Caddyshack is one of my all time favorite movies for a number of reasons – I am rabid golfer and sometimes need to be reminded that it is just a game; the casting was perfect, especially Ted Knight as Judge Smails (by the way, being a classically trained actor Ted did not care for Rodney Dangerfield’s antics on the set, which made the on-screen result even better); and it is just plain fun with no real moral of the story or fairytale ending. It is a compilation of Bill Murray and his brother Brian Doyle-Murray experience as young caddies.
Remember the scene where Al Czervik takes control of his boat Seafood and rips through the bay at the club to go see his ‘buddy’ Smails? A fisherman casts his line that gets hung up on Als’ boat, he gets launched into the bay and dragged face first through the water in the wake of Seafood. He is holding on tight refusing to let go, but he can’t see a thing and has no idea where he is going or the danger that may lie ahead (other boats, rocks, swimmers).
Al’s huge yacht continues to wreak havoc in the bay – tossing jet skiers like toys, dumping guests on a dock into the water, until ultimately dropping anchor through Smails’ Flying Wasp foredeck. It doesn’t do much for the plot, but it is a hilarious two minutes that most fans recall with a smile.
That big yacht with an eager driver, is reminiscent of a large organization that has huge amounts of data but not real information and even less direction. From a logistics perspective we might have a huge data repository of historical transportation information (Al’s boat), an eager know-it-all at the helm (Al), and maybe some idea of a destination (“Move over Swanson, I am driving. I want to go over there!”), but unfortunately an inexperienced captain who does not appreciate the power in his hands, can leave a ton of collateral damage, perhaps even destroy someone else’s pride and joy.
There is tremendous power in that data which the right captain will utilize to know where to go, how to get there, and drive decisions that reverberate throughout the organization.
Upon installing or upgrading a Transportation Management System, your organization will have a data beast (a good thing) that needs to be tamed to perform in a way that provides actionable information specific to your business.
There is tremendous power in that data which the right captain will utilize to know where to go, how to get there, and drive decisions that reverberate throughout the organization.
The insights can drive decisions on a tactical level – carrier use and negotiation, customer freight terms, improved service; and strategically – changes in the distribution network to lower costs, the impact of an acquisition or divestiture, expansion into to new geographies.
But who should captain the ship?
Presumably an integrator consultant has been your guide on the transformational journey from initiation to selection to implementation. That partner knows the inherent potency of data being generated. A trusted advisor will help wrangle the beast to the ground to understand it, structure outputs for ease of use, eliminate the ‘noise’, enrich it with additional sources if needed, and validate results.
You and your partner become captain and first mate to harness the power, make sense of the value within, provide direction, and make sure you avoid potential hazards. Don’t get dragged behind the data holding on for dear life while leaving a wake of destruction. Take command and pilot the ship where you want it to go. Just be careful navigating and be mindful of others on those waters at the same time.
Nobody wants a scratched anchor caused by sinking another boat.
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Leadership in a New TMS Environment
Dennis Heppner is a Principal at JBF Consulting. Dennis’ expertise in transportation, logistics and supply chain operations, and third-party providers spans 25+ years. His experience is broad-based, spanning entire supply chains, including business process redesign, sourcing, distribution network design, transportation management, distribution operations, outsourcing selection, and business strategy for major manufacturers, distributors, retailers including eCommerce, and service organizations.
About JBF Consulting
Since 2003, we’ve been helping shippers of all sizes and across many industries select, implement and squeeze as much value as possible out of their logistics systems. We speak your language — not consultant-speak – and we get to know you. Our leadership team has over 70 years of logistics and TMS implementation experience. Because we operate in a niche — we’re not all things to all people — our team members have a very specialized skill set: logistics operations experience + transportation technology + communication and problem-solving skills + a bunch of other cool stuff.
