This episode explores the costly and often overlooked inefficiencies hiding in warehouse operations—especially for companies using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Hosts Emma and Ryan unpack how small mistakes, such as mispicks and outdated manual processes, can quietly erode profits. They highlight actionable fixes, including real-time data capture, mobile-enabled workflows, and low-code customizations. Plus, they explore the hidden burden of managing warehouse devices and how centralized configuration can streamline operations. It’s a bright look at how technology can turn warehouses from bottlenecks into strategic assets.
Website: https://WMSforDynamics.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(04:00):
Welcome to Inside Insight, your quick hit
(49:17):
of tips, tools and trends for
(01:28:06):
manufacturing, Distribution and Dynamics
(01:53:59):
365 Business Central, brought to you by
(02:39:17):
InsightWorks. Welcome back to the deep
Ryan (03:18:06):
dive. Today we're really getting into
(03:56:56):
something that I think frustrates a lot of
(04:48:42):
people. Using modern ERP systems.
(05:21:03):
Specifically for Microsoft Dynamics 365
(05:53:24):
Business Central users, we're talking
(06:25:45):
about that workflow gap. You've got this
(07:11:03):
powerful system, bc, right? Handles tons
(07:49:52):
of stuff, but there are always those
(08:35:10):
little tasks, the specific things your
(09:13:59):
business does, that just don't quite fit
(09:59:17):
the standard screens exactly.
Emma (10:25:10):
Like maybe your delivery driver needs to
(10:56:11):
snap a specific kind of photo for proof of
(11:36:04):
delivery.
Ryan (11:40:30):
Or the supervisor on the floor needs to
(12:22:38):
log a really detailed safety check. Maybe
(12:59:30):
something unique to your setup.
Emma (13:25:50):
Or even just adding one mandatory field
(14:02:03):
for quality control that the standard
(14:33:06):
module somehow missed. It happens all the
(15:09:19):
time.
Ryan (15:14:30):
And what happens? You end up falling back
(15:49:42):
on paper or spreadsheets, which is maybe
(16:20:30):
slightly better, but still disconnected.
Emma (16:42:30):
Right? Or worse, some clunky external app
(17:17:20):
that doesn't talk to PC at all.
Ryan (17:53:30):
Yeah, creates silos.
Emma (18:19:30):
It really does. It's kind of the achilles
(19:09:42):
heel of ERP, isn't it? The system nails,
(19:59:55):
say, 95% of your business processes
(20:37:35):
perfectly. But that last 5%, the stuff
(21:21:31):
that makes your operation unique, that
(21:59:11):
often ends up being tracked manually
(22:36:50):
somewhere else. And that fragmentation,
(23:08:13):
well, it slows things down, introduces
(23:45:53):
0Emma: errors. It's a mess.
Ryan (24:13:40):
So, okay, our mission today isn't just to
(25:01:47):
complain about these gaps, tempting as
(25:37:53):
that might be. Our mission is to look at
(26:32:02):
this really powerful shift that's
(27:02:07):
happening. It's allowing users, the actual
(27:38:13):
BC users, to close those gaps themselves.
Emma (28:21:39):
By building their own custom mobile
(28:55:57):
applications.
Ryan (29:01:40):
Exactly. And the kicker is, without
(29:38:22):
needing to write a single line of code. No
(30:33:25):
developers involved.
Emma (30:51:00):
Precisely. We need to define that outdated
(31:24:23):
model first. You know, the one where
(31:57:47):
fixing a tiny workflow issue meant this
(32:31:11):
huge, huge project.
Ryan (32:45:30):
Oh, yeah. Big budgets, long waits.
Emma (33:17:30):
Right? And then contrast that with the
(33:54:20):
modern solution, which is really about
(34:25:55):
empowerment. It's about giving the super
(34:57:30):
user, the person who actually knows the
(35:34:20):
process, the power to fix it using visual
(36:16:26):
tools. Configuration, not code.
