Logistics is a sector where mistakes usually cost thousands of dollars at best and client relationships at worst. Problems with trucks, car accidents, theft, heavy unexpected traffic—over the years, I’ve learned the hard way how to be forearmed for every situation and minimize risks. Here are some steps that I outline and follow to perform swift operations. Even with the boom of AI systems, the human factor still remains crucial.
Finding the Real Problem:
If something doesn’t work—take your time to identify problems. Don’t blame others, but collect facts and analyze the whole picture. Whether it's breakdowns in communication, shipment delays, or inefficiencies in processes—find those underlying reasons. Remember, what lies on the surface might be a consequence, not the cause. Ask yourself and your team the right questions, conduct analysis, and ask your superior if needed.
Do your best to pinpoint the problem and create the best solution to get this issue out of the way, and brief your team on steps to follow next time it occurs. Or keep it in your books—keeping track of your solutions is an important task, saving you time by not reinventing the wheel the next time something similar occurs.
Analyzing Data:
Check key performance indicators like on-time delivery rates, inventory turnover, and transportation costs to ensure everything stays on track—literally and figuratively. Use data metrics to gain insights into your operational process, and check what's off track. This way, if a problem occurs, you’ll see what caused it and know the underlying reasons precisely. And if you follow the previous step, you’ll check your book for ideas on how to solve it.
Using Team Effort:
Logistics is about collaborative effort, and practical problem-solving needs a team approach. Be mindful throughout your work, and foster a culture of open communication by creating a safe space for your employees to share, brainstorm, and experiment. When you face problems, you could significantly leverage the diverse expertise within your company to solve challenges.
Cross-functional teams bring together experts with different skill sets and perspectives, which leads to great solutions. Promise you’ll never underestimate your team. Even the youngest, fresh perspectives can shed new light on business processes and offer surprising insights.
Adapting:
You never know what tomorrow brings, and it’s crucial to be able to adapt your strategy. Whether it’s a delayed shipment, weather advisories, new laws, or rules—have a plan B, C, and D to remain flexible and open to alternative approaches. My team and I sometimes play this game where we try to come up with new solutions to common issues in our sector or try to solve a problem that happened with our competitors. It helps to keep an eye on the prize and be prepared. You can't afford to say no to a customer or fail to deliver.
Improving:
Unfortunately, problem-solving is not a one-time thing but rather an ongoing process:
- Monitoring outcomes.
- Soliciting feedback from team members.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of your solutions helps refine your approach over time.
This allows us to stay one step ahead and support our operational excellence. I’d also recommend exploring new solutions by attending professional events and talking to experts from your field to know how others are coping with the same problems. Connect with companies in other regions who are not your straight competitors to pick each other's brains.
Embracing Technology:
Technology is everything, and it plays a significant role in today's logistics operations. From inventory management systems to route optimization software, it streamlines processes and increases business efficiency. I believe it’s important to check what technological advancements are available in the market and, after carefully examining them, integrate them into your operations. This can help optimize your problem-solving capabilities.
Logistics operations are not rocket science, however, it sometimes is if you don’t play your cards right or unforeseen accidents occur and you don’t have a plan B up your sleeve.
Here, I've shared my advice on how you can use simple steps that don't require extra costs, people, or other resources, but manage the risks of time that you can take to think about how to improve your processes to make the most seamless and uneventful deliveries.