To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted confidential information in this case study. The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Anchanto. All designs are part of Anchanto's intellectual property.
About the project
Anchanto debuted in Singapore with the aim of streamlining backend e-commerce tasks for businesses. Following numerous rounds of development, they crafted the Anchanto E-Warehouse Management System, a web solution built entirely from the ground up.
While it possessed all the necessary functionalities, its design was as rudimentary as it came, lacking any involvement from a design team.
The original eWMS website
The Challenge
"Elevating A Rudimentary website into a sophisticated and user-centric web application."
Beyond my official job description,
my responsibilities expanded significantly.
Problem Statement
How might we ensure a successful global launch of the new and improved version of the WMS product while maintaining complete backwards compatibility with the legacy product and adding unique new features?
Why redesign?
Made more than 10 years ago
This website was made a long time ago and it was directly coded by 3 engineers
No design involvement
Since this solution was purely made by developers, there was no involvement of any designer or any design process
Poor adoption rates
The system was difficult to use as per feedback from many customers, leading to poor adoption rates.
High training costs
The complexity of the current system required extensive training for new users
Competitive disadvantage
In today’s competitive market, this dated solution was a disadvantage, not at par with its other competitors.
Negatively impacting company image
This old-fashioned system was negatively impacting the company’s brand image externally as well as internally.
Impact
“We were able to capture all the details from order processing until inventory and even the location of the stock. The processes are simplified and the platform is easy to use.”
Director
UrStore
“With Anchanto’s SaaS technology, we completed 97.5% order fulfilment within 48 hours with minimum manpower.”
Head of Ecommerce
Poney
“Our business has grown from 30 to 6000 orders per day, thanks to Anchanto’s powerful system.”
CEO
Cloud Logic
Approach
Domain Understanding
When I joined the company, I did not know what the logistics domain entails. My experience had been limited to the consumer perspective, primarily as an enthusiastic e-commerce shopper.
What is Warehouse Management?
Warehouse management is the act of organising and controlling everything within your warehouse – and making sure it all runs in the most optimal way possible.
Warehouse management encompasses the task of efficiently organizing and overseeing all operations within a warehouse. This involves:
✅ Organizing the layout of the warehouse and managing its inventory effectively.
✅ Ensuring the availability and proper maintenance of necessary equipment.
✅ Handling the intake and management of new stock entering the facility.
✅ Executing tasks such as picking, packing, and shipping orders accurately and promptly.
✅ Monitoring and enhancing overall warehouse performance through tracking and implementing improvements.
Most high-growth retailers use automation tools like some form of Warehouse Management Systems to control this part of their supply chain.
The Warehouse Management Process
Users
Gathering Insights
With the help of the implementation team and solution consultants, I gathered insights from the existing WMS users.
Major Pain Points
Legacy WMS limitations
Constrained capabilities and obsolete technology impede the scalability of the enterprise.
Complex management of multiple customers and operations
This leads to time-consuming onboarding procedures and a deficiency of user-friendly systems to optimize operations.
Manual and disjointed operations prevail
Many companies relying on Excel sheets for daily tasks, resulting in inefficiencies and inaccuracies.
Expectations
Custom flow design and flexibility
Full flexibility while choosing the operation flows based on the working style as well as custom virtual location setup.
Multiple roles and personas
Tailored view for each user role based on their use cases along with flexibility to manage roles and permissions.
Modular warehouses
Effortless incorporation of warehouses, customers, and locations as business grows, eliminating the need for transitioning to another system.
Visual overview of warehouse
A bird's-eye view of the entire warehouse layout, leveraging virtual locations to empower users in optimizing capacity utilization and identifying efficient picking routes.
PROCESS FLOWS
Based on the insights, I started creating process flows. These helped in getting a clear picture of how the UI flow should be made.
THE SOLUTION
Despite technically being a redesign, we focused on enhancing the product's robustness and functionality by introducing several unique features.
This approach aimed to elevate its performance and provide users with an enriched experience.
