This article explains how to handle items that cannot be physically located during the picking or packing stages. This redesigned workflow is intended to prevent operational bottlenecks, preserve order priority, and provide clear resolution paths without causing "hard stops" in the warehouse.
1. Feature Purpose and Business Value
The new process introduces a more fluid system for handling inventory discrepancies.
Operational Continuity: Prevents missing items from halting the entire fulfillment process, allowing pickers to move seamlessly to the next task.
Reduced Cancellations: Decreases the rate of order cancellations caused by temporary inventory discrepancies.
Automation: Automates issue reporting and the transfer of items to "hospital" locations for resolution.
2. Configuration and Settings
To activate this workflow, the following settings must be managed:
Client Settings: A new setting, Retain Allocation During Missing, must be set to TRUE. If set to FALSE, the system follows the legacy missing item process.
Printout Settings: The system now distinguishes between shortages found during picking and packing. It generates either a Pick Short Issue Label or a Pack Short Issue Label based on the order's status.
3. Multi-Item Order Scenarios
This workflow applies to orders containing more than one item.
Pick Short (During Picking)
If a picker cannot locate an item, they select "Report as Missing" on their mobile device. The system first attempts to reallocate the item from another location. If no stock is available, the task is flagged as Pick Short Status Open and is hidden from the picker's list, allowing them to continue their work.
When the remaining items reach the packing station, scanning the tote or an item triggers a "Report Issue" popup. Upon confirmation, the successfully picked items are automatically transferred to a designated Hospital Location, and a Pick Short Issue Label is printed.
Pack Short (During Packing)
If a packer realizes an item is physically missing from a fully picked order (e.g., it was dropped during transport), they scan the available items and click the "Report Issue" button. The packer assigns the available items to a hospital location. The system then prints a Pack Short Issue Label and updates the order status to Pack Short Status Open.
4. Single-Item Order Scenarios
This workflow applies to picking jobs containing multiple single-item orders (e.g., a 10-order batch).
Pick Short (During Picking)
When a picker reports items as missing within a batch of single-item orders, the system attempts reallocation. If unavailable, the specific missing tasks are flagged as Pick Short Status Open and hidden from the active picking pool.
At the packing station, the system detects these shortages and displays a Report Issue for pick short. The packer can then use the "Report Issue" process to resolve these multiple orders simultaneously. A Pick Short Issue Label is printed for each missing order.
Pack Short (During Packing)
In a scenario where all items were picked but some are lost before reaching the packing station, the packer scans all physically available items/orders and pack them. Once no items are left to scan, the packer clicks Report Issue button under Other Actions button and selects Pack Short as an Issue Type. After that, the system prints Pack Short Issue Labels.
Note: Why is there no "Hospital Location" option for Single-Item Orders?
In single-item order scenarios, the Hospital Location transfer option is not provided for a specific technical reason:
For Pick Short: Since the order consists of only one item and that item is missing, there are no other successfully picked items for that order to be transferred to a hospital location. Therefore, only a Pick Short Label is generated to document the discrepancy.
For Pack Short: Similarly, if the single item of an order is missing at the packing stage, there is no physical inventory left to move. The system simply updates the order/task status to Pack Short Status Open and prints the Pack Short Label.
5. Resolution and Exception Handling
Orders marked as "Short" (Open) require manual intervention to proceed:
Manual Resolution: A user must manually change the status to "Resolved" from the Shipment Order screen under Warehouse Ops after investigating the discrepancy.
Task Reappearance: Once set to "Resolved", any hidden picking tasks will reappear on the mobile picking screen for re-execution.
Flexible Management: For resolved tasks where the item is still missing, users can change the Shipment Order Type to allow partial shipments.
6. Important Assumptions and Limitations
Task Consolidation: This feature does not consolidate "trouble" orders into new jobs; tasks must be picked as part of their original assignment once resolved.
Operational Dependency: The process relies on supervisors managing and resolving printed issue tickets in a timely manner.