IT
MANUFACTURING
July 2012
&LOGISTICS
Get smart on mobility In this edition of Manufacturing & Logistics IT we feature a special report on Workforce Management. This covers many of the current key talking points and latest innovations in the WFM solutions space, as well as what may have driven these developments. One of the key themes considered is whether there is still a strong case for standalone Workforce Management systems or whether there are now more benefits to be had with this type of functionality being integrated within a wider suite. We also look at the Software as a Service (SaaS) model (and the Cloud concept in general) and aim to determine whether it has had any notable level of impact on the Workforce Management-related software solutions market so far. And as a closing teaser we consider what might be the next key developments to look out for in the world of Workforce Management-related software solutions over the next year or two. The current array of WFM systems can be found in many guises, including those that set out to facilitate better scheduling of workforce capacity in the factory or warehouse, systems that look to increase the efficiency of field service personnel, and many more besides. And as a complement to the views and information contained within the report we thought we would also take a look at recent research findings released by Workforce Management solutions provider Cognito. This research indicates that some 55 per cent of enterprises are struggling to get their workforces to adopt mobility. The findings suggest that over half of enterprises find user adoption of mobility solutions a key issue within their organisation. The research was conducted among over 200 operations, IT and service directors by Redshift Research. Sectors surveyed included retail, distribution, manufacturing, construction and business /professional services. Limited time, budget and resources were declared to be the biggest issues hindering the successful adoption of mobility solutions (36 per cent). The most important factors positively affecting the uptake of mobile technology among the workforce were cited as usability of the technology (33 per cent) and employee understanding of the rationale behind implementation (23 per cent). Despite engagement issues, the research indicates that organisations recognise employee usage and enthusiasm as the most important factor when measuring the success of adoption (33 per cent), alongside increased productivity and service levels.
Ed Holden Editor
Poor executive sponsorship and employee engagement were seen to contribute to slow rates of adoption, with 27 per cent stating these as key issues. Jonathan Chevallier, strategic development director at Cognito, said the results from this survey confirm that despite the wide availability of consumer mobility solutions, smartphones, apps and geo-location tools, there is still a lack of adoption across organisations of all sizes. Chevallier added that organisations can address these barriers head on by considering the implementation of a mobility solution as a large enterprise project, with appropriate allocation of resource, time and change management for sustained, organisation-wide benefits. With many organisations declaring their workforce to be their primary asset, surely it would make sense to ensure that staff are fully informed as to the benefits to be had – both in terms of their own personal daily work regime and for the overall good of the organisation – from the deployment of mobility solutions. As Chevallier says, the involvement of employees and explaining the rationale behind technology implementation is critical from the outset of any project. With the many business and operational benefits to be had from mobility solution deployment it could be time well spent giving such a project priority while also evangelising your staff in order to reap maximum advantage.
IT
MANUFACTURING
July 2012
&LOGISTICS
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