Allocation and backorders
Reservation, uncovered demand, customer promises and consented substitutions.
6 stages · 1 approval
Roles and responsibilities
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Step 1Check stock authority
Snapshot NumberProductLocationOn Hand
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Step 3Expose the uncovered balance
Backorder NumberOrder LineQuantityResolutionAlternative Location
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Step 4Offer a resolution
Order NumberCustomerStatusRequested DatePending Review
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Step 6Hand over reserved work
Fulfilment NumberLocationOwnerPlanned Start
Process steps
Follow the process from start to finish. Select a step to see who acts and what changes.
Check stock authority
Inventory Planner reviews snapshot age, source revision, sellable units and outstanding commitments. Damaged stock, quarantine and unresolved dispatch debits stay unavailable. Invalid unit mappings or a stale feed stop automatic promising and create an action for the responsible operator.
Reserve eligible units
Inventory Planner requests an atomic reservation under a stable command identity. The stock authority checks both stock capacity and remaining order demand. A competing update rejects the stale attempt; a repeated successful command returns the existing reservation. Multi-location splits retain each line's original identity.
Expose the uncovered balance
Inventory Planner creates or updates Backorders for the remaining quantity. Supply evidence and a next review date make the queue actionable. An expected replenishment date is labelled an estimate and does not become a customer promise simply because someone entered it.
Offer a resolution
Order Desk discusses an evidence-backed date, another location or a replacement product with the customer. PromiseHistory keeps the first commitment and subsequent responses. A substitution records the exact SKU, quantity, unit interpretation and price difference; a generic consent note does not authorise a different proposal.
Approval required
Approve a substitution
Order Manager independently approves the consented SubstitutionRequests proposal at the current order revision. If consent or commercial review is missing, the original demand remains unchanged. Applying an approved replacement creates a traceable line amendment and returns the new demand to normal availability checks.
Hand over reserved work
Inventory Planner releases current, usable reservations to the warehouse process. Any expired unused hold is resolved first. Stock already attached to accepted warehouse work remains committed until that work is dispatched or the warehouse confirms cancellation.
Approvals and exception handling
1 approval required in this process
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Approve a substitution
Order Manager signs · hand over reserved work waits
SubstitutionRequests, OrderReviews, OrderLines
When the process needs attention
- exception A fresh-looking stock feed includes the same OMS reservation in external commitments; the mapping double-counts demand unless the source contract is explicit.
- exception A consumed reservation portion disappears before its movement is reflected in stock, temporarily exposing shipped units for sale again.
- exception A revised promise replaces the original in reports, concealing the customer's first commitment.
- exception A replacement SKU bypasses consent, price review or a new stock check.
When commercial release meets physical stock
An accepted order still needs exclusive stock and a feasible delivery plan. This process starts with released demand and a current authority snapshot for the relevant SKU and location. It keeps the confirmed reservation separate from replenishment estimates and the date offered to the customer. If the connection cannot protect stock from competing writers, availability stays unconfirmed.
Records and postings
| Stage | Records | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Check stock authority | InventorySnapshotsLocationsProducts | Establish whether availability can be trusted |
| 2 Reserve eligible units | ReservationsOrderLines | Hold exclusive stock without exceeding open demand |
| 3 Expose the uncovered balance | Backorders | Assign remaining demand and a review date |
| 4 Offer a resolution | PromiseHistorySubstitutionRequests | Preserve evidence and customer agreement |
| 5 Approve a substitution | SubstitutionRequestsOrderReviewsOrderLines | Authorise the exact commercial replacement |
| 6 Hand over reserved work | ReservationsFulfilments | Fund location-specific warehouse instructions |
Process reports
All reportsBackorder Age
Show uncovered quantities, first unresolved date, next review date and supply evidence by owner.
Price Exceptions
Show discount and price overrides with requester, independent reviewer and frozen order revision.
Stock Commitment Reconciliation
Compare active reservations and pending dispatch debits to authority snapshots, highlighting stale stock and unacknowledged movements.
Run by an agent
Agent support
The assistant cannot approve its requester's own commercial exception or refund, invent stock or provider evidence, assume customer consent, or treat a timeout as a failed payment. It cannot expand its permissions or treat a credit export as a confirmed accounting posting. Product substitutions, commercial exceptions and refunds retain their specified human decisions.
# Example after configuration
curl -fsSL https://www.erp.ai/skill.md
# Paste the output into your agent
allocation and backorders · check stock authority on InventorySnapshots, Locations, Products
Inventory Planner reviews snapshot age, source revision, sellable units and outstanding commitments.
allocation and backorders · reserve eligible units on Reservations, OrderLines
Inventory Planner requests an atomic reservation under a stable command identity.
allocation and backorders · expose the uncovered balance on Backorders
Inventory Planner creates or updates Backorders for the remaining quantity.
allocation and backorders · offer a resolution on PromiseHistory, SubstitutionRequests
Order Desk discusses an evidence-backed date, another location or a replacement product with the customer.
allocation and backorders · approve a substitution on SubstitutionRequests, OrderReviews, OrderLines
approval · waiting for the order manager
# 1 more stage after approval: hand over reserved work
Other processes
4 moreOrder intake and approval
Capture, duplicate checks and independent commercial approval before release.
5 stages · 1 approval
Split fulfilment and tracking
Location-specific warehouse work with partial shipment and tracking reconciliation.
6 stages · 0 approvals
Order changes and cancellation
Revision-bound changes that respect accepted warehouse work and customer commitments.
6 stages · 1 approval
Returns and refunds
Independent return, inspection and refund decisions with provider reconciliation.
6 stages · 2 approvals