Transportation management system

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Transportation Management System (TMS) is a software system designed to

manage transportation operations.

TMS are one of the systems managing the supply chain. They belong to a sub-group called Supply chain
execution (SCE). TMS, whether it is part of an Enterprise Level ERP System or from an integrated "Best of
Breed" Independent Software Vendor(ISV) has become a critical part of any (SCE) Supply Chain
Execution and Collaboration System in which real time exchange of information with other SCE modules
has become mission critical.

In more recent times, we have seen that these systems are being offered in many different types of
licensing arrangements. These different arrangements have given shippers who otherwise would not be
able to afford sophisticated software the opportunity to utilize TMS to better manage this vital function.
The 3 primary offerings are:

 1. On-Premise Licensing (traditional purchased license)

 2. Hosted (remote, Saas, Cloud)
 3. On-Premise Hosted Licensing (a blend of 1 & 2)

Additionally, we are seeing that some software providers have either been acquired or merged with
traditional supply chain management consultancies and are now offering shippers "blended" managed
and software services as an outsourced process. Primary Tier 1 TMS providers are still independent,
carrier and 3PL neutral, and ERP neutral.

TMS usually "sits" between an ERP or legacy order processing and warehouse/distribution module. A
typical scenario would include both inbound (procurement) and outbound (shipping) orders to be
evaluated by the TMS Planning Module offering the user various suggested routing solutions. These
solutions are evaluated by the user for reasonableness and are passed along to the transportation
provider analysis module to select the best mode and least cost provider. Once the best provider is
selected, the solution typically generates electronic load tendering and track/trace to execute the
optimized shipment with the selected carrier, and later to support freight audit and payment
(settlement process). Links back to ERP systems (after orders turned into optimal shipments), and
sometimes secondarily to WMS programs also linked to ERP are also common. Most TMS systems help
shipper directly work with asset-based carriers and support dis-intermediation (including avoiding use of
non-asset based brokers and other intermediaries).

Contents
  [hide]

1 Functionalities
2 Key Benefits
o 2.1 Route Planning and
Optimization
o 2.2 Load Optimization
3 Other TMS markets
4 References

[edit]Functionalities

Transportation Management Systems manage three key processes of transportation management:

 1. Planning and Decision Making

TMS will define the most efficient transport schemes according to given parameters, which have a lower
or higher importance according to the user policy: transport cost, shorter lead-time, fewer stops
possible to insure quality, flows regrouping coefficient…

 2. Transport follow-up

TMS will allow following any physical or administrative operation regarding transportation: traceability
of transport event by event (shipping from A, arrival at B, customs clearance…), editing of reception,
custom clearance, invoicing and booking documents, sending of transport alerts (delay, accident, non-
forecast stops…)

 3. Measurement

TMS have or need to have a Logistics KPI reporting function for transport.

Various functions of a TMS:

 Planning and optimizing of terrestrial transport rounds

 Transportation mode and carrier selection
 Management of air and maritime transport
 Real time vehicles tracking
 Service quality control
 Vehicle Load and Route optimization
 Transport costs and scheme simulation
 Shipment batching of orders
 Cost control, KPI (Key performance indicators) reporting and statistics
 Typical KPIs include but not limited to:

1.  % of On Time Pick Up or Delivery Performance relative to requested

2. Cost Per Metric - mile; km; Weight; Cube; Pallet
[edit]Key Benefits

[edit]Route Planning and Optimization

 Reduce Distribution Costs & Fleet Miles - Daily routes are created using powerful algorithms and
street-level routing, in conjunction with your business constraints

 Increase Resource Utilization-Make better use of existing resources by delivering more and
driving less. The answer to increasing volume is not always to put more vehicles on the road, but to
make smart, efficient

 Make Sound Business Decisions -Understand how delivery costs affect the profitability of each
customer by knowing the actual cost per stop

 Set Driver Standards - Creating route plans and gathering actual information allows you to set
performance standards and expectations-which can result in less overtime and better driver
performance

 Decrease Routing Time - Let your routers spend less time configuring routes and more time
assessing what-if scenarios to produce better, more efficient routes.

 Contingency Planning - Prepare for holiday or seasonal spikes and other "what if" scenarios

 Reports - Driver manifests, maps, directions, resource utilization, customer delivery cost, actual
versus projected by route and by stop, planned route summaries and many more reports to help
you consistently evaluate your success
[edit]Load Optimization
 Accurate and Quick Load Design for Multiple Route Types - Each type of route requires different
loading patterns. Determine (or assign) equipment to warehouse bays with capacities, preferences
or even empty bays for returned goods

 Multiple Loading Strategies - Different delivery operations require different loading strategies.
Warehouse-friendly software allows for greater picking efficiencies by grouping SKUs. Driver-friendly
groups product by stop, minimizing the number of bays a driver must visit at each stop

 Pre-Build Orders - Load orders to be picked, built and pre-staged throughout the day, all while
continuing to have them allocated to the correct route and truck during the final loading pass

 Load Design to Reduce Product Breakage - Most breakage occurs within the first 10 minutes of a
route due to poor packing.