Ryan (36:42:50):
So the software stops being this rigid.
Emma (37:11:30):
Thing you just used and becomes more like
(37:39:51):
a platform you can actually shape to fit
(38:08:12):
what you do.
Ryan (38:21:30):
Okay, let's really focus on the pain of
(39:02:39):
that old system for a second, because I
(39:43:48):
think everyone listening who's dealt with
(40:14:40):
customizations can relate. Let's say you
(40:45:32):
need one small change. Just one. You need
(41:26:41):
the warehouse team to have to capture a
(42:07:50):
lot number before they pick an Item for a
(42:54:08):
specific order type. Simple requirement,
(43:19:51):
right?
Emma (43:25:00):
Seems simple, yeah.
Ryan (43:40:20):
But traditionally, making that happen,
(44:14:46):
that meant meetings with a developer,
(44:56:06):
writing up specs, waiting maybe weeks or
(45:44:20):
months for them.
Emma (46:05:00):
To get to it, then testing, deployment.
Ryan (46:37:00):
And writing a pretty big check at the end
(47:32:06):
of it all for one small change. It always
(48:27:12):
felt disproportionate. Why should tiny
(48:57:48):
workflow tweaks require these massive,
(49:28:25):
expensive projects?
Emma (49:42:00):
Well, they shouldn't. And that's exactly
(50:17:38):
why this technological shift we're seeing
(50:53:16):
is so important, so critical. The key is
(51:40:47):
embedding the customization tool right
(52:10:29):
where the data lives. So we're talking
(52:52:03):
about tools like Warehouse Insight and
(53:27:41):
specifically its built in app Designer.
Ryan (54:03:20):
App Designer?
Emma (54:13:20):
Yeah. This tool basically bypasses all
(54:49:00):
that coding complexity. It talks directly
(55:24:40):
to the business central data structure.
(56:00:21):
Your tables, your fields. And it puts the
(56:47:55):
power to design the application, the
(57:23:35):
mobile screen, directly into the hands of
(58:05:12):
the people who really get the workflow.
Ryan (58:46:50):
The managers on the shop floor, maybe the
(59:26:50):
warehouse supervisors.
Emma (59:36:50):
Exactly. The super users, the people who
(60:14:10):
live that process every day.
Ryan (60:40:50):
Now, I have to admit, hearing App Designer
(61:18:10):
still makes the IT governance part of my
(61:55:30):
brain a little nervous.
Emma (62:14:10):
Right.
Ryan (62:20:10):
I picture, you know, command lines and
(62:49:43):
code editors.
Emma (62:58:10):
Right, I did that.
Ryan (63:10:50):
But you're saying. And the sources really
(64:01:55):
emphasize this, it's purely configuration,
(64:38:24):
no code.
Emma (64:53:00):
It is entirely configuration based.
(65:26:12):
Seriously, think of it less like
(66:06:03):
programming and more like. Well, maybe
(66:45:53):
like designing a flowchart or using a
(67:32:23):
visual builder.
Ryan (67:45:40):
Okay.
Emma (67:53:40):
You're literally dragging functional
(68:17:28):
mobile controls, like a button, a text
(68:59:09):
box, a camera trigger, onto a design
(69:40:50):
canvas. It's almost like arranging objects
(70:16:33):
in PowerPoint or something similar.
Ryan (70:46:20):
All right, let's slow down there and get
(71:29:48):
really specific for the listener. Imagine
(72:02:24):
I'm that floor manager. I need a simple
(72:45:53):
screen. Maybe just to confirm if a
(73:23:55):
forklift passed its daily safety check.
(73:56:32):
Yes or no. What specific functions can I
(74:40:00):
actually configure using this drag and
(75:12:36):
drop approach?
Emma (75:28:49):
Okay, good question. You're building
(76:03:53):
screens, mobile pages that handle core
(76:45:58):
mobile functions. And it goes way beyond
(77:35:04):
just showing data. Obviously. You can
(78:17:09):
configure it to demand barcode scanning.
