MyDay App Backroom Error Issues

[PogDog]

Lately, we have been focusing on Backroom Location Accuracy. Trying to keep Discontinued/Clearance (non-carry forwards) down.
We have also been trying to limit baffle/ghost/all-items-scanned errors when pulling to the best of our ability.

I feel the MyDay application does not support this as well as it could. The tools are there, but they're not put into the system to make them apparent or really very helpful in limiting/correcting these issues.

here are my suggestions:

Non-Carry Forward/Clearance Prompts
On the item screen: there is usually a little Discontinued/Clearance flag that shows in the upper corner of the screen. It's black text on a grey background. It is very non-apparent, unless you're actually looking for it. I'd like to see color used (perhaps, yellow for discontinued and red for clearance). We encourage team members to flex out these items, but often times I see them backstocked… which means they're not seeing these call outs. A prompt when backstocking might also be helpful, that say this item is not being carried forward, do you want to backstock it (which used to be in the old system before MyWork).

Fill Error Prompts
I'd also like to see in the fill system; a prompt that says when a team member is about to make a ghost/baffle error and the option to either exit the fill batch (so they can fix the error through Audit) or the option to fix the error right there (entering a new quantity). Why are we wasting time flagging errors that we then need to pull up a report for and readdress later. If the process is to be as productive as possible… flagging errors (that could be addressed immediately and fixed through the system) is very unproductive. People make mistakes when backstocking and it's often missed until the fill (fat fingered quantities are the biggest human error) and then the person pulling is the one that gets admonished not the person making the initial error. Let's stop punishing stores/team members for these errors, they happen.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

@HQWireless

 

[Planosss]

🥱😴

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Let's stop punishing stores/team members for these errors, they happen.

Agreed, but let's also work to fix the problem. I often come across errors completely by accident in an area where I do the pulls one day a week. It's not that I'm looking to find mistakes, but I notice inconsistencies and they make me think, "Wait a minute...." So I dig a little and figure out what happened and fix it.
How to get the error rate lower in the first place is the tricky part if you have TMs who can't seem to be attentive to detail.

 

[PogDog]

Agreed, but let's also work to fix the problem. I often come across errors completely by accident in an area where I do the pulls one day a week. It's not that I'm looking to find mistakes, but I notice inconsistencies and they make me think, "Wait a minute...." So I dig a little and figure out what happened and fix it.
How to get the error rate lower in the first place is the tricky part if you have TMs who can't seem to be attentive to detail.

No, they definitely don't have that attentiveness. I don't think the system promotes it either.

The current process of pulling up reports and challenging locations isn't a good process either. And relying on other team members to fix the issues with the system-led audits doesn't expose the DBOs to the errors in their area.

I'd suggest a gamification approach. Something that promotes maintaining a backroom that doesn't have errors, but also makes it fun finding issues before they're errors.


Gamification might not be the best approach, idk. I just know the current system could be a bazillion times better!

 

[Far from newbie]

I fix the errors DAILY from the report and it does Seem like a waste of too much time to look at the report, record the errors and then go audit the locations - after the errors have been made - I like the idea of fixing errors BEFORE admitting to them.

The TM pulling that finds a ghost error CAN get out of the pull, audit the location to fix the error and then skip the location instead of hitting ‘all items scanned’ which records the error - by doing this they avoid making the error.

However, with a baffle that is currently not possible - you make the error as soon as you scan the item. The only way to avoid it is by scanning ONLY the correct item - no others. For this to work tm’s can NOT backstock similar looking items together or the pulling Tm would need to exit the pull, find the DPCI with MyWork and then return to MyDay to scan only the correct dpci to pull - too time consuming - I would like to see the the warning : “this item is not currently located here - would you like to do that now ?” Which would fix the error, not simply record it and leave the error there.

I have had locations with 4 errors - because the location was either NOT fixed or actually “fixed” incorrectly ! It’s possible to audit a location and CAUSE a mistake - enter 4 of a DPCI when there are actually 2 of one and 2 of another. Creating baffles for the 2 items Unlocated.

yes, a good programmer should be able to create a better system.

 

[PogDog]

I fix the errors DAILY from the report and it does Seem like a waste of too much time to look at the report, record the errors and then go audit the locations - after the errors have been made - I like the idea of fixing errors BEFORE admitting to them.