 Reports - Final load sheet, driver check-out, load validation and pick sheets provide you with all
of the detailed information you need

Leading providers of Tier 1 TMS programs with multi-modal optimization and execution include: JDA,
Lean Logistics, Oracle, Shippers Commonwealth, Nistevo/IBM, and Manhattan.

[edit]Other TMS markets

Leading providers of TMS programs also cover niche markets, of which for-hire motor freight,
intermodal, parcel, rail, international trade & transport, ocean are among key niches, in addition to
private fleet niche programs. Tier 1 TMS programs have dynamic optimization with interactive execution
across proven base of major clients. Representative leading providers of complete multi-modal TMS
programs are as listed above.

Until recently TMS systems were geared towards general cargo and bulk commodities which were not
compatible with special transportation needs.

In 2002 Falcone Life Services pioneered a TMS designed specifically for the Auto Transport niche for
Vanguard Car Rental (National and Alamo Car Rental Brands). Similar models were soon produced by
Transport companies and brokers like United Road Services Load Matching System for their driver
affiliates and Auto-Transmart TMS introduced in January 2009 [1].

Less than truckload (also known as LTL) transportation represents another niche market where
companies can find specialized logistics management. HA Advantage offers a no-cost SaaS based TMS,
which includes a mobile web app for iPhones. Its simple and powerful design saves warehouse and
shipping operations valuable time by enabling users to identify the least cost carrier in under a minute.
3PL Systems Inc. offers a similar SaaS based TMS designed for freight brokers and 3PL's.

In addition, UPS Logistics Technologies, a business unit of UPS created the [2] a web-based platform
designed for small businesses, couriers and delivery companies with less than 11 vehicles. Appian and
Descartes are also leading providers of private fleet programs, while TMW is leader in the market for
systems used by for-hire (TL) carriers.

TLT Logistics LLC [3] specialized software for truck brokers software incudes accounting addon to write
checks to carriers using loadnumbers as checknumber tying in data from the bank in to the accouning
and oporations software reducint duplicate worw in accounting. one button prints out checks for the
whole month based on selected days to pay. keeps track of Margin comisions one package very user
friendly. finds all common errors before they cost the company. fax or email rate sheets with one click
document imaging is built in send Customer load Sheet to Customer for apoval to verify data entry and
rate is correct on the load this gives the load an extra set of eyes that could reduce errors that can be
costly. skype click to dial is built in. check calls multible stops invoicing and Payables Reports and custom
reports. this package give a small company all the tools the larger corporate companys have.

In the area of managed fleets, which can be either private or leased fleets, commercial systems were
developed mostly in the 1980s to handle the complexities of larger fleets and MSTL(multi-stop Truck
Load). The basis of these systems are still on the market albeit with UI enhancements. These include:

 UPS Logistics Roadnet

 Descartes Roadshow
 JDA Software Fleet Management (Manugistics) [4]
 Supply Chain Intelligence's iSaaS [5] and iSaaS GPS
 Red Prairie TMS[6]
 CentrixGT (Distribution Information System) [7]
 OPTI-TIME Company, GlobalTranz[8]

These systems take the inputs of delivery locations and order detail including volume, weight and other
characteristics. In some cases the software would make a first attempt at organizing routes then the
user would be able to manipulate the routes manually to achieve their desired goals and constraints.
Good visibility to the compliance of routes to all goals and constraints is important. Even more
important is the underlying optimizer and its ability to generate the initial set of routes to be real-world
usable and efficient.
Student information system

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A student info system (SIS) is a software application for education establishments to manage student
data. Student information systems provide capabilities for entering student test and other assessment
scores through an electronic grade book, building student schedules, tracking student attendance, and
managing many other student-related data needs in a school, college or university. Also known as
student information management system (SIMS, SIM), student records system (SRS), student
management system (SMS), campus management system (CMS) or school management system (SMS).

Diagram showing the importance and result of well thought out Student Data Management.

The SIS is equivalent to an Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP system for a corporate customer. As
such, many of the issues with ERP System Selection Methodology, implementation, and operation of an
ERP system apply to schools and their SIS systems.

Contents

[hide]

 1 Functions
 2 Integrated Systems / Hosted Service
 3 Upgrade Pitfalls
 4 References

[edit] Functions
These systems vary in size, scope and capability, from packages that are implemented in relatively small
organizations to cover student records alone, to enterprise-wide solutions that aim to cover most
aspects of running large multi-campus organizations with significant local responsibility. Many systems
can be scaled to different levels of functionality by purchasing add-on "modules" and can typically be
configured by their home institutions to meet local needs.