(78:59:14):
That's table stakes for warehouse stuff.
Ryan (79:41:20):
Sure.
Emma (79:46:40):
But you can also set up controls to
(80:26:27):
capture photos, high resolution photos.
Ryan (80:51:20):
Oh, okay. Like for approve of delivery or
(81:24:31):
damages.
Emma (81:28:40):
Exactly. Or recording electronic
(81:52:56):
signatures directly on the device screen.
Ryan (82:29:20):
Nice.
Emma (82:36:40):
You can build step by step guided
(83:14:36):
inspection checklists. You know, walk the
(83:47:07):
user through. Check this. Yes. No, check
(84:25:04):
that. Enter value.
Ryan (84:41:20):
Like a wizard.
Emma (84:56:40):
Kind of, yeah. And critically, you can
(85:40:33):
capture location data, so timestamps, GPS
(86:18:10):
coordinates pulled right from the mobile
(86:55:47):
device itself.
Ryan (87:11:00):
Okay. That's quite a range of capabilities
(87:47:40):
just through configuration. Let's make it
(88:19:05):
even more concrete. Use the simplest
(88:50:31):
possible example, the classic hello world
(89:21:57):
of programming. Okay, forget the forklift
(89:53:22):
check for a minute. If I just wanted an
(90:40:31):
app that when I open it, it displays the.
Emma (91:27:40):
Text hello world, you mentioned concepts
(92:15:30):
like events, interactions and variables.
(92:55:21):
For a user who knows their BC data but
(94:07:06):
isn't a coder, what do those actually
(95:02:55):
mean? In practice?
Ryan (95:26:50):
That's a great way to frame it, because
(96:04:46):
these aren't programming concepts in this
(96:33:14):
context. They're really workflow concepts.
(96:56:57):
Let's stick with your hello world idea.
Emma (97:30:10):
Okay.
Ryan (97:37:30):
An event is just what starts the action,
(98:25:30):
the trigger.
Emma (98:37:30):
Yeah.
Ryan (98:42:50):
So for hello world, the event might be 180 99:28:10,000 --> 100:02:10,000 Ryan
Welcome to Inside Insight, your quick hit
(49:17):
of tips, tools and trends for
(01:28:06):
manufacturing, Distribution and Dynamics
(01:53:59):
365 Business Central, brought to you by
(02:39:17):
InsightWorks. Welcome back to the deep
Ryan (03:18:06):
dive. Today we're really getting into
(03:56:56):
something that I think frustrates a lot of
(04:48:42):
people. Using modern ERP systems.
(05:21:03):
Specifically for Microsoft Dynamics 365
(05:53:24):
Business Central users, we're talking
(06:25:45):
about that workflow gap. You've got this
(07:11:03):
powerful system, bc, right? Handles tons
(07:49:52):
of stuff, but there are always those
(08:35:10):
little tasks, the specific things your
(09:13:59):
business does, that just don't quite fit
(09:59:17):
the standard screens exactly.
Emma (10:25:10):
Like maybe your delivery driver needs to
(10:56:11):
snap a specific kind of photo for proof of
(11:36:04):
delivery.
Ryan (11:40:30):
Or the supervisor on the floor needs to
(12:22:38):
log a really detailed safety check. Maybe
(12:59:30):
something unique to your setup.
Emma (13:25:50):
Or even just adding one mandatory field
(14:02:03):
for quality control that the standard
(14:33:06):
module somehow missed. It happens all the
(15:09:19):
time.
Ryan (15:14:30):
And what happens? You end up falling back
(15:49:42):
on paper or spreadsheets, which is maybe
(16:20:30):
slightly better, but still disconnected.
Emma (16:42:30):
Right? Or worse, some clunky external app
(17:17:20):
that doesn't talk to PC at all.
