# Presentation: 345878

## MTAC Workgroup 106 Improve, integrate, and optimize data sources...Brian Euclide, RR DonnelleyBob Galaher, USPS Marketing

- Feb 22, 2007
- Washington DC

## MTAC Workgroup 106 – Agenda

- Business Needs
- Group Goals
- Objectives
- What do we know
- What has taken place
- Where do we go from here

## MTAC Workgroup 106 – Business Needs

- Mail industry needs a seamless mail preparation and drop ship business model that supports:
- How to prepare all mail products – content of containerization, work-share discounts, destination of contents, and processing needs.
- What mail products can claim entry point discounts (EPDs)
- Alignment of mail preparation data with drop ship data to determine physical USPS facility drop-off locations for mail products claiming EPDs.
- USPS Administrative policies, business rules, and functions to manage / maintain process and data sources to meet USPS / mail industry needs.

## MTAC Workgroup 106 – Goals

- Optimize the integration of data sources impacting mail preparation, drop ship discounts, and delivery (i.e. Drop Ship products, Labeling Lists, and Facility Information).
- Identify a consolidated data set and determine communication methods to disseminate information in a timely manner.
- Provide recommendations for business rules and processes to update and coordinate changes to maintain accuracy, currency, and implementation.

## MTAC Workgroup 106 – Objectives

- Define problem
- Disconnects between preparation (i.e. containerizing, labeling) and entry (i.e. drop ship product)
- Determine needs
- Comprehensive Data Source
- Direct Data Solution – No Ambiguity
- Maintainable Data Source
- Responsive to Regular Facilitates Changes
- Supports – Creation to Final Delivery Supply Chain
- Develop recommendations/solutions
- Centralized Data Source
- Identifies Container Contents
- Defines Container Zip Code Groupings
- Discount Options
- Physical Entry Locations (facility to induct mail)
- Physical USPS Destination Locations (facility working the mail)

**Notes:**
Define problem
Disconnects between “labeling” information used in preparation and “drop ship product” use in discount determination and drop off points
Current processes not integrated and difficult to maintain. Lack quality assurance, adequate feedback, and update processes. Current data have some ambiguities, lack some elements, and lack effective synchronization and user availability.
Determine needs
Need to establish a comprehensive data source that provides support in the mailing cycle from preparation to drop shipment dispatch. 
The data needs to be easily maintained. Easy to update and maintain the linkages necessary for preparation (construction of the containers) to locating discount eligibility and physical “geo-codable entry point facilities. Must facilitate changes keeping data synchronized. Provides all the data elements necessary to support cross functional supply chain activities (presort, preparation, entry point planning, load planning, etc....
Develop recommendations/solutions
Propose centralized data source containing elements necessary to identify how the mailing is to be prepared, what discount options are available, and what physical location does the mail need to be dropped at to receive the discount.

## MTAC Workgroup 106 – What do we know?

- There are Inconsistencies within data sources.
- Data sources are out of sync/timeliness
- Changes made to Labeling List are not updated in Drop Ship Files.
- Changes made to Drop Ship Files are not updated in Labeling List.
- Complex Labeling List and drop ship decoding logic used to determine a containers’ physical USPS facility location.
- No business rules specifying how to use Labeling List and drop ship files
- Data sources terms are vague – causes confusion among users.
- Data sources are distributed to mailers in an inefficient manner that doesn’t meet business needs.
- Users struggle to link relationship between container creation and destination entry
- Presort software is incapable of determining physical entry points for appropriate discounts.

## MTAC Workgroup 106 – What has taken place

- Established Common Language (glossary of terms)
- Defined Solution Scope
- Identified all the appropriate USPS participants
- Identified that “Labeling Lists” are not going away
- Identified that particular groups within the USPS already are developing similar solutions
- Smaller subgroup has established a preliminary data structure to present to the larger workgroup

## MTAC Workgroup 106 – Next

- Work with MTAC 87 – to determine future goals and timelines
- Discuss approach to align MTAC 87 & 106 solutions to meet internal USPS goals and mailers’ business needs.
- Smaller sub group to finalize details of proposed solution
- Submit proposed solution to larger workgroup (Industry and USPS)
- Define business rules for use of solution
- Submit solution to USPS leadership