Archived Project Viper

[balthrop]

this is madness… nothing about this makes sense the 11 zones will be staffed/manned/<insert buzzword here> by the same 3 semi-competent less than motivated employees who are underpaid, under supported, under trained and have little to no faith in the management team who keep setting The Stores up to fail while ensuring their own bonuses increase.

</rant>

 

[konk]

So, help me understand please.

There will be 11 zones and within these zones there is one dedicated TM to push, pull, fill, zone and backstock. Is that correct?

So if that is the case who does the MIR and SWEEP batches if there are no backroom TM's? Will that now be the responsibility of the Reverse Logistics TM?

A bazillion years ago TL's pulled the SWEEP batches and the Reverse Logistics TM would pull the MIR batches from the back room. Is this the way it will be now...again...?

At my store (C), receiver does both, but gets a lot of help with the sweep from the flow TL. Also sometimes she doesn't do MIRs, so I don't know.

 

[yme73]

This could prove interesting if this goes off in our store. We already have a hard time keeping good people. Now with everyone worried over my time and the lack of decent pay. Then add this I see bad things happening.

 

[Bosch]

This could prove interesting if this goes off in our store. We already have a hard time keeping good people. Now with everyone worried over my time and the lack of decent pay. Then add this I see bad things happening.

Agreed. I would be out, I know I should be on a process team, I can do sales floor but not full time. I just know myself and process is my stronger skill.

 

[Stocker]

I've done shoot-pull-push. Takes all day just to do that in a few aisles. But if I did that every day it would be easier cause it would get done right the first time. With the POG team doing sales planners, I can see this working very well, provided the zones are small enough.

The problem lies that there are 11 zones (or more depending on how the store pilots it), however none of the 3 testing stores have enough team members to cover all these zones, so team members have to double-up on the zones until more can be hired.

The "opportunities" I've heard so far are:

• Not enough team members to work
• Most of the backroom team members are not cashier trained, so there is literally only 1 person in all 11 zones that can actually respond to "guest first!"
• Many sales floor team members don't fully understand the backroom process, and backstock is just left haphazardly in the stockroom
• Not enough equipment to go around (even though the pilot stores all borrowed extra equipment for the test), as with this project every team member MUST have a PDA

All of these are obviously fixable, so I'm curious to see how this pilot plays out over the next few months, and if it is implemented into every store. It definitely can help with the goal of removing most Team Leaders within the next few years.

Years before working at Target I used to work at a department store so I can actually see a benefit to doing things this way. Being on instocks it would be great just to focus on say B run, rather then going through the whole store. I have helped in the backroom over the years so pulling my own stuff would not be an issue. Now getting team members in other areas to work this way could be a challenge (example if someone was hired for backroom and wants nothing to do with salesfloor work) Also I can see team members that manage to get there area done having to help in other areas. If they get rid of calf pulls I think you would see a lot more stock in the backroom over time. Do you really think if there are say 20 water on the floor and 4 more could go out a team member would remember to check that or make that much more work for themselves? In the end though I would not mind seeing this in my store just to see how well it works.

 

[jenna]

Who at corporate dreams this crap up? Sounds like they are trying to go backwards, back to when there was a TL in every department just this sounds like tm's instead.

Hah! That's what I just thought after reading the first post.

 

[RedDog]

This seems like something that would work at the old Target of 10 years ago when team members were mostly full time, well trained and stayed around for a long time. Today when training barely exists and hight turn over of team members who work 10 hours a week and just do not care, this sounds like a disaster in the making. It is amazing how much time and money they spend rolling out programs doomed to fail because nobody in HQ seems to have indea what it is like in the stores.

 

[jenna]

I don't agree with removing the accumulator and CAFs /Autofills completely.

What's the point of having a full BR if your sales floor is not stocked to capacity? Can you imagine what a train wreck toys would be at Christmas? Or tracking all the sales in grocery - and doing your own pulls to keep the floor full?

ugh.

 

[jenna]

And I would not want our average flow team member working in the backroom. No offense, but many of them can't stock the floor correctly, or don't fully understand all the processes that go into running the store. PTM? what's that? D-code? huh? Shoot, some of them don't know what "DPCI" means.

 

[jenna]

I am all for ownership of an area, but please don't get rid of the BR team completely.

Who's going to pull the Price Change batches? Or do random pulls for guests? or all that other stuff (Sweeps, setting up the transitional area in the BR & sorting out the new merch.)

 

[logisticsismygame]

Welcome to TheBreakroom @logisticsismygame!

Some questions for you:
1) Is VIPER awesome or not?
2) Are there any backroom only TMs?
3) What are the responsibilities of a TM, as far as their section?
4) Is the amount of work reasonable or unachievable?

As a former IS/BR TL viper is pretty awsome the detailed zone in our store is outstanding and guest service scores have gone way up. The opps are big. The back room is FULL. Getting people to understand the importance of a brand backroom is challenging. Not just the sales floor TMs but also the sales floor ETLs. We purged in some places and droped POG fills in others. I personally believe auto replenishment has it's place in food related areas such as dairy and 210. POG fills would work well. However the company is tracking outs batches.

