Business intelligence in logistics: how to implement BI

Business intelligence in logistics is the organized use of the operation's data to support decisions. A BI collects, organizes, transforms and presents information in strategic reports and dashboards focused on the fleet and transport processes.

This technology offers the manager a broader view of the fleet and of the activities that take place within it. This way, the manager can observe operational data and identify insights and trends to make better decisions.

Want to build your own BI?

To build your own solution, some information about hiring, planning, communication, usability and implementation needs to be considered. Before starting, you need to understand what this work involves.

Hiring

Building your own team is one of the first actions to implement a business intelligence platform in the fleet's logistics.

Development may involve software professionals, designers and digital security specialists. The team's composition depends on what will be built for the operation.

Planning

Planning can be organized in three steps:

understanding the needs or problems of transport operations;
identifying which data helps answer these questions;
mapping and reviewing the fleet's operational processes.

With this assessment, the company can define what is indispensable for the BI: which data the system should collect and prioritize, how it will be organized and how it will appear in the software.

At this stage, the team specialized in software and BI takes part in planning the solution and defining the data the system should work with.

Communication

The fleet's employees need to understand the importance of working with data, what their responsibilities are and how they can contribute to gathering real and accurate information about the operation.

Besides informing drivers and other team members, you need to connect them to the process and teach them how to use the system.

This attention also paves the way for the next step of the implementation.

Usability

Design and layout deserve attention so that the users' experience is simple during the routine.

When acquiring or developing a shared tool, prioritize intuitive interfaces. The easier it is for employees to use the system without help or lengthy tutorials, the better.

Even so, consider keeping support available to clear up questions and assist the team.

Implementation

During rollout, make the system available to the fleet's employees and carry out the necessary initial settings.

Next, pass on the basic instructions, demonstrate how to use the platform and present its features. Explain when each one should be used.

Keep a close eye on the first days or weeks to check whether users are having difficulties and whether they need further guidance on the platform. After this initial stage, observe the results obtained with the tool as they come in.

Reminder: to work with the data used by the BI, integrate and centralize the information from the other management systems used at the carrier.

What are the benefits of BI?

The advantages depend on the type of logistics technology adopted. Among the benefits that a business intelligence solution can offer carriers are:

greater knowledge about the fleet;
identification of failures in the operation, in the vehicles and in their components;
detection of risks and opportunities;
the possibility of generating a driver ranking;
CPK analysis;
availability of management reports;
visibility of the operation's real cost.

The benefits reach both financial control and keeping track of operations and vehicle components.

What are the business intelligence alternatives in logistics?

Building an in-house BI requires implementation work and a team prepared to develop the system. As an alternative, the company can evaluate ready-made solutions available on the market.

There are different business intelligence tools in logistics, as well as management systems that produce data for analysis.

Tire management systems, digital checklists, warehouse management and ERPs are among the options that collect, manage and analyze operational data.

For example, Prolog's tire management makes it possible to record and keep track of pressure and tread depth data to analyze tire wear.

The Electronic Checklist works with customizable questionnaires for the fleet's preventive maintenance and stores data to predict and identify failures according to each vehicle's history.

Prolog also provides data extraction via API for use in Power BI (in Portuguese).

Have questions? Talk to one of our specialists.

Frequently asked questions

What is business intelligence in logistics?

It is the practice of using the transport operation's data in a structured way to support decisions. A BI tool gathers, organizes and transforms information on the fleet and processes and shows it in strategic reports and dashboards. With this, the manager gains a broader view of what happens in the fleet and can identify insights and trends to make better decisions.

What does it take to build your own BI for the fleet?

The points to consider are hiring, planning, communication, usability and implementation. You need to assemble a team, which may bring together developers, designers and digital security specialists, depending on what will be built. Planning can be divided into three steps: understanding the needs or problems of transport, identifying which data helps answer them and mapping and reviewing the fleet's processes. From there, you define what is indispensable: the data to collect and prioritize, how to organize it and how it will be displayed in the software.

How can you involve the fleet team in the BI implementation?

Employees need to understand why working with data matters, what their responsibilities are and how they can help produce real and accurate information about what happens in the operation. Besides informing drivers and other members, you need to connect them to the process and teach them how to use the system. That is why design and layout deserve attention: intuitive interfaces, which do not require lengthy tutorials, make the routine easier, and it is also worth keeping support available for questions.

How do you roll out a BI at a carrier?

During rollout, the system is made available to employees and receives its initial settings. Next, the basic instructions are passed on, with a demonstration of the platform and its features, explaining when each one should be used. In the first days or weeks, it is worth checking whether users are having difficulties and need further guidance; after that, the results are observed as they come in. An important reminder: integrate and centralize the information from the other management systems used at the carrier, so that the BI has data to work with.

What are the benefits of BI for carriers?

The advantages vary according to the logistics technology chosen. A BI solution can bring, among other benefits, more knowledge about the fleet, identification of failures in the operation and in the vehicles and their components, detection of risks and opportunities, CPK analysis, a possible driver ranking, management reports and visibility of the operation's real cost. The gains appear in financial control and also in keeping track of the operation and of vehicle components.

Is there an alternative to building a BI from scratch?

Yes. Building an in-house BI requires implementation work and a dedicated development team, so the company can evaluate ready-made solutions. There are business intelligence tools for logistics and management systems that generate analyzable data, such as digital checklists, tire management, warehouse management and ERPs. In Prolog, tire management makes it possible to record and keep track of pressure and tread depth data and to analyze wear; the Electronic Checklist uses customizable questionnaires and keeps the history of each vehicle; and Prolog offers data extraction via API for Power BI.

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