In today’s landscape, companies – large or small – cannot do without careful process management to achieve the objectives outlined in the planning phase. Hence, careful and precise order management is essential to cope with the many complexities of industrial projects, ensuring excellent results on time.
From this point of view, a production on order represents a considerable advantage, since it allows you to acquire reliable data regarding the quality and timing of operational processes, as well as providing detailed information on the production value of individual activities.
So how to manage a job order optimally and what tools can help? Let’s find out together.
Whatis order management
Order management represents the strategic approach that allows you to plan, execute and monitor specific activities for a client, ensuring compliance with times, costs and quality.
Through the management of the order, it is possible to accurately monitor the lead time, the times required to complete a project, the productivity and efficiency related to each area or competence, as well as the associated management costs.
In this way, companies are able to respond faster to the different needs of customers, respecting their requests and generating a higher level of satisfaction.
The advantages of order management
As already mentioned, careful and punctual order management can bring multiple benefits to the company. Let’s see some of them:
- Greater efficiency: optimally stretching orders means planning and optimising company resources, with the aim of reducing waste and maximising the use of labour, machinery and materials.
- Quality improvement: Planning and constant control of activities ensure the highest quality standards, minimising errors and non-conformities.
- Competitiveness in the market: thanks to the correct management of orders, companies can respond quickly to market demands and offer ad hoc solutions, generating a consistent competitive advantage, which translates into greater customer loyalty and a stronger market positioning.
The challenges of order management
The management of the order is a rather complex activity due to several factors.
Among the challenges to be faced, the main ones are the following:
- Risk and variable management: the order is unique and there are numerous risks and variables that may arise in its implementation.
Hence, knowing how to manage unforeseen events becomes essential to ensure the timely completion of the project, without incurring additional costs. - Resource planning: the allocation of resources often represents a significant challenge in the management of orders. However, it is one of the main steps, as it ensures that personnel, equipment and materials are available when needed, avoiding overloads or delays.
- Communication with the customer and the team: in order for the order to be successfully completed, it is essential to adopt clear and transparent communication both on the customer side and internally with the members of your work team. In fact, communicating in an approximate or inaccurate way can generate misunderstandings, delays and dissatisfaction on the part of the customer.
The phases of order management
The management of the order is divided into several moments to be followed carefully to achieve the pre-established objectives. Let’s look at them below:
Planning and preparation
Each order – regardless of its type and size – must provide for an initial planning moment, in which all the production requirements and the individual activities to be carried out are precisely defined.
Contract production, in fact, does not follow a standard process but can vary significantly in relation to the client’s requests.
For this reason, it is necessary to establish in detail the different phases of the process and carefully plan each activity within them.
Execution and monitoring
Once the order has started, it is important to constantly monitor the progress of the activities, taking note and documenting each step of the production process with the related peculiarities.
This makes it possible to replicate, in the future, the processes that have proved effective and, at the same time, to identify any errors and inconsistencies, thus optimising the production flow.
Evaluation and optimization
At the end of the project, it is advisable to analyse the performance of the activities and their results, making a final assessment.
In this way, it is possible to obtain a complete and detailed overview of the different phases of the production process, assessing the effectiveness of company operations and optimising them for future orders.
The tools for managing the order
For precise and organized order management, companies can use several tools:
Project Management Software
Project Management software represents a significant support in the management of the order, since it allows you to manage projects in a highly accurate and effective way.
Thanks to their multiple features, it is possible to plan, organize and monitor the activities to be carried out and the resources necessary to complete a job, ensuring compliance with deadlines, budget and quality standards.
Agile Methodologies
Agile methodologies are based on short and concise development cycles called “sprints”, aimed at the continuous improvement of production dynamics.
At the end of each sprint, the result obtained is evaluated and, if necessary, adapted based on the feedback received or the new needs of the client.
This approach allows you to manage orders flexibly and adaptively, responding quickly to evolving customer requirements and priorities.
The software for managing the order
As we have seen, the management of the order is a particularly structured activity, which needs technological support to be developed at its best.
Among the best software solutions available at the moment, we cannot fail to mention CyberPlan RSP. It is an integrated Project Management platform, which allows you to organize and monitor production operations in an agile and effective way.
With the help of CyberPlan RSP, it is possible to simplify and, at the same time, accelerate the planning, execution and review processes of projects, coordinating tasks, resources and activities through a single interface.
If you are looking for an advanced tool to make order management more streamlined and organized, increasing the level of service and reducing process times, CyberPlan is the solution for you.
Discover all the potential and benefits of this latest generation software with our experts. We will answer all your questions and guide you in the best choice for your company.