Voodoo RoboticsWarehouseWorkflow Lab
Voodoo Robotics Start diagnostic
Problem-solving guide

Picking is too slow

Find out whether workers are losing time to walking, searching, handling, waiting, or solving problems before choosing a fix.

What to look for · What to measure · What to try this weekNot sure about a term? Open the plain-English glossary
Run the guided diagnostic
A simple example

A 42-minute route contains 24 minutes of walking, 8 minutes of searching, 7 minutes of picking, and 3 minutes of waiting. The first test should reduce walking or search—not ask the picker to move faster.

01 · Check the complaint

Signs to confirm on the floor

  • Lines per labor-hour misses plan
  • Workers finish routes at very different rates
  • Rush orders create repeated route interruption
  • Supervisors blame individual effort without time composition
02 · Possible causes

Check more than one possible cause

The first explanation may sound right and still be wrong. Use the measurements in the next section to separate these possibilities.

1

Poor slotting or route geometry

2

High search time and unclear locations

3

Order way to organize the work repeats travel

4

Replenishment or problems interrupt normal work

5

Later release throttles visible completion

03 · What to measure

Numbers that can change the decision

Route distance and walking speedFollow a realistic route and record total distance plus walking time. Do not include pick or wait time in walking time.
Seconds per line by elementFor each order line, time walking, searching, confirming, handling, waiting, and problem-solving separately.
Order-size distributionGroup orders by number of lines, units, size, and special handling. Show what share falls in each group.
Normal tasks compared with tasks that had a problemCompare normal tasks with tasks that had a shortage, damage, unreadable label, or another problem.
Availability and queue timeRecord when the worker or station could work and how long work waited before the next step began.
04 · Possible fixes

Choose a fix only after the facts point to it

1

Move products that cause the most travel

Use this when: Travel dominates and demand is concentrated

2

Cluster or batch compatible orders

Use this when: Many small orders repeat locations

3

Add visual guidance

Use this when: Search and training—not travel—are material

05 · This week

A practical seven-day starting plan

  1. 01

    Observe 30 consecutive routes without coaching

  2. 02

    Time travel, search, confirm, handle, wait, and problem separately

  3. 03

    Upload four realistic weeks to the order analyzer

  4. 04

    Model the top two ways to organize the work

  5. 05

    Test one bounded change with frozen definitions

Turn what you measured into a small test

The diagnostic compares practical options and shows which limits could change the answer.

Start the diagnostic