Ryan (17:53:30):
Yeah, creates silos.
Emma (18:19:30):
It really does. It's kind of the achilles
(19:09:42):
heel of ERP, isn't it? The system nails,
(19:59:55):
say, 95% of your business processes
(20:37:35):
perfectly. But that last 5%, the stuff
(21:21:31):
that makes your operation unique, that
(21:59:11):
often ends up being tracked manually
(22:36:50):
somewhere else. And that fragmentation,
(23:08:13):
well, it slows things down, introduces
(23:45:53):
0Emma: errors. It's a mess.
Ryan (24:13:40):
So, okay, our mission today isn't just to
(25:01:47):
complain about these gaps, tempting as
(25:37:53):
that might be. Our mission is to look at
(26:32:02):
this really powerful shift that's
(27:02:07):
happening. It's allowing users, the actual
(27:38:13):
BC users, to close those gaps themselves.
Emma (28:21:39):
By building their own custom mobile
(28:55:57):
applications.
Ryan (29:01:40):
Exactly. And the kicker is, without
(29:38:22):
needing to write a single line of code. No
(30:33:25):
developers involved.
Emma (30:51:00):
Precisely. We need to define that outdated
(31:24:23):
model first. You know, the one where
(31:57:47):
fixing a tiny workflow issue meant this
(32:31:11):
huge, huge project.
Ryan (32:45:30):
Oh, yeah. Big budgets, long waits.
Emma (33:17:30):
Right? And then contrast that with the
(33:54:20):
modern solution, which is really about
(34:25:55):
empowerment. It's about giving the super
(34:57:30):
user, the person who actually knows the
(35:34:20):
process, the power to fix it using visual
(36:16:26):
tools. Configuration, not code.
Ryan (36:42:50):
So the software stops being this rigid.
Emma (37:11:30):
Thing you just used and becomes more like
(37:39:51):
a platform you can actually shape to fit
(38:08:12):
what you do.
Ryan (38:21:30):
Okay, let's really focus on the pain of
(39:02:39):
that old system for a second, because I
(39:43:48):
think everyone listening who's dealt with
(40:14:40):
customizations can relate. Let's say you
(40:45:32):
need one small change. Just one. You need
(41:26:41):
the warehouse team to have to capture a
(42:07:50):
lot number before they pick an Item for a
(42:54:08):
specific order type. Simple requirement,
(43:19:51):
right?
Emma (43:25:00):
Seems simple, yeah.
Ryan (43:40:20):
But traditionally, making that happen,
(44:14:46):
that meant meetings with a developer,
(44:56:06):
writing up specs, waiting maybe weeks or
(45:44:20):
months for them.
Emma (46:05:00):
To get to it, then testing, deployment.
Ryan (46:37:00):
And writing a pretty big check at the end
(47:32:06):
of it all for one small change. It always
(48:27:12):
felt disproportionate. Why should tiny
(48:57:48):
workflow tweaks require these massive,
(49:28:25):
expensive projects?
Emma (49:42:00):
Well, they shouldn't. And that's exactly
(50:17:38):
why this technological shift we're seeing
(50:53:16):
is so important, so critical. The key is
(51:40:47):
embedding the customization tool right
(52:10:29):
where the data lives. So we're talking
(52:52:03):
about tools like Warehouse Insight and
(53:27:41):
specifically its built in app Designer.
Ryan (54:03:20):
App Designer?
Emma (54:13:20):
Yeah. This tool basically bypasses all
(54:49:00):
that coding complexity. It talks directly
(55:24:40):
to the business central data structure.
(56:00:21):
Your tables, your fields. And it puts the
(56:47:55):
power to design the application, the
(57:23:35):
mobile screen, directly into the hands of
(58:05:12):
the people who really get the workflow.
Ryan (58:46:50):
The managers on the shop floor, maybe the
(59:26:50):
warehouse supervisors.
Emma (59:36:50):
Exactly. The super users, the people who
(60:14:10):
live that process every day.
