Jim Collins states in his book Good to Great that execution is key to the success of any company. While you can have a great strategy, strategy alone will not overcome poor execution. He also talks about how the use of technology helps good companies to execute better. But note that technology will never save a company that is already in trouble. So how does this relate to the world of retail, distribution, and the business world we live in today? Simply put, you need to use technology to measure your execution and take action when it is not shown to be optimal in the field.

How execution data collection can be used

A prime example of this was a client from a former life when I worked in graphics manufacturing. Each quarter we would produce their quarterly promotional package, bundle the pieces for distribution, then ship it to their stores all over the world. There would be late-night runs to the FedEx distribution facility at DFW Airport to make sure every last package got out on time. But inevitably, we would find out 2 or 3 days later that someone had forgotten to update the store list. Sometimes it was that the store had moved, while other times we found the layout of the store had changed.

This was the first link in the chain that would begin to break. Then we would get called about other stores 5 to 7 days later saying they didn’t receive the materials because a company executive stopped by and their new promotional materials weren’t up. Every time we would pull the FedEx tracking numbers and show that in fact the materials had been delivered and that they were delivered on time. Someone in the store had failed to do their job.

What should you do for mobile data collection?

What does this story have to do with technology and execution? Simple, a little self-promotion never hurt anyone, EasyCheck. Start your quarterly promotional rollout by asking each location for a store profile. You prevent wasting time and eventually material being sent to the wrong store layout. Once you send the materials to the store, start by asking simple questions in your assignments. Questions like “Did you receive the quarterly materials in good condition?” are great ways to set up workflows to notify the right people when items arrived damaged.

Another place to start would be to notify the person responsible for shipping. They can begin the process of recovering your losses from the shipper. You should also notify your supplier or marketing team so they can send new materials quickly to the store’s location.

If they did get the materials in good condition, they execute on the marketing department’s vision. Ask your team members to take a photo of the materials installed in the store. This will give your team in the home office visual confirmation that the tasks were done right. There would be no confusion as to when or if it were completed.

How does EasyCheck help us with these activities?

We build EasyCheck to be your centralized platform for all your data collection needs. Setting up an easy to run assignment for all of your locations only takes a couple of minutes and can be distributed in seconds. Setup your workflows for an even easier time to ensure things are executed flawlessly. Having alerts and additional tasks kick off in seconds of response ensures everyone knows what is happening in the field without you having to follow up on each and every response. Take a minute and contact us to discuss how we can help your team begin the process of collecting your execution data and ensuring you are executing perfectly.