A lot of companies who have a particular employee who takes on the role of expediter look at work order software. Someone in engineering, manufacturing or even accounting may be this particular person within a company. Mindful of all the details, he or she has specific functions that must be carried out. The get-it-done person is the one who is usually in charge of all the many functions of the organization.

Paperwork and materials is usually what an expediter spends their day handling. Included in the ordering and manufacturing process, these two things – paper and materials – travel from station to station within the organization. Synchronizing these efforts is the job of the expeditor, and is the key area where things can go wrong, materials and paperwork are lost or detained, and schedules blown.

Organizing all the people within an organization is a challenge for any expeditor. Generally, each process the expeditor manages is planned and mandated by the project leader. One of these processes might be having to order a particular element for a manufacturing station. The expeditor begins by getting engineering to specify the right part number. Then she has production specify the amount and place an order. Accounting creates a purchase order for a specific company, and then sometime later, the part arrives at receiving. Quality Assurance section receives the part for inspection and then it would go to the appropriate manufacturing station in order to use. If accounting is overwhelmed or delayed in the purchase order procedure, a problem then occurs in the buying process. If the Quality Assurance division never received the part there also lies a problem. Most companies find that this process can go awry. Furthermore, it only takes one late element on a one hundred-part assembly to delay the entire assembly.

At this stage, the expeditor steps in. She monitors the process to make sure everything is happening on time. They will be responsible for any delays in accounting and need to resolve the difficulties appropriately. The schedule will need to be adjusted appropriately, where the expeditor will advise the project leader that the part is delayed and they subsequently take action.

Having an expeditor can increase an otherwise bogged down function, but just imagine if the function of the expeditor were automated, as it would be with work order software. The schedule and material list from the project supervisor is the driving force for this distinct software. The controlling software will generate the email to implement each of the purchase orders at the correct time, in the proper quantities. As the purchase order is completed, the software maintains the electronic document and checks off that the task is done. Each task is not marked complete until the output is passed to the next station, ensuring the process is forced forward. If any component of the process is late, the person in charge of that step is notified, as is the project manager. Then the PM, who has far more authority than an expeditor, can evaluate if he wants to wield his power to reorder the priorities of the person who is slowing down the step.

The controlling software does not only work nicely for each project, it is wonderful after the fact. This software can identify which divisions are creating unnecessary delays, resolve the issues and get the project back to normal in sufficient time frames.

Each company that is manually handling their work orders should look into the tremendous benefits of work order software.