wuenqiinsights

Initial Situation

Before the WMS implementation, the alliance faced several challenges:

• Fragmented Systems: Car components were being managed through disconnected systems in different countries, making it difficult to have a global view of the inventory and supply chain.
• Inefficient Supply Chain: Without real-time data, optimizing purchasing and logistics strategies was challenging, leading to higher costs and inefficiencies across the supply chain.
• Lack of Global Coordination: Different teams, both within and across countries, had trouble coordinating their efforts due to the absence of a unified system for managing components.

My Contribution

As the product owner, my role was to guide the development and deployment of the WMS, ensuring it met the needs of all stakeholders across the global alliance:

• Scrum-Based Deployment: We adopted the Scrum methodology to deploy the WMS in phases, starting with a simple version that could be used for basic operations, and then progressively adding more complex functions based on the evolving needs of the teams.
• Global Coordination: I worked closely with teams from multiple countries, ensuring that the system was tailored to meet the requirements of different regions while maintaining a unified global vision. This required frequent communication and alignment with various departments, including supply chain, IT, and logistics.
• Customization and Flexibility: The WMS was designed to be flexible, allowing it to adapt to the specific needs of different countries and car components. This was particularly important given the diversity of components shared within the alliance and the varying logistical challenges across regions.
• Stakeholder Engagement: I regularly engaged with stakeholders from different functions—purchasing, logistics, and operations—to ensure the system addressed their pain points and provided the data they needed for decision-making.
• Phased Functionality Additions: As part of the Scrum approach, we added new functionalities over time, such as real-time inventory tracking, demand forecasting, which allowed the system to grow in complexity as user needs evolved.

Results

The deployment of the global WMS brought improvements to the alliance’s operations:

• Enhanced Visibility: The WMS provided a global view of car components, allowing teams to track inventory levels in real-time across multiple countries. This improved decision-making and led to more efficient management of shared components.
• Supply Chain Optimization: With real-time data and forecasting capabilities, the alliance was able to optimize purchasing and logistics strategies, reducing costs and improving the efficiency of the supply chain.
• Improved Coordination: The WMS facilitated better communication and coordination between teams in different countries, enabling them to work together more effectively and ensure a smoother flow of components across borders.
• Progressive Improvement: By using Scrum to gradually add more features to the system, we ensured that the WMS continuously evolved to meet the growing needs of the alliance, without overwhelming users with too many changes at once.