Corvita Group - Blog , Software Selection

A Compass for Your Supply Chain: Navigating the TMS Selection Process

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 11:41:59 -0400

In the current state of modern supply chain management, investing in the right Transportation Management System (TMS) is akin to purchasing a compass. That compass leads organizations through the intricacies of logistics, optimizing operations, enhancing visibility, and driving efficiency. But the journey to finding the perfect TMS involves a careful and strategic selection process to ensure it is a tool that aligns perfectly with your supply chain goals.

Defining Your Navigation Points: Key Considerations in TMS Selection

Understanding Your Needs: The foundation of TMS selection lies in understanding your organization's unique requirements. Identify pain points, challenges, and areas that require optimization within your supply chain. Whether it's route planning, carrier management, cost control, or real-time visibility, your TMS should address these needs effectively.
Scalability and Flexibility: A TMS should be a long-term investment, capable of growing with your organization. Consider your expansion plans and the scalability of the chosen solution. A flexible TMS can adapt to changing business dynamics and future demands.
Integration Capabilities: Your TMS shouldn't exist in isolation. It should seamlessly integrate with your existing software systems, WMS’s ERP’s, CRM’s, and other tools. Integration ensures a cohesive flow of information across your entire ecosystem.
Ease of Use and User Experience: A user-friendly interface is pivotal for successful TMS implementation. A TMS that is intuitive and requires minimal training ensures smoother adoption by your team.
Visibility and Analytics: In the age of data-driven decision-making, a TMS should provide comprehensive visibility into your supply chain processes. Robust analytics and reporting capabilities empower you to make informed choices.

Plotting Your Course: Steps in the TMS Selection Process

Requirements Gathering: Collaborate with key stakeholders across your organization to outline your TMS requirements. Consider input from logistics, IT, finance, and operations teams to ensure a comprehensive understanding.

Market Research: Survey the TMS landscape to identify potential solutions that align with your requirements. Explore reviews, case studies, and industry reports to gauge the effectiveness of different systems.

Vendor Evaluation: Shortlist TMS vendors that match your criteria. Engage in detailed discussions, presentations, and demos to understand how each solution addresses your needs.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis: Beyond the initial investment, analyze the TCO over the system's lifespan. Consider factors like implementation costs, training, support, and potential upgrades.

Pilot Implementation: Before a full-scale rollout, consider a pilot implementation. This allows you to test the TMS with a smaller subset of your operations, ensuring a smoother transition.

Corvita Group: Your Navigational Partner

Selecting the right TMS is more than a transaction; it's a strategic decision that shapes your supply chain's future. Corvita Group, with our industry expertise and vast knowledge of the latest available transportation technology, is unparalleled in our ability to select a TMS that best aligns with your organization’s operations and desired future-state. But our services go beyond just technology selection; we also provide the following services to provide a “one-stop-shop” experience:

•Implementations

•Integrations

•Training

•Hypercare

•Custom Development

•Ongoing Support

Setting Sail Toward Excellence

The TMS selection process is a critical juncture in your supply chain journey. With the right TMS as your compass and Corvita Group as your navigator, you can set sail toward a future where optimized logistics, enhanced visibility, and operational excellence become your reality.

TMS Varieties: The Pros and Cons

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 10:26:20 -0400

What is a TMS?

Transportation management systems (TMS) are software solutions that help shippers and logistics service providers plan, execute, and optimize their transportation operations. A TMS can be used to plan and track shipments, optimize routes, and manage driver schedules. TMS solutions can also be used to create digital freight contracts, track compliance with service level agreements, and monitor KPIs.

There are many different types of TMS software on the market, and the right system for your company will depend on your specific needs and operations. Regardless of which technology you choose, a TMS can help your company save time and money by improving the efficiency of your transportation operations.

There are three main types of transportation management systems (TMS):

Home-Grown

Developed in-house by a company’s IT department or third-party developer.

On-Premise

Hosted on the company’s own servers.

Cloud-Based

Hosted on remote servers and accessed via the internet.

