Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Do you feel stuck between a rock and a hard place?

The last place you want to be when exploring which order management system to choose for your manufacturing business is that stifling place that exists somewhere between a rock and a hard place. That dreaded space where you feel trapped.

We’d hate to think that the reason why you’re not moving forward with your growth plans is because you simply don’t know where to start to get yourself out of this rut. This is why we’ve developed a comprehensive – and easy to follow - audit process to help you unlock all the answers, achieve clarity, and to get you back on that path to success.

With the help of the audit, your focus and purpose will become clear and you’ll find it a lot easier to choose the ultimate OMS for your business – one that will grow with you and always meet your needs.

Stage 1: Your Business Vision

There are often a few stages to an audit process; the first one should focus on creating a solid, and extremely exciting, foundation on which to build other layers. This is why we recommend the first stage to be all about your business vision.

When you identify and become clear as to what your business vision is, and share it with others, it makes collaborations more powerful. With every member of the project team working towards a common goal, you can guarantee an optimised outcome.

It’s also incredibly inspiring. The act of planning and visualising a bright future for your business is beyond uplifting, it creates an infectious enthusiasm and instils a positive energy. This drive and zest for success will boost your innovative spirit and ambitions.

A clear business vision can change mindsets. We get that not everyone is comfortable with change – this in itself can be a barrier that prevents businesses from investing in custom manufacturing software. But by setting immediate and long-term goals you see that change is necessary to open up new opportunities and to grow.

To inject structure when mapping out of your business vision we recommend you consider these points:

1. Identify what your long-term vision is for the next 3 to 5 years.
2. How are you going to measure the success of your long-term vision?
3. What are your short, medium, and long-term goals?
4. Have you established any critical success factors?
5. What key performance indicators do you have in place?
6. What do you think is holding you back and preventing you from achieving your goals?
7. What are your plans to enhance the customer experience? Identify the challenges and any potential obstacles.
8. What opportunities do you want to capitalise on? Go on, think big on this one!
9. What is the most time-consuming element of running your business?
10. Where do you think you can save time and money in the customer experience or across your business?
11. What sales channels would you like in the future?
12. What technology would your business benefit from and what would you want the key functionality to be?
13. What’s your long-term vision for your OMS? Where do you want it to be in the future?

The ultimate OMS should support a business’ purpose, vision, and goals. The more detail you can give alongside timescales will ensure that your business automation software solution serves you, and your customers well at all times. And if you’re budget conscious too, then your business vision gives a focus on how to implement the OMS in tactical stages – this sustainable and scalable approach to growth keeps your costs on track without ever compromising on your aspirations.

Don’t make these three mistakes when developing your business vision

Don’t think about the functionality of your current system; this will block your motivation and positivity. Think big and imagine the impossible is possible.

Don’t think that you have to limit your innovation to be able to afford it. Investing in a bespoke manufacturing software solution means that you only pay for what you need unlike the off-the-shelf alternatives that contain a plethora of functions that you’ll never use.

Don’t think about any disruption to your business. Again, this will suppress your aspirations. You won’t need a complete software makeover, made to order manufacturing software can be seamlessly integrated with what you currently work with. We’ll make sure that you’ll always be ready for business even during the implementation stage.

In a nutshell, be bold with your vision and your goals.

Flexibility and scalability

Taking an in depth look at where your business is now, and the direction you want to take it in, puts you in complete control of your present and your future.

The way you answer this first stage of the audit process enables us to understand your business vision too and work out how we can add incredible value. We’ll be able to identify how we can futureproof your manufacturing process automation solution and make sure that it can sustainably grow with you – the way YOU want it to.