The term “organization” means a lot of different things in business these days.

From charts to management positions, if most people in business hear the term “organization” they typically assume it has something to do with employees and managers. But here at Shelving, Inc, we like to specialize in a different kind of organization—organizing your warehouse!

Being an ‘organizational leader’ in any warehouse or distribution center goes above and beyond having to sit in every meeting and filling out paperwork; it means understanding where your products are, how your warehouse shelving works and where it goes, and what to do in case of product loss or damage. If you need someone to become the organizational leader of your warehouse (and not just another name on an employee org chart), here’s a few tips to help take the reins when it comes to warehouse organization:

Know every inch of your warehouse

The first step in becoming an organizational leader in your warehouse is to understand your warehouse as it is now. Take some time to study all of your installations like pallet racks and wire shelving and where they are, understand the typical flow of traffic, try to get an idea where your most popular items and installations are, and really learn the lay of the land. It’ll come in handy later.

Span boundaries across different departments

Anyone who’s spent any amount of time working in a warehouse knows how many moving parts can get involved with the staff by itself, let alone the actual equipment being used. While you don’t have to be an expert at everyone’s job, take some time to understand what each department does and how they can all work together. Each team in a warehouse can have their own culture, responsibilities, tasks, and ways of getting things done, and working within those definitions to help everyone work better and smarter can go a long way towards improving the warehouse overall.

Get to know your products

Going about your day at the warehouse, how many times have you heard someone (or even yourself) say “wow, I didn’t know we carried that?” It’s a common issue in warehouses of any size, as various departments focus too much on the items they’re responsible for, particularly in warehouses that utilize zone picking to further divvy up the work being done. As you familiarize yourself with your tools and your staff, take the time to learn what items go where, what you stock, and what your most popular sellers are.

Always assess performance

Performance in warehouses can encompass many factors given all the moving parts involved, but keeping an eye on several major KPIs can help you better understand the warehouse as a whole. By taking the time to make yourself better aware of needed metrics and current performance, you can come up with strategies to streamline processes and get more done. Does traffic prevent items in an area from getting picked on time? Are orders coming in more often during certain times of day? Are your shelves being overworked? Learning these and other important performance factors can make or break your strategies as a warehouse manager.