Files > Folder > Organization > 01. Naming Conventions

They might not be the most glamorous topic, but naming conventions are the backbone of an organized, efficient system. Imagine trying to find a specific document without a naming convention—it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. In fact, a study by IBM found that poor data quality costs the US economy around $3.1 trillion per year! So, let’s dive into why naming conventions are so crucial.

Before jumping onto a robust platform like Blakthumb, many businesses rely on a mishmash of Excel sheets, Word documents, or even handbooks to manage their operations. This patchwork approach often lacks consistency and can lead to confusion. It can also affect employees who may not be tech-savvy, and there's the added issue of timely file-sharing, difficulty in data analysis, and scalability problems. Some operators even resort to social media or online forums for tips because there's no standardized method available. That’s why effective naming conventions are vital—they’ll undoubtedly improve your operations, reduce errors, and enhance communication.

How Do Standardized Naming Conventions Make a Difference?

Standardized naming conventions enhance data accuracy and streamline information retrieval, making decision-making easier and improving overall operational efficiency. A study by McKinsey found that companies with strong data governance practices are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times more likely to retain them, and 19 times more likely to be profitable.

How Can Blakthumb Help?

Blakthumb offers a customizable yet standardized framework tailored to different operational needs. Our platform requires a specific setup where each step must be followed in a way that will improve your operations. One task cannot be completed without the previous one being finished. Users can tweak naming conventions to suit their specific processes while maintaining system integrity. Here’s how Blakthumb can help streamline key areas:

Batch Management: In Blakthumb, a batch refers to a specific quantity or group of items processed together. Batches are organized within production runs and are driven by predefined recipes. Our naming convention for batch IDs typically follows the structure BL-YYYY-MMDD-#### (e.g., BL-2023-1128-6541). This standardization ensures clear identification and traceability of each batch.

Run Identification: Naming a production run involves selecting a recipe, identifying the cultivar, and assigning unique IDs to plants or products. This process ensures proper organization and traceability, making it easier to monitor and manage the lifecycle of your products from cultivation to sale.

Product Line Management: Within Blakthumb, a product line includes related products grouped under a common category, such as different flavors of a distillate mix. Each product within the line can have distinct attributes, such as a SKU for sellable units or a BOM ID for unpacked items. This categorization facilitates efficient inventory management and product tracking.

By implementing standardized naming conventions across these areas, Blakthumb enhances workflow management and data tracking, ensuring everyone is on the same page and reducing errors. Integrating Blakthumb into your operations means improving efficiency and supporting compliance and traceability.

What Are the Best Ways to Adapt the Blakthumb Naming Conventions to Your Workflow?

By adopting a systematic approach to naming, such as including identifiers like cultivars or dates, you can effortlessly identify and manage various elements of your operations. This method prevents the confusion that often arises from dealing with random numbers or codes. Imagine the simplicity and clarity a well-thought-out naming system could bring to your workflow. Here are some critical areas where naming conventions prove invaluable:

• Easy SKU Identification: Standardized naming allows for quick and accurate identification of Stock Keeping Units (SKUs). This ensures that inventory management is straightforward, reducing errors and saving time when locating specific products.
• Creating Reports for Data Analysis: Consistent naming enables the seamless generation of reports for data analysis. By having clear and structured names, you can easily track and compare data across different time periods or batches, leading to more insightful analytics and better decision-making.
• Batch Naming for Cultivation or Production Runs: Assigning unique and descriptive names to each batch, based on cultivars or production dates, helps in monitoring and tracking the lifecycle of products from seed to sale. This practice not only aids in quality control but also simplifies communication among team members and with external stakeholders.
• Audit Trail Tracking: A robust naming convention enhances the traceability of products throughout the supply chain. This is particularly crucial during audits, as it allows for a clear and verifiable record of production activities. Efficient audit trail tracking ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and supports accountability within the organization.

Blakthumb’s ‘auto-name’ and ‘auto-generate’ feature allows you to create codes with a single click. Need to tweak something? No problem—just edit the auto-generated code. When adding products to the catalog, multiple codes can be generated automatically, but you can still customize them to fit your internal workflows. These features can save you hours each week as you can apply them to multiple variants within a product line at once. It’s all about starting with a solid foundation and adapting it to meet your needs.

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Our team can also help you develop a customized naming convention system. We are dedicated to understanding your unique needs and creating a solution that supports your internal processes. Implementing a structured naming convention can optimize your workflows, improve accuracy, and maintain a high level of organization, ultimately leading to better operational outcomes and a more streamlined business process.

What Are the Training and Onboarding Benefits?

Revamping your naming conventions might seem like a hassle, but the long-term benefits are worth it. Standardized naming conventions simplify training and onboarding for new employees, helping them quickly understand and adapt to your system.

1. Consistency Across the Board: Ensures that all team members are on the same page. This consistency reduces the learning curve for new hires, as they can easily understand and follow the established system without confusion or misinterpretation.
2. Enhanced Communication: Whether it's discussing specific batches, runs, or product lines, standardized names eliminate ambiguity and make it easier for employees to convey and understand information accurately.
3. Easier Auditing and Compliance: Clear and consistent records make it straightforward to trace the history and status of any product or batch, ensuring that you can meet regulatory requirements and provide accurate documentation when needed.

In summary, while revamping your naming conventions may require some initial effort, the long-term benefits are substantial. Standardized naming conventions not only simplify training and onboarding but also enhance overall operational efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. By investing in a naming system, you set the foundation for a more organized, productive, and compliant business environment.

How Can You Keep Improving with Blakthumb?

At Blakthumb, we’re always evolving based on user feedback and industry trends. This ongoing improvement helps us refine our platform, making operations more efficient and workers happier. And as we all know, happy workers mean happy customers. #HelpYourBud

Blakthumb’s platform encourages best practices for operational enhancement. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our customers have "a-ha" moments during calls, especially when we’ve anticipated their next questions.

A Blakthumb Promise: Data Enrichment

Here’s what our process looks like:

1. Data Conversion: We convert your data into the required format for Blakthumb’s platform, establishing naming conventions, defining recipes, and creating or modifying Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
2. Data Enhancement: We add any additional information needed to improve the quality and completeness of your data.
3. Continuous Improvement: We engage in a dynamic exchange where client feedback and system performance inform ongoing improvements.

At Blakthumb, we’ve taken on the challenge of creating a system that works for everyone. Through our onboarding process, we listen to your stories to pinpoint what works and what doesn’t. And, in turn…this helps us build a platform that supports your success!

Got any questions or suggestions you’d like to share? Shoot us an email at support@blakthumb.com.

Download our FREE Naming Conventions One-Pager below. 👇🏽
FREE DOWNLOAD - Blakthumb Naming Conventions (for Production Runs)

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