✳️ Introduction of an Admin Panel
Warehouse Management Systems can be very complex due to the varied requirements of different customers. Creating custom workflows for each client isn't scalable in the long run.
To address this, we structured the application to allow customers to tailor components and process flows according to their unique needs. Through an admin panel, users could select warehouse setup components, order processing flows, and inventory configurations and much more.
ONBOARDING AND CONFIGURATION
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Flexibility in choosing the type of account based on the customer type
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Complete freedom in selection of hierarchical storage types present in the customer's warehouse
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Define number of admin and regular users
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Process flow wise selection which reflects in the solution
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Selection here will affect the validations in the application
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Add-on features can be enabled based on the type of goods stored in the warehouses
✳️ Roles and permissions Module
With over 5 types of users anticipated to use the solution, we developed a modular system and application view tailored to each user role. By analyzing various use cases, we defined permissions and crafted a detailed user role matrix to guide the implementation.
User Role Matrix
breadcrumb
primary left navigation for main modules
actions
tabular content
secondary navigation for submodules
List of users
pagination
Create new user
Roles list
Setting Up The Warehouse
The upcoming iteration of WMS is poised to enhance operations across all scales, seamlessly integrating both fundamental and intricate supply chain logistics. We provided the user a fully flexible warehouse facility module to map his physical locations virtually.
WAREHOUSE FACILITIES
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Hierarchy wise setup of locations
Information on capacity and status of locations
Bulk creation and download functionality
Create new location
Location details
Bulk activities
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A dedicated space to view all bulk actions and status
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User can easily bulk create locations using ready excel templates
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Status of all actions shown clearly to user
Inventory Setup
We developed a thorough inventory module to offer users a comprehensive overview of their stock. Additionally, we included sub-modules that distinguish between top-selling and slow-moving products, enabling users to inbound only the necessary stock based on demand fluctuations.
PRODUCT LIST
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Distinct tabs to see stock wise product list
Comprehensive filters to find items easily
Product stock details indicated with color for full visibility
Stock locations can easily be tracked
Additional insightful lists of top selling and slow moving products
Detailed product view with information on every aspect related to product
PRODUCT DETAILS
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Product total stock as well as status-wise count indicated visually
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User can easily track which locations the product is stored at
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Inbound and outbound shipments listed with tracking option
Inbound: Receiving Stock
To manage the entire inbounding process, we created sub-modules based on the logical process flow. The inbound manager would start by creating a purchase order based on the need. Once the order reaches the warehouse, the warehouse staff receives it and creates a goods received note.
PURCHASE ORDER LISTING
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Submodules on the left navigation placed in a logical sequence for the user.
Similar logic used for grouping purhased orders into tabs based on status.
User can easily view the SLA and process the orders based on it.
Best action for the user is shown upfront.
CREATE GRN
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When the purchase order consignment arrives in the warehouse, the user creates a Goods Received Note and acknowledges receipt of the order.
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Feature to select the condition of the consignment and attach photo for tracking purpose.
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Total SKU and Quantity highlighted on top and prepopulated in input fields to reduce cognitive load.
GRN LISTING
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From the listing page, the user has complete visibility of the status of the GRN along with the ability to track it.
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User can receive the consignment and track the progress based on the SLA status highlighted in different colors.
Inbound: Count and Put Away
Once the consignment is received, the next process is to count the items, check their quality and then put them away in their designated location in the warehouse. Once all steps are complete, the purchase order is marked as complete.
GRN LISTING - IN PROCESS
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The in process GRN listing page has a process flow clearly indicated on top with clickable tabs.
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If all tab is selected, the status column shows the exact process that the consignment is in currently with visual indicators.
COUNTING & QUALITY CHECK
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This page will look different based on the customer's selection in the admin panel
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For a configuration of count + qc together, the inbound staff can sequentially add counts based on the product unit quality to complete the process.
PUT AWAY
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Once count and QC is completed, the inbound staff can proceed to put the products on their designated location.
