MILWAUKEE -- RedPrairie Corp. has unveiled its Execution Management solution for petroleum and convenience stores. Used by retailers such as Best Buy, Borders, JCPenney and Lowe's, RedPrairie's solution is now available to c-store operators for the first time.
Execution management closes the gap between corporate sales strategy and retail program execution by providing task strategists, gatekeepers and managers a comprehensive view of chain-wide operations and workloads to enable customization and optimization of projects and tasks, the company [image-nocss] said.
Execution Management is the latest addition to RedPrairie's E2e Retail suite, which provides a comprehensive and well-integrated suite of applications for managing retail, hospitality and foodservice operations. Together, these solutions address a full spectrum of site and headquarters operations, including workforce management, inventory management, operations management, learning management and performance management.
"We are building additional features and functionality at a rapid pace to keep up with the high demand of c-store operators excited to capitalize on the visibility and granular control that execution management provides," said Kim Eaton, president of the RedPrairie Retail Productivity Division.
Execution Management can be used to address new product launches and promotions, standard operational procedures, price changes and audits, facilities maintenance and location remodeling and conversion.
The application consists of two interconnected modules, Task Manager and Task Calendar, each a key function of successful execution management. Task Manager turns communication, task execution and monitoring into a manageable, completely controlled process. Using templates configured specifically to meet a c-store chain's needs, managers fully describe interactive projects online. Each process includes milestone dates, personalized task assignments, time estimates for each task and diagrams of key task information to assist staff. The module's best-practices templates offer a simple and effective way to share ideas that are working in top-performing sites.
The Task Calendar gives users a view of all initiatives by month, by week or by quarter. Each project is color-coded for easy identification, and the calendar is personalized to focus on the issues of importance to each user's role in the organization. The module's dynamic scheduling ability allows users to analyze labor requirements by site, identifying potential overload situations.
All RedPrairie users receive a personalized task list each day, so they can identify all duties ,and which are most critical. As each task is completed, the employee checks it off the list. Drill down screens with the Task Manager reveal task execution details including information required for completion of the task, links to best practices that may be applicable to the task, feedback comments and a place to record exceptions and raise issues.
Monitoring and Compliance screens track the status of each task within a process. Managers can view who completed each task, and if it was completed on schedule. The District Manager's View of the Monitoring and Compliance screen gives a summary view of the status of all processes assigned to sites in the district. The DM can drill into any of the process to proactively identify issues and assist the specific site. The screen view gives a clear indication if certain sites are experiencing multiple problems meeting schedules.
The Feedback Manager gives managers a way to gather information about sites, competitors and employees. Depending on the type of feedback response selected, a graph or a listing will display results that can be printed or shared. Types of reports include root-cause analyses, site rankings, real-time compliance reports, audit results and employee job satisfaction surveys.
These reports help managers identify gaps in performance and best practices that can be applied across the entire chain.
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