I do think there should be a backroom team at least on truck days. It's more productive to wave through backroom as is it is more productive to wave the PUSH process. As a current flow TL we have trained many of our flow TMs how to backstock properly. Currently we are having them PUSH in zones and having them doing a backstock as you go thing. This keeps the backroom clean all day, but it takes all day. That's really the point of viper in the first place since we don't get held to time goals. I see this changing very soon. Payroll is payroll.

As always training was a huge miss. It's a bummer when you log into your PDA at 5:30 am and see double digit outs batches waiting for you and not having the closing LOD know why this is a bad thing. If I had my way every TM in the store would start in logistics.

I truly feel fortunate that I lead such an adaptable and dedicated team. They work hard and give a 5 star hotel level of service. I have a second job as a bartender at a steakhouse and share my knowledge of engaging guests at our huddles. I have also awarded prizes to TMs that get name droped in a good guest servey comments to encourage handshakes and proper introductions.

TMs do 4x4 zones during the shift. Every 4ft section is zoned to POG, labels are replaced, shelves are cleaned, out of dates and defectives are removed, any overstock is also removed and then outs are shot, pulled (overstock should be backstocked during this trip to the back room) and pushed for the isle. Curently only TL shoot research for their area. How ever training and understanding of research best practices are an opp.
The work load for TMs is highly manageable. Soon they will be taking on new responsibilitys such as price change and revisions. I'm sure training will again be an opp. PTM would be easily taken care of with good direction and preporation.

All opportunities can be overcome. If Viper is scheduled to roll out in your area or has but is not in your store I can only tell you the ball has been droped in planning and training already, be the hereo and pick it up.

Viper will eventually turn the sales report into the go to tool. TL will need to think like DTLs and know why their department isn't making sales to hold TMs accountable before they are.

In the past auto replenishment managed our business now we do.

VIPER was presented to Tina last week. Sources say she liked what she saw. She will be in our store next week to see it in action. This visit from Tina could be what determines if VIPER is rolled out to the rest of the company.

The TMs are doing well with VIPER and really getting a feel for it. We are seeing the backroom getting lighter in some places wich was a concern for a while.

Currently using more POG fills to get great depth of fill. Then that is followed up with on hand investigation on any exiting holes as well as any backstock from the POG fill to corect counts.

With corect counts we are already seeing less backstock from the trucks. We only expect it to get better as we go.

Next week we incorporate a metered unload. Custom blocks have already been changed and our first run only took two hours with a 2300 piece truck. I have set mine up so that every valley in grocery has it's own custom block. Product goes from truck, to line, to tub, to push. With only five or less people doing the unload, most of the flow team clocks in and begins pushing right a way. As for the VIPER team members. Once there zone is in good shape as far as "brand" they assist with the push. Backstock and trash is handled as it is generated preferably by the flow TM that pushed it.

We are pretty sure Tina will like what she sees when she walks in the door. The sale floor looks awsome! What she will want to know is how the follow up looks. VIPER requires lots of it. You can't just hand over the fate of store sales to a group of random TMs with out knowing exactly what they are doing. Leaders NEED to lead and step away from the tasking. There is far to much ground to cover to get stuck in one place. The first weeks of VIPER looked that way. If you walked the sales floor you would see a TL busting there ass building a bunch of sales planners and on the other side of the store their TMs were wandering around doing a lot of nothing. Not a good situation. Things have gotten better and continue to do so. I think this visit will go well but I've been wrong before, we will just have to see.

 

[RedDog]

So how long and how much training would a team member need for this? Keep into consideration at your avearge store training in almost non existent do to lack of payroll and most stores are facing the highest turnover they have ever had at all levels. This seems like it would require an entire change of culture at Target when it comes to training and turnover, something that will cost money. I also am always concerened that all the failed programs Target has rolled out over the years got rave reviews in test stores. Why that is I am not sure.

 

[betzph]

My guess is that test stores are given extra hours to support these programs, but when it rolls out company wide thats just not possible.

 

[Ringwraith917]

Thanks for the update @logisticsismygame. I hope this is the "big change" we've all been saying Target needs.

 

[konk]

There is no reason I can't have a set schedule with this. Let me choose who works my area opposite of me and this will be amazing. Also, let me hold the flow TM accountable for his/her mistakes.

 

[random1]

so if there isnt a backroom team anymore what is the backroom team lead over at the pilot stores

 

[yme73]

TL rarely set sales planners at my store. They leave that for team members and are in tsc on the computer rarely will you see one set one in hard lines. Might be why they are always behind.

 

[logisticsismygame]

Culture is huge that's for sure. TMs can't be considered as sales floor, logistics, POG, price change, or softlines TMs. They would need to be store "enter number here" TMs.

New learning plans have been requested. However best practices haven't been writen yet. They will be developed after testing has been completed. Once the system is up and running good in other test stores it can then be simplified and rolled out on district levels.

Due to the fact that backroom and instocks hours get re allocated to the sales floor and of course the work has to get done, you can imagine exactly the kind of training that will have to take place. Backroom, instocks, and general replenishment.

