Roundup: Catalog Fulfillment and Operations

Focus

To be effective, fulfillment managers must maintain a laser-like concentration on the key performance indicators of their departments. They follow a simple dictum: Less is more, and sooner is better than later.

Typically, savvy managers generate a dashboard of key indicators every morning, with weekly and monthly summaries. They can differentiate and distill actionable data from the continuous flow of information crossing their desks. The specific metrics depend on the activities being measured, but in general, I’m talking about workload and staffing projections in relation to actual results, labor costs per transaction, transactions per hour, and operating cost as a percentage of net sales.