LoadReady Master Data Kit

Your item master decides
whether go-live works.

An item can read as fully complete on screen and still carry a case dimension smaller than the units inside it. The warehouse cannot cube it, slot it or pack it. Most teams find that out during go-live, when fixing it costs the most.

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Master objects carry most of the risk: the customer master and the item master
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Failure modes account for most migrations that go wrong: incompleteness, inaccuracy, duplication
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Phases from a messy extract to data that is governed after go-live
The problem

Three ways master data sinks a project

A warehouse system inherits its master data from the ERP. If the customer and item masters are wrong, go-live exposes every gap at once.

◻︎

Incompleteness

A required field is empty. The new system rejects the record at load, or takes it and then cannot run the process that needs it. An item with no case dimensions cannot be slotted. A customer with no valid ship-to cannot be shipped to.

◼︎

Inaccuracy

The field is filled in and the value is wrong. A unit of measure conversion that does not reconcile. A case weight lower than the weight of the units inside it. These pass a visual check and fail in operation.

Duplication

The same real customer or item exists more than once under slightly different names. Stock splits across two codes. Orders attach to the wrong record. Reporting double counts.

Completeness and correctness are different tests. Completeness tells you what is missing. Validation tells you what is wrong. You need both before go-live, which is why every tool in the kit scores two things rather than one.

Where you stand

Five levels of master data maturity

Most businesses running a first WMS project sit at level 1 or 2. A migration needs to clear level 4 before cutover, then reach level 5 to hold it.

1

Unmanaged

Data lives in spreadsheets, email and individual memory. No standard for a complete record. No named owner.

2

Reactive

People fix records when something breaks. No specification, so every fix is a one-off and the same problems return.

3

Defined

Mandatory fields, valid values and ownership are written and agreed. Nobody measures how far the real data sits from the standard.

4

Measured

Readiness shows as a number per object. Gaps are visible before they reach a live system. This is the level a migration needs to clear.

5

Governed

Standards are enforced when data is created. Named stewards own each object. New records meet the specification before they are saved.

The kit

Three tiers, plus a review if you want it run for you

Vendor neutral and ERP generic. It works for any ERP and feeds any warehouse system. Nothing in it reproduces a vendor's configuration.

Item Tracker
Free

Start here. Five minutes to a number.

  • Paste your item list, keep the column order
  • Scores unit of measure, dimensions and weight at each handled level
  • Lists exactly which fields are missing, per item
  • Summary sheet gives the overall completeness figure

Checks whether fields are present. Does not check whether they are correct.

Get it free
Core
R1,450

For a project that has started.

  • The LoadReady Method, the full six stage guide
  • Quick Start, five minutes to read
  • Item Validator with a two part scorecard
  • Customer Validator with a two part scorecard

Adds validation: pallet quantity reconciliation, weight and cube sanity, range limits, unit consistency. Catches data that is filled in but wrong.

Buy Core
Complete
R3,950

For a dated go-live.

  • Everything in Core
  • Master Data Specification, field by field
  • Worked Example, the method applied end to end
  • Roadmap and Maturity Model
  • Reconciliation Pack with a sign-off log
  • Governance Pack to hold quality after go-live

The full set. Covers you from baseline assessment through to governance.

Buy Complete
Readiness Review

We profile your real extract, score both master objects, and give you the gap list and a phased remediation plan with owners and dates. Two weeks. Run by OptiChain Solutions.

R55,000
Talk to us
Free download

Score your item master this week

Twenty rows is enough to see how it works. You get a completeness figure per item and a list of what is missing.

What you get

The LoadReady Item Tracker, an Excel workbook with three sheets. No macros, nothing to install.

1
Read me
What it does and how to use it
2
Item Completeness
Your data, scored per row
3
Summary
Total items, complete, incomplete, average

We use your go-live date to decide whether to send you anything else. No date, no follow-up beyond the download.

Send me the Item Tracker

Five fields. The download appears as soon as you submit.

We reply within 1 business day if you asked us to.

Here is your tracker

Open the Read me sheet first, then replace the sample rows on Item Completeness with 20 of your own items.

Download the Item Tracker (xlsx)