Order to ship
Take an accepted order through reservation, wave release, picking and packing to carrier handover.
6 stages · 2 approvals
Roles and responsibilities
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Step 1Order and check availability
Order NumberCustomerCarrier ServiceCarrier
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Step 2Cartonize
Order NumberCustomerCarrier ServiceCarrier
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Step 3Wave release
Wave NumberShip Cutoff AtCarrierZone FilterBulk Reserve
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Step 4Pick
Exception NumberException TypeSeverityLocationDamage
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Step 5Pack and label
Task NumberOrderFrom License PlateCarton
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Step 6Manifest close
Order NumberCustomerCarrier ServiceCarrier
Process steps
Follow the process from start to finish. Select a step to see who acts and what changes.
Order and check availability
Warehouse Manager monitors incoming orders and their upstream holds. The intake workflow validates the ship-to details, service, units and eligible inventory, then creates a soft reservation for accepted demand. Later orders see that commitment immediately. Held, expired, damaged or otherwise unsuitable stock cannot support availability.
Cartonize
Warehouse Manager reviews planning exceptions while cartonization assigns proposed bundles, carton types and order-line quantities. Dimensions, tare and configured carrier settings inform the plan. A missing input remains an exception. Order-specific tote ownership carries through the subsequent pick path, even when that path serves several orders.
Approval required
Wave release
Warehouse Manager releases the proposed wave, or Shift Supervisor releases under a live, scoped delegation. The decision checks holds, cutoff, replenishments and eligible stock. Planning claims each order once; release converts its existing soft reservation into exact hard allocations. Accepting unfinished replenishment never permits allocation against unavailable stock.
Pick
Warehouse Operator scans the exact source position, item and destination tote. Confirmation transfers the picked base quantity from the bin into the order-owned tote, retaining lot, serial and receiving provenance. A short pick records the actual result, releases the unusable claim and seeks an eligible replacement without doubling the reservation. Unresolved demand remains visible.
Pack and label
Packer compares picked stock with the plan, transfers goods into cartons and checks weight under warehouse policy. Scanned cartons retain Picked claims until full verification converts them to Packed without another physical move. Full-pallet plans verify output pallets without fictitious carton stock. Warehouse Manager resolves pack holds. Label requests use stable identities; an uncertain carrier response must be reconciled before a replacement request. Printing a label neither issues stock nor ships the order.
Approval required
Manifest close
Shipping Clerk checks the staged shipment against its labels and physical containers, then closes the manifest and manages transmission. Close freezes the reviewed batch but does not prove handover. The clerk separately records evidenced tender to the carrier; only that event issues packed stock, consumes reservations and updates shipped quantities. Outward tracking delivery can retry independently.
Approvals and exception handling
2 approvals required in this process
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Wave release
Warehouse Manager or Shift Supervisor signs · pick waits
Waves, WaveOrders, PickTasks, InventoryReservations, BinReplenishments, AuthorityDelegations -
Manifest close
Shipping Clerk signs · closes the process
Shipments, ShipManifests, CarrierRequests, StockEvents, StockMovements, InventoryReservations, Orders, OrderLines, WarehouseDeliveries - One active wave claim prevents recurring planning runs from duplicating membership or tasks.
- Soft, hard, pickedPacked commitments are stages of one reservation ledger, not additive claims against the same order quantity.
- Pick and pack transfers conserve stockParent pallets do not duplicate their cartons' contents.
- Wave release requires Warehouse Manager authority or a currently valid Shift Supervisor delegation.
- Manifest closeCarrier transmission and tender retain separate evidence. Only tender changes warehouse stock to shipped.
When the process needs attention
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hold
Order and check availability
Warehouse Manager monitors incoming orders and their upstream holds.
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exception
Cartonize
Warehouse Manager reviews planning exceptions while cartonization assigns proposed bundles, carton types and order-line quantities.
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hold
Wave release
The decision checks holds, cutoff, replenishments and eligible stock.
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shortage
Pick
A short pick records the actual result, releases the unusable claim and seeks an eligible replacement without doubling the reservation.
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hold
Pack and label
Warehouse Manager resolves pack holds.
