A transportation management system (TMS) helps shippers cut costs, streamline operations, net in-depth supply chain visibility, and manage compliance risks stemming from global and industry-specific logistics laws and regulations. This all-in-one platform connects shippers to a global carrier network, logistics performance insights, and more—allowing them to take the right actions to increase competitiveness in an ever-evolving supply chain landscape.
But TMSs don’t just appear out of thin air. They come alongside a TMS provider—and for shippers to succeed with their new TMS from day one, not just any provider will do. Instead, shippers need a third-party logistics (3PL) partner dedicated to setting shippers up for long-term success and meeting their specific logistics needs by executing a comprehensive checklist of implementation milestones.
Sign off on TMS implementation agreements
An expert TMS provider should open their engagement by working with the shipper to draft a services agreement and supporting statement of work (SOW). These documents specify and ratify the agreed-upon implementation details that serve as the foundation for the shipper’s relationship with their 3PL provider. The right partner will ensure every contract term is clear before shippers sign. The provider should also diligently manage these agreements in a way that makes it easy for shippers to find and review within their TMS dashboard when necessary.
Assign a dedicated TMS implementation team
With contracts ironed out and signed, shippers and providers can proceed to the implementation kickoff, involving high-level discussions about key implementation timelines and a check-in cadence. At kickoff, providers should assign shippers a dedicated project team responsible for managing their account. This team may include:
- Project manager to coordinate all necessary implementation resources and tasks
- Executive sponsor serving as the shipper’s support and point of contact for escalating issues
- Finance team that defines general ledger (GL) coding and payment requirements
- Transportation team that understands the shipper’s carrier network and helps with carrier rate agreements
- IT team that supports the shipper’s TMS interface requirements
This stage should also involve showing the shipper that the project team has the right tools and relevant expertise to implement the TMS in the most effective way, such as industry-leading Atlassian products like Jira for automating logistics workflows and managing logistics projects and documentation.
Design all TMS systems to fulfill shipper requirements
At the system design phase, providers should help shippers identify the resources they will need for a successful TMS implementation, including data to transfer to the TMS and high-level executives to oversee the process.
From there, providers should work to understand the shipper’s current logistics processes, including how they receive orders, create shipments, assign carriers, schedule freight pickups, and receive and pay invoices. With this information, they can clarify the shipper’s specific TMS needs and identify how to configure and deploy the software to overcome them—while working around the shipper’s workflow preferences.
Build the TMS to proper specification
With the shipper’s TMS designed, the provider can begin core development. The shipper’s choice of provider will prove critical at this phase—and only a partner with a proven track record and nuanced approach like CTSI-Global can properly execute every step:
- Converting designed logic flows into technical requirements
- Implementing all technical requirements to specification
- Designing system interfaces to be intuitive and usable for all teams
- Populating tables with the right data, using manual and automated processes where appropriate
- Integrating the shipper’s existing carriers and business systems like ERPs into the TMS, so shipper teams have everything needed for optimal productivity
Test the platform thoroughly
Following the development of the shipper’s TMS, the provider should comprehensively test it to ensure all functionalities work as intended. A thorough testing phase includes:
- Internal unit testing: The provider tests every aspect of the TMS implementation to ensure all of the shipper’s requirements are fulfilled.
- User acceptance testing: The shipper’s leadership and logistics teams conduct hands-on testing to validate whether the platform meets their quality standards and needs.
For example, CTSI-Global follows a strict internal unit testing process before approving every shipper’s tailored TMS. And, as part of CTSI-Global’s user acceptance testing process, shippers and their carriers take part in a training program where they learn how to most effectively use and benefit from the Honeybee TMS implementation.
Implement the TMS across the shipper’s organization
Once end-to-end TMS testing is complete, the provider should work with the shipper to set a deployment date that satisfies all parties then notify partner carriers. Upon that date, the provider should support the shipper through a hypercare period, during which they identify and promptly fix unforeseen implementation problems.
At the same time, the provider’s project and account representatives should prioritize addressing support tickets that the shipper submits while using the TMS in the actual production environment. With Honeybee TMS, hypercare periods last as long as CTSI-Global needs to address all issues, at which point the shipper’s dedicated account team transitions to a long-term support model.
Meet CTSI-Global, a full-suite TMS implementation partner
As shippers look to embed logistics software that cuts costs and enables more productive, compliant collaborations with quality carriers, they need a partner with the expertise and resources to streamline the TMS implementation process and propel shipper operations.
CTSI-Global works with shippers to understand their logistics challenges then tailor the entire implementation of their Honeybee TMS solution to solve them. With this powerful software supporting efficient logistics workflows, shippers can better focus on delivering customer value and expanding their business’s reach into new markets.
Take the headaches out of optimizing global logistics. Contact CTSI-Global to seamlessly implement a robust TMS and tap into trusted expertise.
