score
The operation currently depends on the skill of a small number of individuals compensating for processes the system does not capture. Each department below is assessed on the factors that determine whether that compensation holds under growth: data visibility, documented process, key-person dependency, capacity headroom, and error and rework rates.
Department scores
Each department is scored from 1 to 5 on its readiness to absorb additional volume. The score is the mean of the five assessment dimensions set out in the following section.
Order intake
Planning & approvals
Production
Warehouse & picking
Dispatch & carriers Breaks first
Data & systems
What's behind the scores
Five dimensions, scored from 1 (critical) to 5 (strong). Rows identify a department's weakest factor; columns identify company-wide patterns.
| Department | Data visibility | Process documented | Key-person risk | Capacity headroom | Error & rework |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order intake | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Planning & approvals | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Production | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Warehouse & picking | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Dispatch & carriers | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Data & systems | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
The bottleneck cascade
Resolving a single constraint transfers pressure to the next weakest point. The sequence below sets out where pressure lands as each constraint is resolved, and is the basis on which investment should be ordered.
Recommendations
Recommendations are ordered by impact against cost. Five of the eight require a decision only, at no financial cost. Savings shown are illustrative, derived from observed time and error rates.
| # | Fix | Department | Cost | Worth (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plan the next day's loads the afternoon before, and record fill at departure | Dispatch | Nil · process | ~45 min/day loading |
| 2 | Move the run-sheet freeze to midday, with a single afternoon release | Warehouse | Nil · policy | Ends the off-list stream |
| 3 | Capture amendments in the system at the point of change, not on paper | Warehouse | Config | ~£9k/yr rework |
| 4 | Reconcile case-level receipts against unit-level picks automatically | Data & systems | Config | Ends the weekly correction counts |
| 5 | "Stuck in approval" queue visible to the warehouse | Planning | Config | ~£12k/yr missed promises |
| 6 | One consolidated daily departures view for carrier bookings | Dispatch | Small build | ~1 hr/day + error risk |
| 7 | Surface date codes at pick so short-dated stock ships first | Warehouse | Config | ~£14k/yr expiry waste |
| 8 | Encode the ERP knowledge: decision matrix + documented data map | Data & systems | Included | Removes the single point of failure |
Assessment method
The assessment is completed in two to six weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the operation, for a fixed fee agreed in advance. Access to data is read-only; no new system is introduced.
The operation as it runs
Time on site with the people who carry out the work. Each stage is mapped as it operates in practice, not as documented. Blind spots are recorded as such, never estimated.
The account tested against the record
A read-only extract is taken from existing systems. Current performance, capacity and error rates are measured at each stage, and the operational account is verified against the data.
Scored, ranked and presented
This report, scored and ranked, is presented in person, where each finding can be examined against its supporting evidence.
Know what breaks first, before it does.
The System Health Check is a fixed-fee assessment, completed in two to six weeks depending on the size of the operation. The report is generated from site observation and data analysis, and is delivered in person, finding by finding. All figures in this sample are illustrative. Subscribers receive a report of this form each week: the Health Check is the Beyond Venn method carried out once; the subscription is the same method running continuously.