How to use Agile methodology during an Oracle Cloud WMS (Warehouse Management System) implementation

Using Agile for Oracle Cloud WMS Implementation

When implementing Oracle Cloud WMS, the company decided to shift from the traditional waterfall approach to Agile, aiming for faster results and better adaptability. The project was broken down into sprints — short, focused periods (2–3 weeks each) — where small, manageable pieces of the WMS system were configured, tested, and reviewed.

Sprint 1 started with basic warehouse setup: defining facility structures, inventory organizations, and users. During the sprint, daily stand-up meetings were held to track progress and solve issues immediately. At the end of the sprint, a demo was given to warehouse managers for feedback.

Sprint 2 focused on inbound operations: receiving, putaway rules, and ASN (Advanced Shipment Notice) setups. Based on early feedback, the team quickly adapted the putaway strategies to match the real-world needs of the warehouse.

Sprint 3 tackled outbound operations: including picking, packing, and shipping flows. User stories (business requirements written from the user’s perspective) guided configuration and testing, ensuring every function added real operational value.

Parallel to the sprints, training and UAT (User Acceptance Testing) were continuous activities. Users were involved early, practicing on partial builds instead of waiting for the final rollout.

Benefits:

•  Faster visibility of issues
•  Early feedback reduced rework
•  Users felt ownership from Day 1
•  Flexibility to adjust to unexpected business needs

After about 4–5 sprints, the core functionalities were ready, and a final stabilization sprint was done before going live.

Agile Approach for Oracle Cloud WMS Implementation

1. Agile Phases Overview

Initiation (Sprint 0):  Identify high-level business processes (Receiving, Putaway, Picking, Shipping, Cycle Counting). Define Epics (big features) and break them into User Stories (small tasks).

 Sprints (2–3 weeks each): 

• Sprint Planning
• Daily Standups
• Mid-Sprint Reviews
• Sprint Demo to Business Users
• Sprint Retrospective
• Go-Live and Stabilization Sprint.

 2. Detailed Use Case Example: "Automate Receiving Process"

 As a warehouse manager, you want to automate the receiving process so that received goods are accurately updated into inventory with minimal manual entry.

 User Stories:

• Configure supplier ASN (Advance Shipment Notice) integration.
• Set up default putaway rules after receiving.
• Auto-generate LPNs (License Plate Numbers) during receiving.
• Customize receiving UI to show mandatory fields (PO number, Quantity, Condition Code).

 3. Development Team Procedure Management 

Step	Action
Backlog Grooming	Work with Product Owner to refine user stories with clear Definition of Done (acceptance criteria).
Sprint Planning	Pick 4-6 stories (depending on capacity), estimate effort in story points.
Configuration	WMS Functional Consultants configure receiving parameters, shipment types, defaulting rules.
Development	If customizations are needed (e.g., extensions, REST API, ASN import), developers create extensions in Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service (VBCS) or through API's
Testing	QA team and warehouse user test the configures processes inside the Sprint.
Demo	At Sprint end, showcase Auto Receiving workflow to business user for approval or feedback.
UAT Preparation	Collect feedback adjusted in the next Sprint if needed.
Deployment Management	Use Oracle Migratior tools (Export/Import Setup Data or Functional Setup Manager) to move configurations across environments (Dev to Test to Production).

 4. Important Agile Best Practices for Dev Team

•  Daily Standup: Quickly share blockers, e.g., ASN payload from supplier missing required fields.
•  Backlog Updates: After demo, if user asks for small changes, create new user stories for next sprint.
•  Incremental Deployment: Every sprint should create a working, testable WMS feature.

 Collaboration with Oracle Cloud Services: Engage Oracle SRs (Service Requests) if a platform issue arises and track separately from sprint deliverables.

 DevOps: If using custom code (extensions or integrations), maintain versioning in GitHub or DevOps tools.

 Summary Diagram (Flow) 

• Sprint 0 → Identify Epics and Stories
• Sprint 1 → Configure Receiving → Test → Demo
• Sprint 2 → Configure Putaway → Test → Demo
• Sprint 3 → Configure Picking → Test → Demo
• Sprint 4 → Integrations/Customizations → Test → Demo
• Sprint 5 → Stabilization → Final UAT → Go-Live

 

Thank You,

Pratip Chatterjee