Ryan (60:40:50):
Now, I have to admit, hearing App Designer
(61:18:10):
still makes the IT governance part of my
(61:55:30):
brain a little nervous.
Emma (62:14:10):
Right.
Ryan (62:20:10):
I picture, you know, command lines and
(62:49:43):
code editors.
Emma (62:58:10):
Right, I did that.
Ryan (63:10:50):
But you're saying. And the sources really
(64:01:55):
emphasize this, it's purely configuration,
(64:38:24):
no code.
Emma (64:53:00):
It is entirely configuration based.
(65:26:12):
Seriously, think of it less like
(66:06:03):
programming and more like. Well, maybe
(66:45:53):
like designing a flowchart or using a
(67:32:23):
visual builder.
Ryan (67:45:40):
Okay.
Emma (67:53:40):
You're literally dragging functional
(68:17:28):
mobile controls, like a button, a text
(68:59:09):
box, a camera trigger, onto a design
(69:40:50):
canvas. It's almost like arranging objects
(70:16:33):
in PowerPoint or something similar.
Ryan (70:46:20):
All right, let's slow down there and get
(71:29:48):
really specific for the listener. Imagine
(72:02:24):
I'm that floor manager. I need a simple
(72:45:53):
screen. Maybe just to confirm if a
(73:23:55):
forklift passed its daily safety check.
(73:56:32):
Yes or no. What specific functions can I
(74:40:00):
actually configure using this drag and
(75:12:36):
drop approach?
Emma (75:28:49):
Okay, good question. You're building
(76:03:53):
screens, mobile pages that handle core
(76:45:58):
mobile functions. And it goes way beyond
(77:35:04):
just showing data. Obviously. You can
(78:17:09):
configure it to demand barcode scanning.
(78:59:14):
That's table stakes for warehouse stuff.
Ryan (79:41:20):
Sure.
Emma (79:46:40):
But you can also set up controls to
(80:26:27):
capture photos, high resolution photos.
Ryan (80:51:20):
Oh, okay. Like for approve of delivery or
(81:24:31):
damages.
Emma (81:28:40):
Exactly. Or recording electronic
(81:52:56):
signatures directly on the device screen.
Ryan (82:29:20):
Nice.
Emma (82:36:40):
You can build step by step guided
(83:14:36):
inspection checklists. You know, walk the
(83:47:07):
user through. Check this. Yes. No, check
(84:25:04):
that. Enter value.
Ryan (84:41:20):
Like a wizard.
Emma (84:56:40):
Kind of, yeah. And critically, you can
(85:40:33):
capture location data, so timestamps, GPS
(86:18:10):
coordinates pulled right from the mobile
(86:55:47):
device itself.
Ryan (87:11:00):
Okay. That's quite a range of capabilities
(87:47:40):
just through configuration. Let's make it
(88:19:05):
even more concrete. Use the simplest
(88:50:31):
possible example, the classic hello world
(89:21:57):
of programming. Okay, forget the forklift
(89:53:22):
check for a minute. If I just wanted an
(90:40:31):
app that when I open it, it displays the.
Emma (91:27:40):
Text hello world, you mentioned concepts
(92:15:30):
like events, interactions and variables.
(92:55:21):
For a user who knows their BC data but
(94:07:06):
isn't a coder, what do those actually
(95:02:55):
mean? In practice?
Ryan (95:26:50):
That's a great way to frame it, because
(96:04:46):
these aren't programming concepts in this
(96:33:14):
context. They're really workflow concepts.
(96:56:57):
Let's stick with your hello world idea.
Emma (97:30:10):
Okay.
Ryan (97:37:30):
An event is just what starts the action,
(98:25:30):
the trigger.
Emma (98:37:30):
Yeah.
Ryan (98:42:50):
So for hello world, the event might be 180 99:28:10,000 --> 100:02:10,000 Ryan
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