Reimagining Inventory Management For A Retail Major

Challenge:

This solution was for our customer, who is a large business that operates in the retail industry. They wanted to improve their inventory management process by automating manual tasks and gaining insights into their inventory data to optimize their supply chain operations.

Solution:

After evaluating various options with us, including custom .Net applications, our client decided to implement SharePoint with Power Automate and Power BI. The implementation process involved the following steps:

Planning: Our customer worked with Neologix business consultants, SharePoint architects and developers to develop a detailed plan for deploying an application which helped them streamline their business process by integrating with their SAP and other Management Information Systems (MIS). We used SharePoint, Power Automate, and Power BI for the final implementation. 

The project was of a very high magnitude, so we followed the Agile methodology, emphasizing flexibility, collaboration, and incremental progress. We implemented this project on a Time and Material basis. 

SharePoint Configuration: Our team of experts configured SharePoint to create a centralized platform for inventory data management with proper integration with their SAP. Neologix helped them set up site collections, document libraries, and lists to store inventory data.

Power Automate Automation: Neologix experts recommended using Power Automate to automate manual inventory management tasks (mostly collaborative tasks) such as tracking inventory levels, stock shortages, best-selling inventory and reordering products. We created automated workflows that triggered when inventory levels reached a certain threshold and sent alerts to purchasing teams to initiate the ordering process.

Power BI Reporting: Neologix used Power BI to create interactive reports and dashboards that provided real-time insights into inventory data. We made multiple reports, and employees with access rights could access reports which mattered to them. We also integrated Power BI with SharePoint to pull data from inventory lists and generate visualizations such as charts and graphs.

Training: Neologix always provides training to our customer’s employees to help them understand how to use the application we created effectively. The training covered data management, workflow automation, and report creation.

We provided separate training manuals for administrators, managers and end users to help the customer with change management and support requests. 

We also provided a real-time customer support forum where the customer’s employees could ask their questions/queries/feedback and get them addressed immediately by Neologix experts.

Results:

The implementation of SharePoint with Power Automate and Power BI helped our customer to achieve the following benefits:

Improved inventory management: Automating tasks helped reduce errors, improve accuracy, and optimize supply chain operations.

Real-time insights: Power BI helped our customer and their business heads and managers gain real-time insights into inventory data, enabling them to make informed decisions about inventory levels and product ordering. Real-time access to visual data was a game changer for the company.

Increased productivity: With automated workflows and real-time reporting, employees could work more efficiently, resulting in increased productivity.

Reduced costs: Automating inventory management tasks and optimizing supply chain operations helped reduce inventory management and ordering costs.

Implementing SharePoint with Power Automate, SharePoint Customisation, and Power BI helped our customer improve their inventory management process, gain real-time insights into inventory data, increase productivity, and reduce costs, resulting in a more efficient and effective business operation. Not to mention happy business managers and employees who were delighted after implementing the SharePoint solution.