The TM pulling that finds a ghost error CAN get out of the pull, audit the location to fix the error and then skip the location instead of hitting ‘all items scanned’ which records the error - by doing this they avoid making the error.

However, with a baffle that is currently not possible - you make the error as soon as you scan the item. The only way to avoid it is by scanning ONLY the correct item - no others. For this to work tm’s can NOT backstock similar looking items together or the pulling Tm would need to exit the pull, find the DPCI with MyWork and then return to MyDay to scan only the correct dpci to pull - too time consuming - I would like to see the the warning : “this item is not currently located here - would you like to do that now ?” Which would fix the error, not simply record it and leave the error there.

I have had locations with 4 errors - because the location was either NOT fixed or actually “fixed” incorrectly ! It’s possible to audit a location and CAUSE a mistake - enter 4 of a DPCI when there are actually 2 of one and 2 of another. Creating baffles for the 2 items Unlocated.

yes, a good programmer should be able to create a better system.

These are the steps I train my DBOs to do. We also emphasis never pressing All Items Scanned (because of the dual error it reports). Baffles are the crux, and even though the system gives you a photo, it doesn't always (Looking at the one area of the store it needs it... Cosmetics).

I'm in a 2-days a week process (I own Essentials). So, I check on Tues (fix any weekend errors) and again on Friday (heard that it takes 24 hours for the report to update and this would be the last day to fix for the week).

We've been at 98/99% BRLA for the past couple weeks (since it's become a focus). So the steps are working... but, also the myopic focus definitely plays a role (and the fact that right now... our backroom is the lightest it's been in well, ever).

Also have buy in from all the leads and most of the DBOs. So, everyone is game to get that high score.

 

[PackAndCry]

I just miss the "this item should fit on the floor, are you sure you want to backstock?" prompt from myWork 1.0. It would save so much time pulling items that were just backstocked because the SFQ is wrong, especially now that we're being forced to pull multiple one for ones per day. (No, nobody has time to update every single SFQ as they push.)

 

[Lights]

Non-Carry Forward/Clearance Prompts
On the item screen: there is usually a little Discontinued/Clearance flag that shows in the upper corner of the screen. It's black text on a grey background. It is very non-apparent, unless you're actually looking for it. I'd like to see color used (perhaps, yellow for discontinued and red for clearance).

I always miss the flag! How about change the whole color of the screen, or change the outline color of everything on the screen so it's impossible to miss. Yellow is the new color for clearance so I think it'll make more sense yellow for clearance and red for discontinue. Just splash a bunch of yellow and red everywhere. Maybe a watermark? Something big and obnoxious so there's no excuse to miss it. I was thinking of a simple pop-up box letting you know it's clearance or discontinued, but that's just an extra step to clear the box, but I think it'll help either way. Very nice suggestion though because it's really easy to miss the small flag. I had TM's that didn't even know the flag existed, myself included when Myday was first released because it's too cute and snug in the corner.

 

[haderix]

The current system is fixing the errors as you find them.

If you scan an item that's not located, aka a baffle, it will locate the item as "some" and audit will come by later and have you count them.

If you can't find an item and hit all items scanned, to the best of my knowledge it removes all items you didn't scan from location and audit will follow behind and verify.

The REAL problem is leadership focusing too heavily on trying to hide the fact errors exist by scaring you into thinking you need to leave the app and go to audit and fix before an error is made.

Yes team members are making mistakes, but that's nearly impossible to track, especially baffles.

In the old pda days you scanned a location and scanned left to right until you find the item you are looking for. The addition of photos in pulls was intended to speed up the pull process, but in reality it has made it easier for leadership to force you to fake metrics to please corporate and keep them from seeing the reality that a store is struggling.

The fact that errors are being found systematically is a good thing. Hear me out. If the errors are never found product can sit in your backroom for months and go unnoticed. The error being found causes the system to revisit this location and discover the product.
The idea of an error report is to shine a spotlight on areas of opportunity. If you're consistently seeing errors in a specific area of your backroom, have you checked in with that dbo? Is the backstock space too constrained and we are stowing more than 3dpcis per location? Is your team trained on standards?

