Over the course of a week, my colleagues and I spent 8 hours each day at the warehouse actively participating in the picking process. Due to our lack of prior experience with the existing paper picking system, we were well-suited test subjects and gathered valuable data on user behavior, both among existing system users and new users.

Existing System Users: Avg 2 Batches per hour, 11 JT Picked
New Users: Avg 1/2 Batch per hour, 11 JT Picked

Additionally, I conducted additional interviews and surveys to validate my observations.

Overwhelming number of job tasks (JT) in one batch: Users struggled with handling numerous JT tasks in a single batch, leading to potential errors and delays.

Challenges in locating items: Users encountered difficulties when searching for items. This included not only the challenge of finding the correct item but also instances where items were not present due to incorrect inbound locations. Additionally, users sometimes had to navigate to multiple locations, further increasing the time required for item retrieval.

‍Manual Item Counting for Efficient Routes: Users had to manually count items to optimize their picking routes, resulting in inefficiencies.

‍Items misplaced on shelves: Users encountered issues with items stored in the wrong shelves, causing confusion.

‍Security concerns and lost items: Management faced security concerns and inventory accuracy issues, including lost items.

‍Worker accountability and productivity: Management struggled to monitor worker performance and ensure accountability.

‍Returned JT due to missing items: The packing station sent back multiple JT tasks as returns due to missing items, causing delays.