Until recently, the common functions of a student records system are to support the maintenance of
personal and study information relating to:

 Handling inquiries from prospective students

 Handling the admissions process
 Enrolling new students and storing teaching option choices
 Automatically creating class & teacher schedules
 Handling records of examinations, assessments, marks, grades and academic progression
 Maintaining records of absences and attendance
 Recording communications with students
 Maintaining discipline records
 Providing statistical reports
 Maintenance boarding house details
 Communicating student details to parents through a parent portal
 Special Education / Individual Education Plan (IEP) services
 Human resources services
 Accounting and budgeting services
 Student health records

In larger enterprise solutions that have student data at their core, further functions include Student
financial aid management and more may be customized by the developer. Where national or
government systems exist for student finance or statistical return purposes, student records system
often provide functionality that caters for this, by way of modules or core elements that handle the
production of required files, or deal with the formatted transfer of information. examples are the FAFSA
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid) process in the United States, the United Kingdom's Student
Loans Company processes (SSAR, SSAC and ATFEE file processing), the UCAS (Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service) in the United Kingdom, or the HESA and HESES student statistical returns in the
United Kingdom.

In the past, universities and large school districts in particular have created their own bespoke student
record systems. One such example is the ROSI system at University of Toronto. With growing complexity
in the business of educational establishments, most organizations now choose to buy customizable
software, and increasing numbers are buying software as a service (SAAS). Most student information
systems in use today are server-based, with the application residing on a central computer server, and
being accessed by client applications at various places within and even outside the school. But student
information systems have been moving to the web since the late 1990s and that trend is accelerating as
institutions replace older systems.

[edit] Integrated Systems / Hosted Service

In recent years, several forces have been driving an evolution of student information systems and, as a
result, leading many institutions to replace theirs. Those forces are:

 Demand for 24x7 web-based access to information by students, instructors, and (in primary and
secondary education, or K-12) parents
 Increasing demands in the amount and frequency of data reporting for accountability and other
purposes (so-called "vertical reporting" up to state, provincial, and national agencies)
 Importance of integrating student information systems with other tools, especially relating to
instruction, courses and learning (LMS systems and on-line course ware).
o SIF (Schools Interoperability Framework) Compliance.

Modern use also implies that smaller K-12 schools can benefit from the reducing cost of technology; this
has made it possible for even these organizations to implement such school software that not only
encompass the management of student information but also provide the means for parents or
guardians to connect with the teaching staff through parent portals [1]

[edit] Upgrade Pitfalls

Unlike an upgrade to a web browser or a word processor, changes and upgrades to these systems tend
to have significant impact on the day-to-day operations of every school employee. These systems
typically touch every aspect of school operations even when only the base modules are used. For these
reasons, care should be taken to consider the impact on:

 Workflow: Since these programs are tightly tied to a school's business workflow and processes,
a change to a SIS system can force changes to workflow. This can have a significant impact on
daily operations if not considered carefully prior to implementation.
 Data Conversion: Data conversion of historic data (transcripts, attendance, health records, etc.)
for both current and past students can also be a significant issue to transitioning to a new SIS.
Since most schools are required to keep historical data on past students, considerations should
be given to what information will be converted and what will be archived.
 Customized Reports: Since there is little standardization in what and how student information is
stored, most schools have their own processes and procedures (e.g. formatting and layout of
data reports) for student grade printouts or attendance records. As most SISs are not perfectly
compatible with the previous SIS, upgrading can be a long, and tedious process.
 Training: Some new SIS programs have a tendency to include some unnecessary features,
primary for the use of power users, so training employees to use the new SIS program will most
likely be a costly and time-consuming process.

Like with an ERP system, schools should consider processes similar to the ERP System Selection
Methodology when selecting a SIS system.
 Airline Reservation System
Objective:
This Project aims to model the working of an online airway reservation system. The system
should support the following features:

  Separate profiles for users, containing all their personal data.

  Possibility of multiple bookings per profile.

  Finding flight schedule information according to various constraints and conditions.

  Handling of flight schedules across multiple stops, and multiple airports in one city.

  Handling of different kinds of schemes for frequent fliers, and for flights.

  Separate profile type for officials.

  Appropriate error checking.

All these and other transactions and features have been described in detail in the following
section.
Description: (Modules)
1. Admin Module
Administrators having given full control over the website, structure and content
management, detailed user management statistics and many others. Administrator can
do following activities:

  Route Management

  Flight Fanagement

  Fare Management
  User Account Management

 Sending of Bulk Mails and Promos

2. Customer Module:
This module will be dealing with customer section. It should facilitate the following
functionalities.

  Any person can query for flight scheduled according to specified conditions.

  A Person can book/cancel a ticket only after he logs in.

  A user can sign up for a profile if he doesnt have one already.

  On logging in, the user has options to:

1. Book tickets
2.Edit Profile information
3.Cancellation of tickets
4.View all current tickets booked by him
5. Logout

  A person can get all information regarding a ticket if he keys in the ticketID.

  A person can get all information about a flight if he keys in the flightID.

  A person can get the schedule of all flights running for the next 20 days.