Setting operational goals and matching available data to those goals is the only way to achieve effective warehouse reporting. A solid and relevant set of goals is always the foundation of successful warehouse reports. Once your goals have been established, you can use available data to develop a realistic and achievable action plan as well as reports that are relevant and useful to your end users.
Ways to use data to create valuable and useful Warehouse Reports
Setting Your Reporting Goals
Setting business and operational goals is the first step in establishing effective warehouse reporting. While setting goals, you should also identify your data sources, which could be from your warehouse software or other digital tools, or created manually:
- Scope: What types of data do you have access to, and what level of detail do you have?
- Reliability: How reliable is your data, and can you rely on it to make important decisions?
- Accessibility: How simple is it to read, access, and manipulate the data?
Effective Data Delivery
You must determine your delivery schedule and whether it should be created on a push or pull basis.
- Strategic reports are typically ad hoc and pushed, and they necessitate human presentation.
- Tactical reports are typically required in real-time, to be pulled and refreshed quickly.
- Recurring reports are typically scheduled, pushed, and audited.
Turning Info into Action
You must consider the reports you want to create once you have a general understanding of your data kinds and audiences. No matter which course you choose, it’s always preferable to start out easy:
- Your reports should focus on taking action.
- Consider the layout of your reports.
- Begin compiling reports and categorize them according to your target audience or function.
Continuous Reporting Improvement is Important
When reports become obsolete or redundant, it is time to evaluate or eliminate some of them:
- To keep your collection clean, document intended use cases and actions.
- Create a process for updating/removing/adding reports as business needs change.
- Maintain a strategy for collecting desired missing data.
As more consumers turn to international online marketplaces, warehouse management is getting more complex and competitive. Also, by using MetaWMS, an advanced warehouse management solution: operators can easily set up systems for effective warehouse reporting to improve and streamline operations which reduces costs and helps to meet customer requirements.
To learn how MetOption’s warehouse solution can help you to meet your reporting goals, contact us today or request a free demo.