (Lamberg, 2006; Heldman, 2011; and HAYNES, 2002). However, they have never realized that stagnant enhancement in IT systems management of these warehouses will lead to lagged customer information services. Therefore, the new building housing the company warehouse must bypassing this problem by installing the effective and newly updated warehouse technological systems and equipments. Easing such pressure on human resource management on the increasing customer demand will increase the company performance and work flow agility within the warehouse. Additionally, the same initiative must aim at lowering the costs of logistics (Kimball, at el., 2011). It should be noted that the Joshua Ltd falls under the middle size company; thus, it warehousing challenges must be analyzed within this category. With this consideration, the Joshua Ltd must know that its customer’s requirements are on the rise and they must be fulfilled with allowing room for future expansion especially within the warehouse systems and operations. Regardless of the size of the organization, there are numerous compounding issues including lack of specific business analytical roles in the warehouse system (Industrial development and site selection handbook, 1985). Therefore, before moving to the new larger warehouse, it is vital that Joshua Ltd to compare roles in some manufacturing organization and their supply chain areas (Project Management Institute, 2013; pg. 45). These comparisons are geared towards helping in identifying the root causes of the performance challenges and analyzing their alternative solutions in the operations of Joshua Ltd. Nonetheless, it is fundamental for the organization to pull right productivity levers in improving productivity and lowering warehousing costs. Methodology This project entails relocations and before such actions are taken, it would be proper that all systems are put in place. There will be assessment of the operational systems within the currently function warehouse and transfer all such operation to the new warehouse. Before installation of any system or equipment, the warehouse will be segmented according to space required by each activity and in line to achieve real time visibility in warehousing and distribution (Field and Keller, 1998; pg. 132; Gido and Clements, 2009). Other than segmenting the internal space of the warehouse, external partitioning and positioning will be done. Large track and small van packing bays will be slotted with large trucks runways fitted with weighing bridge. The weighing bridge will be automated. Some other additional technologies that will be labor optimization software, slotting and layout tools, value added voice services, light detectors, and voice directed technologies to allow easy and efficient communication within the warehouse. Project Analysis This project aims at increasing productivity within the Joshua Ltd’s chain supply (Tonnquist, 2009). Effective warehouse management systems are usually the key to increased and efficient management in the supply chain system (Meredith and Mantel, 2012; Kerzner, 2013; and Choudhury, 1988). Therefore, if Joshua Ltd meets its effective and efficient warehouse management systems that meet specific demands of customers, Joshua Ltd will increase it productivity and profit significantly. Project Life Cycle This project will take 6 months to be implemented fully and it will have five implementation phases. Phase 1: Project Initiation This phase will be involved with identifying operational equipments and systems within the current Joshua Ltd warehouse (Nagarajan, 2005; Bruce and Langdon, 2000; and Kloppenborg, 1900). Additionally, there will be identification of additional equipment and technological systems that are needed in the intended warehouse for full warehouse improvement and automation. Phase 2: Project Planning After identifying the available materials for the completion of the project, the project will move to the planning phase that will involve budgeting and working on the new warehouse. Activity Revenue allocation (USD) Period (Months) Noting the existing equipment and systems within the operational warehouse 50,000 1.0 Partitioning and identifying additional necessary warehouse automation equipments and technological systems 100,000 1.0 Purchasing lacking materials and repairing the existing ones 300,000 1.5 Interior: fixing identified technological systems, fixing equipments, erecting furniture, lighting and voice detector systems, and painting the warehouse 55,000 2.0 Exterior: slotting parking bays, erecting weighing bridges, light sensors, and alarms 5,000 This will run concurrently as the interior Training of the staff 5,000 0.5 Opening the new warehousing unit 0.000 0.000 Phase 3: Project Execution The fundamental aspect of this project is to ensure that the new warehouse meets all the automated warehouse management systems towards increasing the company’s productivity and ways of handling goods and services. Therefore, proper identification of the existing operational equipments and system units will be vital in advising on what equipments to discard and which ones to incorporate into the warehouse management systems. Moreover, the new warehousing system should achieve the world class operation systems; therefore, after installing the all the required technological and equipment system units, it would be vital that all the employees who will be responsible for the operation of these systems to be trained on the use and maintenance to reduce chances of spoiling the same. It should be noted that purchase of items that have been identified would take the due process of procurement so that the management will decided which organization would supply it with same equipment and technological systems requirements. Phase 4: Project Monitoring and Controlling For the few months of operations, the technical team and the companies that supplied and installed their equipment among other systems will check the functionality and operation of their systems to correct or replace them whenever technical or serious technical problems emerge. The company must insist for a follow up that matches the life warrantee of the equipment among other technological equipment that shall be procured. Phase 5: Project Closure The effective and assured full functions and operations of the project, the project will close exactly one year after official shift from the old to the new warehouse. This period of one year will allow the employees to adapt to the new technologies and the environment of work. Additionally, the period will provide able time for all other involved parties to provide technical assistance to the staff and on their products for effective and efficient operation. Conclusion and Recommendation Shifting from a small and largely manually operated warehouse to a fully automated warehouse will help in eradication Joshua Ltd’s productivity barriers since the new system of warehousing will provide real time interaction between the equipments and the organization’s management. Additionally, the automated warehouse will increase the productivity and the performance of the warehouse itself towards meeting specific demands of customers and partners among other stakeholders; therefore, it would be significant for the company to ensure all the requirements set in meeting the goals and objectives are met and executed professionally and in a timely manner. References Top of Form CAMPANELLA, R. (2008). Bienville's dilemma: a historical geography of New Orleans. Lafayette, Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Bottom of Form Top of Form MCKINNEY, A. 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Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Appendix Network Diagram: the network diagrams will not be complicated since the company deals with one item and has simple organization structure. Project Charter Form Read More