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User can scan/enter the location barcode and proceed to place each unit by scanning its serial number which is given in the list.
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System will automatically suggest the best locations based on history and category of product.
Orders: Picking
Orders are created and then picked and packed by the designated user roles. We grouped them based on the stage of the process they were in. The picking process involves retrieving products from storage to fulfil customer orders, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
ALL ORDERS LIST
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The order module consists of orders under various statuses such as picking, packing, problem, return etc.
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Easy filters and colour coded tags for SLAs and order status.
BULK CREATION OF ORDERS
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Many customers use third party tools to register orders. To make the process quick, users have an option to directly upload the orders using provided excel template.
ASSIGNING PICKER
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The orders once created, need to be picked from the warehouse locations by pickers. The order manager can assign the pickers for each order.
PICKING ORDERS
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The products can be picked based on one of the 4 parameters- by order, by category, by product and location.
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User can scan the product details in the top section by referring to the list below .
Orders: Packing
Order packing in a warehouse entails carefully packaging picked items into appropriate shipping containers, ensuring protection and correct labeling.
PACKING ORDER
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Post picking, order moves to packing step where the packer completes a quality check, selects the appropriate packing material and prints the necesssary documents like shipping label and invoice.
Dispatch
Dispatch in a warehouse refers to the final stage where packed orders are handed over to the shipping carrier for delivery to customers. This critical step involves verifying shipment details, coordinating logistics, and ensuring timely departure to meet delivery deadlines.
CREATE NEW MANIFEST
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At the time of dispatch, a manifest is created. This can be a group of multiple orders sent with a common shipping carrier.
HANDOVER TO CARRIER
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The manifests can be selected in bulk and handed over to the carrier. Post this, the status changes to out from warehouse.
Stock Management: Cycle Count
Stock cycle counting audits inventory periodically, enhancing accuracy by reconciling recorded data with actual counts of select items. This practice prevents stock discrepancies, optimizing efficiency and customer satisfaction in warehouse management.
CYCLE COUNT
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Based on the configuration during account setup, the admin will be alerted for a cycle count.
The admin will assign users to perform the audit process.
CYCLE COUNT PROCESS
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During the cycle count, the assigned warehouse staff goes to each location and notes the product quantity and quality.
Post counting, user sends it for approval to the admin.
Visual Overview of Warehouse and its Operations
One standout feature I conceptualized was the warehouse overview module, which integrated functionalities such as a capacity map, heatmap, and picking route optimizations. This comprehensive feature offers users a holistic view of their entire warehouse, showing utilization levels, identifying heavily used locations, and providing optimized picking routes. By consolidating these elements into a single interface, users can gain valuable insights to streamline warehouse operations and enhance efficiency.
CAPACITY OVERVIEW
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The entire warehouse layout can be viewed based on the selected warehouse facility. The layout will be drilled down accordingly.
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The layout is colour coded based on its status - empty or used.
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The overview of the warehouse storage usage is indicated on the right with information on available locations.
WAREHOUSE HEATMAP
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The warehouse heatmap gives a real time overview on how busy each picking location is using colour coding. This information is helpful as the warehouse admin can optimise the picking route based on this.
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The user can hover over any box to see the details
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The chart on the right indicates how much of the picking is completed.
DASHBOARD
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The dashboard is the landing page of the application. Here the user gets a glimpse of all the warehouse processes based on their statuses.
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The cards are adjustable based on user preference.
Mobile App
Interestingly, a significant portion of our users were warehouse staff constantly on the move – pickers, packers, dispatchers, and more. Their tasks required real-time completion, facilitated by PDA devices (handheld mobile devices. To meet their needs, we developed a mobile app with all the required functionalities, streamlined for ease of use. Through multiple iterations and brainstorming sessions, we crafted a comprehensive mobile application tailored to their workflow requirements.
Learnings
I have elaborated more on my learnings in the below medium article.
Do check it out. :)