Industries
3PL warehouses
Goals and KPIs

Watch Tower · Applied Intelligence for your Business · 3PL warehouses

Goals and KPIs for 3PL warehouses, with the assumptions written down

The goal: Ship every order on time and accurately, keep forklifts and docks safe and running, and know what each client really costs to serve.

We agree three to five goals with you, each with one KPI. Every KPI is written out: what it measures, the record it comes from, the period, where it stands today and the assumptions behind the number, plus the guardrails that mustn't get worse while you work on the goal.

Open the free demo A fictional company in your industry, opened in the Console. No card needed.

What you see

Home in the Watch Tower Console

An illustration of the Watch Tower Console's Home with sample data: the goal, three KPI cards with their trend and this week's review. — Your goal, the KPIs that show it and this week's review, on the first screen you open. An illustration with sample data. The demo opens a sample in your industry.

For general managers and operations managers at third-party logistics warehouses

What it looks like for 3PL warehouses

The KPIs, cards and questions below are examples of what we set up with you. The names and units are made up.

KPIs, with the assumption behind each

On-time ship rateOrders shipped by the client's cut-off, as a share of orders due that day.Assumption: Measured from WMS ship-confirm time against the client SLA cut-off.

Order accuracyOrders shipped with no picking or labeling error reported by the client.Assumption: Errors counted when the client reports them within 14 days.

Operator evaluations currentForklift operators whose performance evaluation is within the last three years.Assumption: Counted from training records; agency staff included.

Cards on the work tracker

Take reach truck 6 out of service until the hydraulic leak is fixedMaintenance lead · due Today · Reach truck 6
Re-evaluate the four operators whose three-year evaluation lapses this monthSafety coordinator · due Fri · Operators: night shift
Move the client's fast movers to the zone nearest dock 3Inventory lead · due Next Tue · Zone C

Records you already keep

WMS order and shipment exports
Forklift pre-shift checklists
Operator training and evaluation records
Dock schedules and client SLAs

Assets in the register

Buildings and docks
Forklifts, reach trucks and pallet jacks
Racking zones
Clients and their SLAs

Questions your team can ask Bifrost

Which client had the most late shipments last month, and on which days?
Which forklifts failed a pre-shift check more than twice this quarter?
Which operators need their evaluation in the next 60 days?

Bifrost answers from the records in your own workspace and shows how each number was worked out.

How it runs

Goals and KPIs, step by step

Start from one goal or decision that matters this quarter.
Pick one KPI for it, from records you already keep.
Write down the definition, the period and every assumption behind the number, so anyone can check it.
Set the guardrails, then review the numbers with us every week.

The barriers this crosses

Intent: Why do I need AI at all? We start from the person's own goal, decision or task and show what changes for that goal, in their words.
Use: What exactly would I use it for? We name the specific uses by role and by industry: the decision, the calculation, the plan, the brief.

Rules and facts for 3PL warehouses

What the records have to show

Every forklift operator's performance must be evaluated at least once every three years.Source: 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii), Powered industrial trucks
Powered industrial trucks must be examined before being placed in service, at least daily, and after each shift where they're used around the clock; defects must be reported and corrected immediately, and a truck with a condition affecting safe operation is not placed in service until repaired.Source: 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7), Powered industrial trucks

A summary for planning work, not legal advice. Check the source for the full rule and any state requirements.

Start

See it on a sample company first

Founding 10

$2,000 for setup and the first 3 months of Watch Tower, then $250/month. Ten places. We set up your team, goals and KPIs, asset register, map and work tracker with you, then review it with you every week.

Hardware implementation is quoted separately. Start with the demo; you can order from inside it.Open the free demo

Questions

Common questions

Does this replace our WMS?

No. The WMS runs the floor. Watch Tower reads its exports alongside your safety records and client SLAs, so the goals, the actions and the weekly review sit in one place.

Why write the assumptions next to each number?

Because a KPI people can't check is a KPI people stop trusting. Each number in your Console shows the record it came from and the assumptions behind it, so a manager and a dispatcher or foreman read it the same way.

We don't have clean data. Can we still set KPIs?

Yes. We start from the records you have and write down what's missing as an assumption. As the records get better, the KPI gets better, and the review tracks that too.

What does Watch Tower cost for 3PL warehouses?

Founding 10 covers setup and the first 3 months in one payment, then a monthly price; the numbers are on this page and on the pricing page inside the demo. Hardware implementation is quoted separately.

Goals and KPIs in other industries