Records and postings
| Stage | Records | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Order and check availability | OrdersOrderLinesInventoryInventoryReservations | Eligible demand reserved once |
| 2 Cartonize | CartonizationCartonizationLinesOrdersOrderLines | Planned contents and cartons recorded |
| 3 Wave release | WavesWaveOrdersPickTasksInventoryReservationsBinReplenishmentsAuthorityDelegations | Reviewed wave released; existing claims converted |
| 4 Pick | PickTasksPickConfirmationsInventoryInventoryReservationsLicensePlatesStockEventsStockMovementsExceptions | Stock and order ownership transferred into the tote |
| 5 Pack and label | PackTasksCartonsCartonContentsInventoryInventoryReservationsStockEventsStockMovementsShippingLabelsCarrierRequests | Verified stock transferred into cartons; label outcome recorded |
| 6 Manifest close | ShipmentsShipManifestsCarrierRequestsStockEventsStockMovementsInventoryReservationsOrdersOrderLinesWarehouseDeliveries | Batch closed; separate evidenced tender issues stock once |
Process reports
All reportsExpiring Lots
Exact Inventory identities grouped by expiry date and remaining life at planned/actual shipping date, with lot/serial, plate, physical quantity, reservation stage and hold status. Show applicable Items.MinShelfLifeDays and order lot conditions; 30/60/90-day buckets are reporting ranges, not release authority.
On-Time Ship
Fully fulfilled orders with Orders.FulfilledAt on or before immutable OriginalShipCutoffAt divided by all fully fulfilled eligible orders in the reporting period. FulfilledAt is the latest evidenced tender needed for all non-cancelled units, including split shipments; calendar ShipDate and manifest transmission cannot satisfy the cutoff. Outstanding/late unshipped orders and cancellations are reported separately to expose denominator coverage.
Pick Accuracy
Unique valid PickConfirmations outcomes and net confirmed quantities by operator, Zone and Wave, with linked downstream Exceptions and retry/reversal exclusions. Show the actual count/quantity denominator and customer-impact evidence rather than an unexplained combined score.
Cartonization Efficiency
Actual verified bundle contents and occupied volume against the physical handling-unit type, compared with the frozen CartonizationLines plan; show dimensional/actual weight, splits and type mix by CarrierService. Missing geometry or unsupported packing basis is Unknown, not zero or perfect fill.
Carrier Manifest Summary
By manifest day, Warehouse, Carrier, account and service: frozen included shipments, cartons/pallets and reviewed billable weight, with transmission acknowledgement and actual tender shown separately. Reconcile label/void/request outcomes and carrier billing references; a manifest close is not pickup evidence.
Bin Occupancy
Physical occupied volume/weight and unexpired incoming capacity claims against reviewed BinType limits by Zone and velocity class. Count nested child stock once; distinguish empty pick faces, blocked/count-locked slots and capacity held by planned moves.
Run by an agent
Agent support
Human decisions remain with the authorized people. An assistant cannot release a wave, close a receipt or manifest, approve a stock correction, invent delegation or turn an uncertain carrier response into a confirmed shipment. It can prepare evidence and proposals. Every permitted write must retain its identity, scope and source context.
# Example after configuration
$ curl -fsSL https://www.erp.ai/skill.md | paste into your agent
› order to ship · order and check availability on Orders, OrderLines, Inventory, InventoryReservations
✓ Warehouse Manager monitors incoming orders and their upstream holds.
› order to ship · cartonize on Cartonization, CartonizationLines, Orders, OrderLines
✓ Warehouse Manager reviews planning exceptions while cartonization assigns proposed bundles, carton types and order-line quantities.
› order to ship · wave release on Waves, WaveOrders, PickTasks, InventoryReservations, BinReplenishments, AuthorityDelegations
⏸ approval · waiting for the warehouse manager or shift supervisor
# 3 more stages after approval: pick, pack and label, manifest close
Other processes
4 moreDock to stock
Reconcile each delivery and move confirmed stock from the receiving dock into storage.
6 stages · 1 approval
End of day manifest close
Match the staged load to carrier documents, close the manifest and confirm handover.
6 stages · 1 approval
Cycle count to adjustment
Turn a protected physical count into an evidenced, authorized stock correction.
6 stages · 2 approvals
Exception to resolution
Assign a floor problem to its owner and follow the corrective work through resolution.
6 stages · 1 approval