Scenario $2$:

BrightPath Logistics, a regional logistics and supply chain management company, has been experiencing declining customer satisfaction and increasing operational costs. The company operates a network of warehouses and a fleet of delivery vehicles to serve businesses in the retail and manufacturing sectors$.$ Despite its once$-$leading position in the market, BrightPath Logistics has struggled to keep up with the rapid changes in demand and technology advancements in the logistics industry.

The CEO, Megan Lee, has conducted a preliminary review of the company's operations and provided you the following process narratives:

Order Processing:

When a customer places an order, the sales representative manually enters the order details into a standalone order management system. This information includes customer data, product details, and delivery requirements. Once entered, the order is printed and physically handed to the review team, who checks the order for accuracy and inventory availability. If any discrepancies are found, the order is returned to the sales team for clarification, causing delays.

Upon approval, the order is manually entered into the scheduling system for delivery planning.

Inventory Management:

Inventory management is currently handled through a combination of manual records and a basic database system. Warehouse staff update inventory levels at the end of each day based on shipments received and orders dispatched. These updates are then manually entered into the database, which is accessible only by the warehouse manager. This system does not provide real$-$time inventory levels, leading to potential stock discrepancies identified only during the manual reconciliation process, which occurs weekly.

Customer Communication:

Customer inquiries about order status or inventory availability are directed to customer service representatives $($CSRs$).$ CSRs must contact the warehouse manager via email or phone to obtain the latest inventory information or check the status of an order in the order management system. This process can be time$-$consuming, and the information provided to customers may not always be up to date

Delivery Scheduling:

Delivery scheduling is managed by a logistics coordinator using a spreadsheet$-$based system.

The coordinator assigns deliveries to drivers based on thiregion and estimated delivery routes.

This manual process requires the coordinator to consider multiple factors, including driver availability, vehicle capacity, and delivery urgency. The lack of automated scheduling tools often

leads to suboptimal routing decisions and scheduling conflicts that are resolved on a case$-$by$-$case basis.

Megan Lee is considering various options to address these challenges, including Business Process Automation $($BPA$),$ Business Process Reengineering $($BPR$),$ and the adoption of new technology solutions such as an ERP system or a CRM platform.

Required:

As a consultant hired by BrightPath Logistics, you are tasked with reviewing the as$-$is process and identifying issues and opportunities for improvement. Prepare a memo that includes:

$1.$An analysis of the current business processes, highlighting inefficiencies and areas prone$$to errors.

$2.$Recommendations for improving each identified area of concern through BA$,$ BPR$,$ or the adoption of technology solutions such as ERP or CRM systems. Explain how your recommendations would address the issues and lead to operational improvements.

$3.$Any anticipated challenges in implementing your recommendations and strategies to mitigate these challenges.

Megan is also super busy and loves bullet points.... #SaveMike #SavesT