How can you fix a problem if you don't know it exists? This is why we have reporting. If you're constantly faking numbers you're not helping yourself or your store.

 

[PogDog]

@haderix

You're not wrong, the system is built in a way to address the issues, but the message directed at us is that those tools aren't to be used that way.

And that using them in the intended way, gives the store poor scores and puts blame on the team members that "expose" the errors, not the ones that created the initial reason for the error.

It may have worked with the Motorola scanners, but the new devices can do a helluva lot more. So, instead of creating a system that has many unproductive steps, let's truncate those steps to allow the fill process to address issues as they occur.

Honestly, the more pressing issue is the baffle. Unlocated product will not sell out of the backroom. So, allowing the team to scan through and address these problems as they pull, without them being punished for finding these errors would be the best scenario.

 

[IWishIKnew]

You're not wrong, the system is built in a way to address the issues, but the message directed at us is that those tools aren't to be used that way.

Yes, this. I 100% agree with you haderix, but if BRLA is used as a stick to threaten/punish TMs or stores, which is what it comes across as to TMs, then we end up spending half our time on pulls going out of the batch and auditing locations rather than actually filling he floor. I don't know what the BRLA expectations were prior to modernization, but if they weren't adjusted for the fact that there are now dozens of TMs putting stuff in and out of BR locations instead of a handful of people who do it all day, that's a thing Corporate really needs to address. There is no backroom training. We show people how to backstock during their training days, and how to take items, but the take function, in particular, isn't something we do a whole lot of and it's very clunky and easy to forget when you're in a hurry to get an item for a guest. There's no process for training people how to deal with the backroom effectively (the computer training, in general, is useless.) so it's very scattershot and some people are better than others at asking questions if they don't understand something or if they see something unexpected.

Also, some people are lazy. And the app has its own issues where sometimes it doesn't save or if you miss hitting the button just right or whatever. Stuff falls off of shelves and gets put back on the wrong one. People scan the wrong WACO label when they're close together and don't realize it. And so on. Lots of opportunities for errors, and with so many people back there it's really hard to know who is having issues so they can be addressed, so we're encouraged to just hide the errors and get on with our day.

 

[haderix]

Back in the old days with backroom team members it was easy to track errors. Only a select few people were pulling and fulfillment wasn't a thing yet so if there was an error, it was one of 2 people. Now we just throw random people from all work centers in to make the 4:30 goal time because of poor planning and then wonder why BRLA suffers.

 

[PackAndCry]

Honestly, I just wish they'd make it impossible to see who exposed an error.

 

[haderix]

I wish Target had better documentation on all processes including how a baffle or ghost is created. Yes they have the definitions hidden in Greenfield, but it's obviously not clearly written. Especially since in my store people have been written up for finding errors!

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Reading through many of these comments leaves me a little confused. Do we have something somewhere that outlines what BR best practices are? How to find errors and fix them? How to keep from making errors in the first place?
I mean, I know how to back stock, how to audit a location, how to pull product. And the section of the BR where I do 95% of the back stocking is bright green and organized.
My problem is with my "assistant" who pushes and back stocks half of my DBO area. I'm obsessive about detail but she's .... kinda not. Looking for suggestions for how to set her up for more success in the BR.
(I've talked with my TL about re-doing this part of the BR with wacos of more appropriate size. Part of the problem is that the boxes are too big and that invites putting way too many DPCIs in the same waco - I've seen some with 6-10 different products! Because they fit, right? Also, it's too tempting to put too many heavy things in one waco - like 8 of those 4-packs of protein shakes - and the front of the box gets bent out of shape and falls apart. So I'm thinking narrower boxes will be part of the solution, but I'm interested in other ideas too. Tell me what works for you!)

 

[Bosch]

I wish Target had better documentation on all processes including how a baffle or ghost is created. Yes they have the definitions hidden in Greenfield, but it's obviously not clearly written. Especially since in my store people have been written up for finding errors!

Yeah cause punishing people for fixing things is the way to get better accuracy.

 

[happygoth]

Yeah cause punishing people for fixing things is the way to get better accuracy.

I'm always 100% honest when I pull. I don't go back out and audit, and I hit All Items Scanned if that's the truth. Hit it three times last night. They can come at me if they want, it is what it is.

