Nationwide Paper Distribution Company (in USA)

Having invested nearly $3m in the pilot sites for their new Warehouse Management System (WMS) the Retailer/Wholesaler was desperate to find out why they weren't getting the expected results.

This Retailer/Wholesaler operated over 100 warehouse and distribution facilities across North America and they had commissioned a major Software House to design, develop and implement new systems across the whole company, including a new WMS. The Software House had selected an existing system to integrate with the other new systems that they were developing and they could not understand why things were going so badly wrong.

I was called in to undertake a Neutral Assessment and report to the senior management teams of both the Software House and the Retailer/Wholesaler.

My report explained that the project had failed because the wrong WMS had been selected. The wrong WMS had been selected because neither the Software House nor the Retailer/Wholesaler had fully understood the business requirement. This lack of understanding had come about because the Retailer/Wholesaler had appointed the wrong person to specify their requirements and this situation had come about because they had decided to not employ a new, highly experienced, Logistics Vice-President to lead the project.

My report was accepted by both parties and I was asked to lead a new software selection process.