Abstract: The paper provides a practical examination of warehouse operations by reviewing actual workflow of ongoing transactions in three most common operational areas, inbound activity, outbound activity, and inventory management. The examination was conducted via on-site observations, without recourse to past records or standard questionnaires. The review focused on several key processes, which included order fulfilment, vendor-managed inventory (VMI), returns processing, and inventory accuracy to inform potential improvements as a measure of daily efficiencies. The analysis involved a structured (risk) approach, utilizing industry- standard analysis tools (e.g., Pareto Analysis, Fishbone Diagrams, 5S Audits, and conceptual applications of ABC/XYZ inventory classifications) that are intended to develop a process of prioritising often occurring issue, tip of the iceberg, causes, evaluation of operational constraints within a broad examination of layout and flow of material movement. The DMAIC process (Define/measure/analyse/improve/control) was the rationale for process evaluation and improvement recommendations. The empirical observations uncovered a potential for delays with current manual processes, overlapping activities in constrained spaces, unknown stock position and order placements, and inadequate or limited levels of collaboration. Using these observations to frame the study's conclusion, it concludes with practical, low-cost, improvement opportunities that can be a part of the improvement process without a total reliance on high level automation or systems change.

Keywords: warehouse operations, observational analysis, DMAIC, VMI, inventory management, inbound logistics, outbound logistics, warehouse efficiency.

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2025.125166