A scripted WMS demo separates fact from fiction

How do you know which software vendors can really talk the talk? Ask them for a scripted demonstration.

By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 2/5/2008

It’s time to put in a new warehouse management system (WMS). You’ve defined your business processes and you’ve received back proposals from a streamlined list of vendors.

And guess what: They all look good.

But as with any sales pitch, the proposals are likely to be a mix of fact and fiction, reality and wishful thinking. So, how do you get beneath the sales pitch and figure out who can really do what they’re promising to do? Give them a script, says Ian Hobkirk, senior analyst in supply chain execution for The Aberdeen Group.

“I’m a huge believer in the scripted demo,” Hobkirk says. “When all you see is the sales demonstration of what a system can do, they all look good.”

Writing the script

The point of a scripted demo is simple. Once you get your proposals you put together a list of three or four processes that are critical to your operation and ask the software vendor to demonstrate how their system will handle each one.

Everyone, after all, can do the mundane. What you’re trying to figure out is whether the functionality required to handle your make-or-break processes is standard out of the box or a custom application.

Examples of scripted processes might include:

• receiving one order at multiple facilities with multiple stops,
• tracking an SKU with multiple attributes, like an article of clothing that comes in multiple sizes and colors, or
• handling multiple picking methodologies, like batch, cluster and zone picking.

“You not only want to see how the system handles those processes on a computer monitor, you also want to see how it’s handled on the handheld devices your operators use,” advises Hobkirk. “You don’t want your people on the floor to be confused.”

It’s also important to see how easily the system can be reconfigured. That’s because few facilities are stagnant: What you’re doing today may not be what you do tomorrow. “One way to do that is to come up with a process modification you can imagine your company going through down the road, like a change in picking” says Hobkirk. “Ask them on the fly how they would modify the system to accommodate that change.”

Ask to see how well the system produces the reports that are important to your business, and not just the standard reporting capability. “I’ve seen vendors drop off the list because they couldn’t demonstrate that,” says Hobkirk.

Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of a customer site visit before signing the contract. “The thing to remember is that it’s easy to get swept off your feet in the process,” says Hobkirk. “But if your WMS doesn’t work, your business is in trouble. You want to make sure you do this right.”