 

[Far from newbie]

I wish Target had better documentation on all processes including how a baffle or ghost is created. Yes they have the definitions hidden in Greenfield, but it's obviously not clearly written. Especially since in my store people have been written up for finding errors!

They were NOT written up for FINDING errors - they were written up for being LAZY PULLERS.

‘Pull accurately and FIX errors as you find them .
‘Pullers can CREATE errors by not looking carefully enough and hitting ‘all items scanned’ when they weren’t ALL scanned !
It has happened that the item IS there, but the puller assumes it is the same DPCI as one they have scanned and the item they are looking for is not there - when it really IS. CREATING a GHOST error and LEAVING a BAFFLE error for the next puller !! This is why locations with errors usually have multiple errors.

There is NO way to KNOW how a baffle or a ghost are created.
‘A BAFFLE - something is there that the system didn’t know was there.
- Did someone put it there and not backstock it ?
- Did it fall out and someone returned it to the wrong waco ?
- Did someone tell the system that they took it, and then left it there?
- Did someone enter a number fewer than they actually backstocked ? Entering 4 on the device but putting 5 in location, Leaving an extra unaccounted for.
HOW can the system KNOW if any of these things happened ?

A ‘ghost‘ is when the item you are looking to pull is NOT in the location When the system thinks it is.
- did it fall out and not get returned ?
-did someone remove it without telling the system they are taking it out ?
-did someone scan the location to backstock it and put it in another location ? Creating a ghost for the right location and a baffle for the wrong location.
-did someone enter a number greater than the correct number that they were backstocking ? (entered 6 but only put 5 there)

There IS NO WAY to know. TOO many cooks in the kitchen !

However, the person PULLING does have the responsibility to pull accurately !

THE PULLER CAN FIX OR OWN THE ERRORS.

When pulling -
it is responsible to ONLY scan the CORRECT item. use the picture to scan what you need -
if uncertain, use mywork to look for the correct DPCI first And ONLY scan the correct dpci.
NO BAFFLE ERRORS FOR YOU
‘If you are at a location with a ghost - Help everyone out by auditing the location and skipping it in the pull. Fixing the mistake -
‘NO GHOST ERRORS FOR YOU.

Yes, the BACKSTOCKER SHOULD be accurate - but it is the PULLER who is RESPONSIBLE for the current BRLA % score .

 

[Dead and Khaki]

If nobody is supposed to hit All Items Scanned, why does it exist? Why essentially give us a "press here to be penalized" button? Why not automatically send us through a series of prompts to fix the error (or, more ideally, give us the choice to do so either immediately or at the end of the pull batch)?

 

[Far from newbie]

If nobody is supposed to hit All Items Scanned, why does it exist? Why essentially give us a "press here to be penalized" button? Why not automatically send us through a series of prompts to fix the error (or, more ideally, give us the choice to do so either immediately or at the end of the pull batch)?

’all items scanned‘ exists to fix errors QUICKLY. quicker is not always better - just quicker.
‘It does take an extra few scans to fix the error through audit than it does with the ‘all items scanned’ button.
but by using the button, the puller is taking the easy way out and admitting they know about the error and are too lazy to take a minute and fix it with audit.

AND like I said before - hitting that button COULD cause an error that wasn’t there before. I would think that if you are going to take the time to audit and start from scratch that you will probably audit correctly and NOT miss that item hiding in the back that you missed scanning right before you hit ‘all items scanned’.

 

[happygoth]

They were NOT written up for FINDING errors - they were written up for being LAZY PULLERS.

‘Pull accurately and FIX errors as you find them .
‘Pullers can CREATE errors by not looking carefully enough and hitting ‘all items scanned’ when they weren’t ALL scanned !
It has happened that the item IS there, but the puller assumes it is the same DPCI as one they have scanned and the item they are looking for is not there - when it really IS. CREATING a GHOST error and LEAVING a BAFFLE error for the next puller !! This is why locations with errors usually have multiple errors.

