Allocation
Available-to-promise, reservations and backorder resolution grounded in stock authority.
View filterStatusOpenOffered
Start with stock you can trust
The Allocation workspace gives the inventory planner a dated stock observation, its source and the commitments already against it. Available-to-promise depends on sellable quantity at a particular location. Damaged goods, quarantine and external commitments reduce that amount. Incoming supply with an unconfirmed arrival date remains a planning estimate.
Each channel needs an agreed inventory authority and a reservation protocol. If other systems can sell the same units without participating in that protocol, a local calculation cannot guarantee exclusivity. Automatic promising must stop when that condition is unresolved or the stock observation is stale. The order desk receives a review requirement and can explain the uncertainty to the customer.
View filterAccepted
| Snapshot Number | Product | Location | On Hand | Unavailable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IS-79486 | PRD-3816 | LCT-150 | 240 | 590 |
| IS-43510 | PRD-6620 | LCT-120 | 570 | 870 |
| IS-59316 | PRD-7958 | LCT-110 | 70 | 70 |
| IS-94124 | PRD-9959 | LCT-120 | 380 | 860 |
| IS-74868 | PRD-2945 | LCT-110 | 360 | 730 |
| IS-44102 | PRD-3616 | LCT-150 | 150 | 210 |
Reserve before releasing warehouse work
A reservation binds an order line, quantity and location to the stock version used in the decision. Concurrent orders compete inside an atomic authority operation. Reading a balance and then writing a separate reservation would allow both orders to consume the same units; that approach does not meet the requirement.
An allocation command has a stable identity. Repeating it after a lost response returns the same reservation. A changed quantity or location requires a new reviewed command, while the previous result remains recoverable. Expiry applies to unused reservations only. Stock attached to accepted warehouse work cannot be released merely because a local timer elapsed.
See exactly what remains uncovered
Backorders track the balance that has neither shipped, been validly cancelled nor received a usable reservation. A backorder has an owner, next review date, supply evidence and proposed resolution. The planner can investigate another location, await replenishment or ask the order desk to discuss an alternative with the customer.
A forecast is not a customer commitment. Promise history retains the original accepted date, the proposed replacement date and the customer’s response. Reports can therefore show the effect of a changed promise without rewriting the original service obligation.
| Situation | Response |
|---|---|
| Stock arrives at another location | Re-evaluate availability and delivery assumptions before reallocating |
| Replenishment date is uncertain | Keep the expected date separate from the customer promise |
| Customer accepts a different SKU | Submit a substitution with consent and commercial approval |
| Customer cancels uncovered demand | Apply an approved quantity cancellation and close only that balance |
Reconcile stock after dispatch
A partial dispatch consumes only part of a reservation. The remaining held quantity stays available to that order, while each dispatched portion has its own movement and acknowledgement. The external stock system may acknowledge those movements later or out of order. Until that acknowledgement identifies the same dispatch, the quantity remains withheld from available-to-promise. This conservative pending debit prevents a delayed stock feed from making already-shipped units appear sellable again.
The implementation must also avoid counting the same commitment twice. Imported external commitments exclude this order system’s tracked reservations, and acknowledgement rules identify which stock movements a snapshot includes. A mismatch goes into reconciliation with evidence. The planner cannot resolve it by forcing a negative balance or editing a source snapshot.
Modules
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Orders
Order intake with channel identity, commercial checks, approvals and traceable amendments.
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Allocation
Available-to-promise, reservations and backorder resolution grounded in stock authority.
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Fulfilment
Warehouse release, split shipments, tracking and cancellation acknowledgement.
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Returns
Return authorisation, inspection, disposition and independently approved refunds.
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Pricing
Price snapshots, customer agreements, discount exceptions and refund allocations.
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Reports
Order, stock, delivery and refund reporting with explicit unresolved outcomes.
Reports
All reportsBackorder Age
Show uncovered quantities, first unresolved date, next review date and supply evidence by owner.
Stock Commitment Reconciliation
Compare active reservations and pending dispatch debits to authority snapshots, highlighting stale stock and unacknowledged movements.
Roles and permissions
Allocates stock and manages uncovered demand.
Related processes
Order intake and approval
Capture, duplicate checks and independent commercial approval before release.
5 stages · 1 approval
Allocation and backorders
Reservation, uncovered demand, customer promises and consented substitutions.
6 stages · 1 approval
Split fulfilment and tracking
Location-specific warehouse work with partial shipment and tracking reconciliation.
6 stages · 0 approvals