All training hours come from someplace. They are always taken from somewhere in the store already. How many will be determined by the new learning plans. So far we haven't used any additional training hours for existing TMs. As for new hires since the test began, simple. Train them as if we have always opporated this way and totally skip trying to get them bought in to the change.

Team trainers need to begin learning processes that take place out side of there current work center ASAP. If your a team trainer or a leader trying to promote your trainer, start partnering and learning now. This could be your big win for the next step up, hint hint nudge nudge.

 

[BullseyeBabe]

So how long and how much training would a team member need for this? Keep into consideration at your avearge store training in almost non existent do to lack of payroll and most stores are facing the highest turnover they have ever had at all levels. This seems like it would require an entire change of culture at Target when it comes to training and turnover, something that will cost money. I also am always concerened that all the failed programs Target has rolled out over the years got rave reviews in test stores. Why that is I am not sure.

I'm pretty sure that is because ETLs and TLs have to talk and act like anything from corporate is the most wonderful thing in the world. Team members have zero input. It's the emperor's new clothes all the way, all the time.

 

[BullseyeBabe]

We have to pretend we are doing 4 x 4 because out hours have been cut so much. They aren't replacing shifts so we never have enough people to even complete the zone. The leaders are really hard core about doing the "super zone." I mean they are hard core about us saying we have done the "super zone." So I can't imagine how Viper will work.

 

[logisticsismygame]

so if there isnt a backroom team anymore what is the backroom team lead over at the pilot stores

At mine he is still over back room and instocks because we haven't been given new core roles yet. However there are two ways of looking at the situation. 1. He has no real team anymore and the workload falls entirly on him. Not gonna happen. 2. He is now part of a team of team leaders that all share the entire roster of team members at any given time. Working so far.

He would mainly be responsible for quality control in the backroom, following up with TMs about mistakes made backstocking or pulling. As well as owning the brand of the backroom. Reciving still reports to him, as far as MIRs and sweeps. We have also kept a backroom day team member in place to help with things and I hope that will stay in the plans moving forward.

As far as instocks he reviews the scanning and pull type report and partners with other team leaders to identify unproductive scanning wich equals time that could have been spent doing somthing better. So better planning can takeplace. For instance if you have 1000 outs scans and only 10 research scans combined with scans with loc sitting at 0% then you are pissing in the wind and waisting time. That's when TMs should shoot research call it done and get to PTM work, and for crying out loud after the D-CODE is out get the NOP out.

 

[OhYouDidntKnow]

Wonder what the paygrade will be....

 

[logisticsismygame]

There is no reason I can't have a set schedule with this. Let me choose who works my area opposite of me and this will be amazing. Also, let me hold the flow TM accountable for his/her mistakes.

One of our Sr.TLs writes our VIPER schedule a head of time. It basically is a spread sheet with the dates at the top and zone numbers down the side. She fills in the boxes with team members and that is it. You come in find the date, find your name, and go to your zone. It is mostly a set schedule and TMs usually only work in one of two or three zones based on there current skill set.

AND YES ABSOLUTLY HOLD FLOW ACOUNTABLE FOR QUALITY OF PUSH. I'm currently the flow TL at our store but I'm formerly the backroom instocks TL. Our former Flow TL was a bum. He would actualy instruct his TMs to switch clips from green to pink. I'm not exactly blaming his team for doing this after all they were doing what was told. But you can imagine how much pressure there was to push correctly, none. I couldn't wait to get my hands on that team. Now they are the most dedicated strongest group of people in the store. I'm constantly told by other store leaders how awsome it is to work with those team members.

So by all means fully hold FLOW ACOUNTABLE. Of course when you are doing that much work that fast mistakes will be made. But a lack of caring is correctable. You change the person or you change the person. Some times that starts with the leader. Follow the chain of comand. Partner with the leader if that fails, partner with the ETL Log if that fails take it to the STL but keep a cool head and be ready to suport your case with how it's costing money or nobody will listen.

 

[logisticsismygame]

Wonder what the paygrade will be....

Can't coment on that mostly due to the fact that it's way above my pay grade. But let's just say it's been brought up.

 

[logisticsismygame]

So how long and how much training would a team member need for this? Keep into consideration at your avearge store training in almost non existent do to lack of payroll and most stores are facing the highest turnover they have ever had at all levels. This seems like it would require an entire change of culture at Target when it comes to training and turnover, something that will cost money. I also am always concerened that all the failed programs Target has rolled out over the years got rave reviews in test stores. Why that is I am not sure.

I'm pretty sure that is because ETLs and TLs have to talk and act like anything from corporate is the most wonderful thing in the world. Team members have zero input. It's the emperor's new clothes all the way, all the time.

Not completely disagreeing with you. And yes this is all about cost effective ways of doing business. If your not aware Target took a huge hit last year. We do work for a "for profit" organization. When you have things like a security breach take place tons of money will instantly be lost. Combine that with the Canada situation and now your faced with a disision. Continue to loose money or make every penny you spend on payroll be value added as well as boost what made you money in the first place. For us it happens to be a certain level of service that our guests expect. You have to do somthing to bounce back quick or you won't bounce back at all.