There is NO way to KNOW how a baffle or a ghost are created.
‘A BAFFLE - something is there that the system didn’t know was there.
- Did someone put it there and not backstock it ?
- Did it fall out and someone returned it to the wrong waco ?
- Did someone tell the system that they took it, and then left it there?
- Did someone enter a number fewer than they actually backstocked ? Entering 4 on the device but putting 5 in location, Leaving an extra unaccounted for.
HOW can the system KNOW if any of these things happened ?

A ‘ghost‘ is when the item you are looking to pull is NOT in the location When the system thinks it is.
- did it fall out and not get returned ?
-did someone remove it without telling the system they are taking it out ?
-did someone scan the location to backstock it and put it in another location ? Creating a ghost for the right location and a baffle for the wrong location.
-did someone enter a number greater than the correct number that they were backstocking ? (entered 6 but only put 5 there)

There IS NO WAY to know. TOO many cooks in the kitchen !

However, the person PULLING does have the responsibility to pull accurately !

THE PULLER CAN FIX OR OWN THE ERRORS.

When pulling -
it is responsible to ONLY scan the CORRECT item. use the picture to scan what you need -
if uncertain, use mywork to look for the correct DPCI first And ONLY scan the correct dpci.
NO BAFFLE ERRORS FOR YOU
‘If you are at a location with a ghost - Help everyone out by auditing the location and skipping it in the pull. Fixing the mistake -
‘NO GHOST ERRORS FOR YOU.

Yes, the BACKSTOCKER SHOULD be accurate - but it is the PULLER who is RESPONSIBLE for the current BRLA % score .

Sorry, not happening. I absolutely do not have time for all that.

Also, why is it necessary to only scan the correct item? If there are two similar items in the waco and I scan the wrong one, does that record somewhere? I often scan every item in the bin looking for the right one just to be sure I didn't miss it, hence hitting the All Items Scanned button when necessary.

ETA: I don't hit the AIS button unless I'm sure the item I need is not in the location. And I don't care how anyone spins it: it is most assuredly not my fault the item isn't there.

 

[haderix]

I did a test one night with a team member doing a pull. He told me his next location, I ensured every item in that location was accurate, and then he scanned EVERY item in that location before he scanned the picture. We did a large quantity of pulls together doing this. He did not show up on the error report at all.

I don't agree that leaving myDay to audit a location is the correct solution. That's creating a loss of productivity. However, it's what team members have to do to avoid being punished for stores and hq not being aligned on what best practice is.

My goal in posting here is to hopefully shed some light on this common confusion that seems to be happening at every store and is going unnoticed and/or unanswered at the hq level. If you work at HQ and work on the myDay team, please give us some clarification.

 

[Far from newbie]

I did a test one night with a team member doing a pull. He told me his next location, I ensured every item in that location was accurate, and then he scanned EVERY item in that location before he scanned the picture. We did a large quantity of pulls together doing this. He did not show up on the error report at all.

I don't agree that leaving myDay to audit a location is the correct solution. That's creating a loss of productivity. However, it's what team members have to do to avoid being punished for stores and hq not being aligned on what best practice is.

My goal in posting here is to hopefully shed some light on this common confusion that seems to be happening at every store and is going unnoticed and/or unanswered at the hq level. If you work at HQ and work on the myDay team, please give us some clarification.

Scanning ALL items does NOT put you on the report
But it does risk you scanning a baffle - because you have no way of knowing which items the system does not know is there.

Scanning a baffle DOES appear on the report & hitting the ‘All items scanned’ button also shows on the report.

 

[Far from newbie]

Sorry, not happening. I absolutely do not have time for all that.

Also, why is it necessary to only scan the correct item? If there are two similar items in the waco and I scan the wrong one, does that record somewhere? I often scan every item in the bin looking for the right one just to be sure I didn't miss it, hence hitting the All Items Scanned button when necessary.

ETA: I don't hit the AIS button unless I'm sure the item I need is not in the location. And I don't care how anyone spins it: it is most assuredly not my fault the item isn't there.

If 2 SIMILAR items are backstocked as 2 of the SAME item - then one of them is a BAFFLE because it is in the location without the system KNOWING it is in the location.

Ok. You don’t WANT to take the time required to fix the errors that you find.
You hit AIS to save time and risk CREATING a baffle for the next tm because you didn’t audit the location correctly To account for the baffle that you found.
Let’s document your choices And their impact on other team members and the stores metrics.