Automation of enterprise logistics processes as one of the most effective tools for overcoming the crisis. Business processes in logistics Automation of enterprise logistics processes

10.08.2017

For competent and effective work, today's organizations are not enough just to improve products. This approach was relevant in the early 2000s. Now it is necessary to improve efficiency.

A business system of any kind is a group of business processes with one final goal. The goal is to sell a product, service or information to the final consumer and make a profit. The business process itself is a complex consisting of interrelated actions taking place within the business.

Key components of business processes in logistics

Internal processes are divided into the following four types:

    making a profit through the sale of goods;

    planning and managing internal data for sales implementation;

    resource processes, in particular, delivery and maintenance of products in the warehouse;

    transformation.

Logistics is responsible for the following processes:

    strategic planning of the movement of goods;

    complete control of commodity flows.

Optimization of business processes in logistics allows the shipment of resources and a reduction in the cost of goods. To properly implement these tasks, logistics companies:

    organize the delivery of goods: agree on dates, analyze the client's transport capabilities, plot a route, develop route maps;

    are responsible for the goods: accept and ship the goods, organize warehouse storage;

    they follow the documents: they inform the recipient of the information, record the orders from the stores and put down marks in the invoices.

Additional automation of business processes in logistics helps to achieve even better results.

Optimization and reengineering of business processes

Besides improving logistics processes, to optimize the processes directly related to the business, reengineering is used. This term is used to mean a complete restructuring of the organization of business.

The general scheme of reengineering processes looks like this:

    managers carry out modeling of business processes in logistics and specific tasks of the company as a whole;

    based on the data obtained, new models are developed and new technologies are being developed;

    the model is carefully analyzed, after which they look at the positive and negative consequences of implementation and evaluate the usefulness;

    if the results are positive, the new model is introduced into direct production.

For competent reengineering, first of all, they recreate a large map, which depicts all the components that ultimately form the internal processes. The map is made in such a way as to graphically display all the necessary little things and form levels, displaying the horizontal and vertical relationships of processes.

After that, managers begin a total analysis of all the little things. If the final profit after the analysis pays for the analysis costs more than 2 times, then the project must be declared expedient and the entire provided plan must be implemented in the near future.

The emerging market relations in Russia require a revision of approaches to the management of each economic entity. Most of the enterprises are organized traditionally - on a functional basis, when the head is a leader, subordinate to various departments. This management organization is based on the principle of division of labor and specialization, but such a structure has disadvantages:

the isolation of the work of each employee from the results of the work of the institution as a whole, i.e. the employee's understanding of the effectiveness of the organization does not go beyond the scope of his unit;

the desire of employees to perform their duties in such a way that they satisfy the superior manager, i.e. there is no interest in making the work results convenient for general use within the firm;

difficult exchange and possible distortion of information between units due to their isolation.

The organization of institutions on a functional basis prevents the extraction of various benefits associated with the consideration of activities as a process and the allocation of various flows (material, financial, informational, etc.) within this process.

The functional isolation of individual departments, even in the presence of highly qualified personnel, can inhibit the increase in the efficiency of the entire system as a whole. Therefore, one of the most important conditions for the successful functioning of an organization is the presence of such a system of information that would allow to link together all activities and manage it based on the principles of a single whole. The solution to the outlined problems lies in the field of information logistics, the object of which is the information flows that accompany business activities.

As you know, the main task of information logistics is the organization and structuring of data flows accompanying the material flow. Let's look at this task from a different angle, abstract from the material flow and present the document itself as a primary object, and not as information accompanying the load. In most cases, a document, like a product, goes through the stages of creation ("processing of raw materials"), formation ("production"), processing ("sale"), transfer ("transportation") and storage ("warehousing"). Suppliers and consumers of documents are employees, business partners and customers of the given enterprise. Thus, it is possible to call "planning, management and control" of the flow of documents at the enterprise "logistics of the enterprise's business processes" Gleb Popov Logistics for business processes // Director of IS, # 02/2004.

In an enterprise, an "information stream" is a stream of electronic documents, e-mail, etc. It is the "paperless" document flow that is the only means of ensuring the minimum delivery and processing time of information with minimum costs. What, in fact, is the purpose of the concept of information logistics Hassig K., Arnold M. Information logistics and workflow management // Problems of management theory and practice. 1997. No. 5. Rodkina TA Information logistics. M .: Exam, 2001 ..

The implementation of such an idea, which allows you to manage and control the joint work of personnel and software, is "work flow management" ( Workflow Management), which is the management of the logistics of enterprise business processes based on IT. Kulopoulos Thomas M. Necessity workflow... M .: VestMetatekhnologiya, 2000. Kalyanov GN Theory and practice of business processes reorganization. M .: SINTEG, 2000.]. Workflow-systems are also sometimes called "business management systems" ( business operating system) or "logistics management systems" ( logistic control system).

