The days are getting noticeably shorter, meanwhile the clock has been put back to winter time. Especially then, good visibility is important. Not just on the road, but also in business situations.
All kinds of bodies point out the importance of good visibility, especially in autumn, for example in traffic. Do you drive off in the morning with windows free of deposits, ice and vapour? Are you highly visible on your bike? Are you wearing a safety vest? Are your bicycle lights (of your children) in order?
Also in companies
Often in companies, I see directors (managers) who do not have a good view of the situation, even though they constantly have to make decisions and manage other people. This often leads to unpleasant surprises and unforeseen situations.
How can this be improved?
To know what needs to be improved, we first need to recognise the symptoms. Obvious symptoms are working with "own" lists and statements, instead of consulting the business system.
Often, there is a good reason in itself to work with proprietary lists: data in the business system (e.g. ERP, WMS) is not reliable, not updated or it is difficult to get the desired overview from it.
Just as you need the discipline in the morning to ensure good visibility first thing, in such a situation you need to work on ensuring that the data in the business system is reliable and up-to-date. Staff from different departments often have to contribute to this, but this need not be a problem, it can even be seized upon as the start of cross-departmental cooperation!
Of course, especially in the beginning, a lot of time goes into updating data, but that can be planned and factored in, while no one can determine how much time and effort goes into developing, creating and maintaining 'own' lists, not to mention the consequences of all the misunderstandings because people do not have and speak about the same data.
If the data turn out to be reliable (over time), it is time to develop (or have developed) some standard reports. Here, the examples of individually developed reports can form a basis. If careful thought is given beforehand to what reports and overviews are really needed, the number usually turns out to be limited.
Moreover, if reports are consistent, it is also easier to make comparisons between different business units or different periods. This is often not possible with individual overviews because these are changed (too) often in practice, making them no longer comparable.
Conclusion: reliable data in a central system and uniform reports (in limited numbers) are essential to properly manage a company. After all, good visibility is vital.
Wishing you a bright and safe autumn.
Frits de Wind - logistics consultant
