[chrisplough]

Hello Jacques,

I completely agree with bmj_23. In addition, I'd like to say that one of the reasons for a lack of a documented "standard" process is that OTM has been utilized by a vast array of companies in order to solve very different problems - all rooted in logistics planning.

At G-Log, we often built out new "core" functionality at the request of new clients in order to secure the business and also increase the OTM (then GC3) footprint. Good examples of this are the visibility and freight forwarding components, which were built out for specific clients (but of course made generic enough to apply to future clients' needs).

As such, you'll find companies using OTM in very different ways -- most will use it for logistics planning, rating and execution (domestic and/ or international), some will use it strictly as a visibility system, some will use it strictly as a high-level transportation management solution, while using a different optimization engine. I found that the G-Log clients were so diverse, that it seemed that we were solving new issues with each implementation.

Now that the product has matured and Oracle is pushing it more directly at a particular market segment, I believe that the usage of OTM will standardize somewhat. Unfortunately, the documentation and/or training materials have not caught up (something that we're working on internally).

So ultimately, bmj_23's advice is best: find a consultant with several years of experience and at least 2 full lifecycle implementations (with happy clients!).

Thanks!
--Chris