By uniting participants in a business process with the help of IT, workflow management becomes an effective means of implementing the concepts inherent in the logistics of the business process. When IT tools are included in this scheme, new components are formed: software and hardware; system operation; ensuring the operation of data transmission channels, etc.

Managing the actions of personnel defined by the business process model is not the task of information logistics. This is the task workflow- a system that integrates and controls software at the workstations of personnel.

Figure 3.1. - Correlation between workflow system and information logistics

The rest of the logistics covers all levels of information support of the business process, including the support of the operational properties of computer systems, on the basis of which workflow management is built.

Verbatim workflow means "work flow" and is defined as "technology for computerized support or automation of business processes in general or some part of them." The main principle of the technology is to ensure the performance of functions by specific employees at the right time.

Technology issues workflow an international organization Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC -- www.wfmc.org). B ee standard workflow-system is described as "a system that fully defines, controls and ensures the execution of business processes in the form of" workflows "using various software tools (PS) in accordance with certain procedural rules." The purpose of such systems is to automate processes that include combinations of operations performed by a person, especially those in which he interacts with IT facilities.

Thus, the system workflow automates a process, not a function. The emergence of the system and PS workflow is the reaction of the IT market to the introduction of new principles in enterprise management and the migration of the management system from function-oriented to process orientation. Almost all of the previous solutions made it possible to efficiently automate individual operations and functions, and not the process (for example, the sales function, which is part of the customer service process). Compared to them, the system workflow gives the following real benefits:

for the organization:increased control over the implementation of information tasks, increased confidentiality and tightened access control;

for client:the quality of service improves, its efficiency increases, and access to company representatives is simplified;

for staff:each worker sees a list of functions and can organize his work accordingly, which results in flexibility in work, speed of execution and a high degree of comfort;

for leadership: workflow allows decisions to be made at the right time and provides sufficient information for management to effectively intervene in the process; workflow enables managers to act faster and more competently, providing constant access to information about the status of each order, and the monitoring system allows you to keep the situation under control and make this function more effective;

for the analyst:automation of procedures based on workflow provides him with all the necessary statistics and information for analysis.

Implementation workflow is one of the most effective ways to reorganize and improve business activities through the use of information logistics methods. Currently there is a positive experience of using the technology workflow for industrial automation. At the same time, the software class workflow provides a container of data and documents for each unit of work and automatically routes the movement of such containers according to business rules to the users or “roles” specified in the process definition Overview workflow //http://www.kit.ru/website /DWC_lotus.Nsf... This especially reflects well the technology of processing the initial information when creating information products.

Workflow management begins with building a business process model. The most commonly used family of methodologies IDEF Mark D. A., McGowan K. " SADT - methodology of structural analysis and design ". M .: Metatekhnologiya, 1993 with graphical notation, visually defining the interaction of business process participants with information resources. Workflow management systems in many cases include visual means of building process models. At the same time, standards for internal notation workflow-system does not exist - the main primitives are usually a "block" as the execution of a function by the executor, and a line with an arrow as a condition for the transition from one block to another. Analyst working in workflow-system, simulates the business process in a similar way.

An example workflow-system is an integrated workflow management system and organization of confidential document flow OPTIMA-Workflow, which is designed to manage the processes of creating, processing, replicating, storing documents and other information objects, as well as for organizing and automated execution of basic office work procedures. The use of the system provides the organization as a whole with the achievement of a new quality in solving such issues as:

creation of a fully functional system for monitoring the execution of orders with a unified storage of documents and its optimal systematization;

formalization of technological processes for the formation, approval and processing of documents, the relevance and reliability of their distribution schemes;

improving control over the implementation of the processes of formation and processing of documents, regulation and management of the document circulation system;

increasing the degree of protection of the data involved in the workflow, ensuring their confidentiality through the use of electronic digital signature and encryption systems certified by the FAPSI;

independence of work on documents from the personal qualities of personnel due to the automatic execution of most formal actions;

the ability to adapt accounting and analytical systems in an organization to the processes of document movement along their technological routes;

the possibility of obtaining statistical and analytical summaries characterizing various aspects of the performers' activities and the results of the work on processing documents.

Competition among companies providing transportation services is growing from year to year. However, not only transport companies need competent work with transport logistics. Any company that has a need to regularly transport something (for example, an online store) is faced with the difficulties of work planning and financial accounting, and hence the difficulties of document flow. In other words, if the company's logistics process is not optimized, it suffers losses.

The most common logistics problems are easy to list:

  • Inappropriate use of vehicles. Empty mileage and idle vehicles are a common problem in enterprises with their own vehicle fleet.
  • Difficulties and losses in communications. As a rule, without automation, the dispatch department is overwhelmed, and even then it can be difficult to satisfy all incoming requests. If the information is not stored centrally, in one system, the operator has to perform many unnecessary actions in order to receive it and transfer it further.
  • The negative impact of the human factor. Entering and transferring data manually is time-consuming and error-prone. Also, if the processes are not automated, the company has to resort to intuitive solutions and manual calculations - usually imprecise.

