Inventory Risk Scorecard on laptop and phone, shown with synthetic demo data.
Where this service fits
Find the gaps around the WMS.
Most warehouses have data. The problem is that it is not organized into views operators and managers can act on. Optichain scopes and designs side-car tools and integrations that bring WMS data into practical operational use. From shift trackers and burndown dashboards to VAS workflows and work order tooling. Built around the gaps real WMS platforms leave behind.
The WMS runs the core. The gaps live around it.
01Floor workflows
Bring the side work into the system.
What we examineVAS · Kitting and labeling · Work order status and ownership
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Work with no audit trail
VAS or work order workflows running outside the WMS with no audit trail.
02Shift visibility
See the shift while it runs.
What we examineShift trackers · Headcount actual vs. expected · Burndown views
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Rebuilt in Excel every morning
Manual shift trackers and burndown views built in Excel every morning.
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Labor visibility after the shift
Headcount and labor visibility that arrives after the shift is over.
03Integrations
Use the connections you already have.
What we examineWMS, OMS, ERP, and carrier APIs · Webhooks and queues · Gap handling
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APIs nobody uses
WMS APIs that are technically available but operationally unused.
04Side-car tools
Build what the WMS leaves out.
What we examineScope and user roles · Architecture and integration footprint · Rollout plan
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Never scoped, so never built
Side-car tooling considered too risky to build because nothing has been scoped properly.
Who this is for
Sites running VAS or work order workflows the WMS does not natively support.
Operations teams stuck in spreadsheets for shift tracking or burndown visibility.
Leaders who want headcount-actual-vs-expected views during the shift, not after it.
Teams whose WMS API is capable, but unused.
What Optichain Advisors does
Scope the gap. Build the tool.
Side-car WMS tools. VAS workflows. Work orders. Dashboard tools. Shift trackers. Headcount actual vs. expected. Burndown views. WMS integrations. API and workflow gap handling.
01
Side-Car WMS Tools
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Scope and design side-car applications that fill the operational gaps standard WMS platforms leave open.
02
VAS Workflows
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Value-added service workflows for kitting, labeling, custom packaging, and post-pick processing. Tracked and auditable.
03
Work Orders
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Work order tooling for tasks the WMS does not natively own. Status, ownership, and completion tracking.
04
Operational Dashboard Tools
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Backlog, throughput, exceptions, labor, and SLA risk dashboards designed around how supervisors actually run the shift.
05
Shift Trackers
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Shift-level tracking for production, exceptions, and labor distribution. Built to be glanced at, not read like a report.
06
Headcount Actual vs. Expected
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Real-time headcount-by-function views with expected staffing, surfacing gaps before they become throughput problems.
07
Burndown Views
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Wave burndown, shift completion, and intra-shift backlog tracking that supports supervisors during the shift.
08
WMS Integrations & API Gaps
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Integrations across WMS, OMS, ERP, carrier systems, and side-car apps. API and workflow gap handling for the integrations that do not exist out of the box.
What you receive
A plan your team can put to work.
Connect the gaps to tools your team will use. The handoff covers what to build, what each view shows, and how it connects to the systems you already run.
01
A tool worth building.
Side-Car Tool Scope & Architecture. Scope, architecture, integration footprint, and rollout plan for the side-car tooling closing your specific operational gaps.
Operational gap → user roles → scope → rollout
02
Views the shift can use.
Operational Dashboard Suite Spec. Backlog, labor, burndown, exception, and SLA risk dashboards with KPI definitions, data sources, and view layouts.
KPI definitions → data sources → view layouts
03
Connections that hold.
WMS Integration & API Gap Plan. Integration map across WMS, OMS, ERP, carriers, and side-car tools. Gap analysis with recommended fill approach.
Integration map → gap analysis → fill approach
Systems & workflows
Where this work lives.
Optichain is vendor-agnostic. The work fits inside the systems and workflows your warehouse already runs on.