Each type of TMS has its own advantages and disadvantages. A homegrown TMS is typically the most flexible and customizable, but it can also be the most expensive and time-consuming to develop and maintain. An On-premise TMS is usually less expensive and easier to implement than a homegrown TMS, but they are less flexible and not as easily scalable. The cloud-based TMS is the most popular, and typically the easiest to implement and the most scalable, but they can also be quite expensive. Cloud-based rate sourcing tools typically offer real-time data and a variety of analytics options to help procurement departments manage the bidding process.

A TMS can help businesses plan, execute, and track their transportation operations. They can offer a number of benefits, including improved visibility, increased efficiency, and cost savings. If you're interested in learning more about transportation management systems and how they can benefit your business, contact us to schedule a free discovery call.

Determining if a New Technology is Aligned with Your Business Strategy

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:52:21 -0400

Technology and Business Strategy Alignment

When evaluating new technology for your business, it is critical to have a firm grasp on your company’s current state and a vision for the future. This level of awareness, coupled with a strategic plan, will play a key role in developing the requirements for any technology considerations. For example, a low to mid-market shipper is looking to purchase a Transportation Management System (TMS). This shipper has heard a lot about the value of implementing a TMS and how it can help them grow in the space, but there are many software options available. How will they know which TMS to choose? Because a technology implementation can be a large expense, the ideal solution will be the TMS that aligns with their business strategy and can also adapt to meet their business requirements as they grow. To determine this, the shipper will need to identify their current functionality needs.

When identifying functional requirements, considerations should extend from the executive business strategy to the end user who is responsible for execution. Quite often the day-to-day challenges that face end users are lost, or not considered when evaluating (and implementing) new technology. Businesses should consult their front-line users and middle managers while discussing any new strategic technology initiative. This ensures that the top-level vision aligns with solution capabilities for the end user to execute effectively. Many people refer to this as a “bottom up” approach.

When reviewing day-to-day operational needs, the minutiae can derail an entire strategy. Take for an example, a multi-provider Supply Chain Execution (SCE) solution being implemented across TMS, OMS and WMS. The OMS receives the orders and sends them to the TMS to be optimized for parcel, LTL and TL shipments and routing, which is then sent to the WMS to be picked and packed. However, due to the way the warehouse is setup for pick and pack, their workflow and integration dataflows have to be matched to the existing infrastructure. If not, there will be an immense level of location level change in infrastructure and workflow changes that is unnecessary. Capturing this level of requirement in the evaluation and planning phase is critical to confirm solution capabilities and the proper data flows. Without a substantial understanding of this flow from front-line users, the project can easily be derailed.

Once the current functionality requirements from the executive level to the end-user are met, businesses should then compare the technology’s offerings to their projected future state. If a shipper currently only requires LTL functionality, but plans to incorporate TL in the future, does it make sense to invest in a technology that can only support LTL? We will discuss this in further detail, as we continue our deep dive into topics of consideration when making a business software selection.

3 Things You Must Know Before Making a Software Selection

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 10:58:40 -0400

Selecting a new business software can be a great investment. Technology can improve on the communications, efficiencies, culture and security of a business. However, if certain requirements are neglected, a new software can have a negative impact that will leave organizations regretting their selection. In the coming weeks, we will be taking a deep dive into some key topics of consideration when making a software selection. These considerations will remain the same for any type of business software, no matter the industry. So, forego buyer’s remorse and keep the following in mind before purchasing any new technology for your business.

Is the software aligned with your business strategy?

· Does the software functionality meet your current business needs?

· How will your business needs change as your company grows?

· Can the software adapt to meet those future requirements?

Is the software aligned with current Processes, Procedures and infrastructure?

· Are any processes NOT supported by the software?

· Will you be retaining any existing software solutions? If so, how will it integrate with the new technology?

· The new software looks great from the executive level, but does its functionality meet the needs of the end user?

Does the Software offer implementation, training and support?

· Is there an extra cost for implementing the new system?

· Will employees require additional training?

· How often is the software updated? And are there additional costs?

Selecting a new software for your business can be the spark needed to lead your business to new levels of success. Don’t allow good sales and marketing of a product to distract from missing requirements or uninspiring functionality. Follow Corvita Group on social media as we will be exploring this topic and more.