All this inevitably leads to a decrease in productivity, which means - turnover and income. What's the way out here? Automation, of course. Competent implementation of specialized products allows you to solve all these problems and "tame" logistics schemes of any complexity.

What are the advantages of transport logistics automation?

First of all, the automation of the logistics system makes the movement of all your goods and vehicles transparent and predictable. This is possible due to fine debugging of business processes and workflow, accurate accounting, tax and management accounting at the facility being automated. This is the most valuable and, perhaps, the most expected result, but behind its predictability lies hours of studying the specifics of the client's business and reworking suitable software solutions so that they correspond to this specifics. It is impossible to find two completely identical businesses, so there are no two completely identical implementations. We understand how important it is to work with the problems of each client individually, and this gives tangible results.

Here's what else our clients received after the automation of logistics:

  • We were able to save money. Automation improves communication between different services and departments - this is especially noticeable in large companies with a large staff and an impressive structure. Many of our clients say about the improvement of economic indicators due to automation - WETT Group of Companies, CJSC Arzamasskiy Khleb, logistics holding Schenker, Nizhegorodskiy Vodokanal.
  • They work faster. Well-coordinated work allows you to reduce the time for one operation. This leads to more productivity - and therefore more throughput for your company or division.
  • They use material resources more efficiently. This advantage is felt most strongly by enterprises with their own vehicle fleet: after automation, customers can monitor the consumption of fuels and lubricants and the use of vehicles (for example, determine the degree of wear and quickly select vehicles in need of repair).
  • We introduced KPIs for employees. Logistic holding "Schenker" began to evaluate the efficiency of its employees, relying on the data of IT systems. This is a great idea, because metrics in a single system give you a real picture of performance. This way you can not only figure out the slackers, but also encourage the humble productive workers.

In many areas of business, the need to be faster and more accurate than competitors is no longer a goal to strive for for the sake of a comfortable existence, but a guarantee of maintaining positions in the market. That is why the automation of the logistics system is an essential step in maintaining the competitiveness of any shipping company (even within the organization itself).

For high-quality automation that will really solve the company's problems and bring economic benefits, it is very important not only to choose the right products, but also to correctly implement them. Very often, the specifics of the enterprise's work dictate requirements that simply cannot be met by mass products "out of the box" That is why it is worth ordering automation only from experienced practitioners who know how to adapt the product to solve the problems of your business.

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The logistics system of the enterprise includes a whole list of commodity distribution functions. The problem is that functions are often performed in isolation. For example, when planning production, the constraints of purchasing and sales activities are not sufficiently considered. As a result, the unaccounted procurement factor entails production disruptions and the final consumer receives the goods with a delay and / or not in full.


Proven approach to solving problems in logistics

The system solution for effective logistics management is the transition from the management of commodity distribution functions to within the framework of a single logistics management system at the enterprise. Design and automation of end-to-end business processes in logistics is a prerequisite for business development in a rapidly growing production environment and a high rate of technological change. Reengineering of business processes in logistics provides:

  1. significant reduction in stocks of products in supply, production and marketing
  2. reduction of distribution costs
  3. acceleration of working capital turnover
  4. improving quality and customer satisfaction
To achieve the listed goals, the business processes of the logistics department must be designed as end-to-end and cross-functional and automate them.

More about end-to-end and cross-functional processes in logistics

End-to-end business processes are considered "from and to" - from the very beginning to the very end, for example, from the client's request to shipment, payment and a control call to the sales manager in order to get feedback from the client and make sure that he has no complaints (or accept the claim and start working on it).

End-to-end business processes are usually cross-functional, i.e. go beyond the boundaries of one structural unit. Key elements of the methodology for managing end-to-end “from and to” business processes:

  • the result of the process is linked to the goals of the company and is of value to the client (customer focus)
  • the process has an owner from among the company's management who is responsible for its optimality and has the necessary resources and power levers at his disposal
  • the process manager is responsible for running the process instances - specific customer requests, shipping orders, etc.
  • process management is based on measurable indicators
Highlighting end-to-end processes provides management with an understanding of the company's work as a system, helps staff see the processes in full and understand their own role in meeting customer needs, improve employee interaction and achieve synergy.

When the end-to-end business processes of the company are defined, it is possible to start in logistics. In the modern world, optimization implies automation - without computers, it is impossible to achieve the required level of labor productivity, executive discipline, quality of service, objective and reliable reporting and real-time monitoring required for making accurate management decisions.

Logistics business process automation in action

We are pleased to offer organizations that have taken a course on the automation of logistics business processes and the introduction of end-to-end business processes. A solution based on the Comindware Business Application Platform provides automation of the entire cargo delivery process, from receipt of a delivery request to the arrival of cargo at the customer's warehouse, and also helps route requests between departments within end-to-end business processes.

Elena Gaidukova, marketing analyst, brand manager of solutions on the basis, specialist in partnerships.

 

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