Workflow: Receive, Putaway, Ship
This playbook describes Orbita’s warehouse execution chain: supplier-linked receive, scan-confirmed putaway, rack and FIFO truth, pick readiness, and outbound ship evidence — with explicit separation between desk monitoring and floor execution.
Definition
Receive–putaway–ship is the operational spine of WMS in Orbita. It transforms supplier intake and customer demand into location-backed quantity truth and outbound proof. The workflow is healthy when every quantity mutation is traceable to scan or governed override events — not silent spreadsheet adjustments.
PO / inbound intent → Receive queue → Floor receive scan → Putaway → Rack slot truth → Pick → Ship / outbound proof
Orbita distinguishes desk monitor surfaces (queues, inbound header lifecycle, exception disposition authority) from floor execution (PWA scan paths). Both are required; neither replaces the other. Product identity in Office does not automatically create inbound rows — inbound intent must be explicit.
Movement history (ledger) records quantity changes over time. Operational audit feeds record operator and system events. Exception control owns inbound disposition — not the audit feed. These semantics must not be collapsed into a single vague “activity” module.
Purpose
Warehouse teams need one physical truth that sales, procurement, and finance can trust. Structured receive–putaway–ship reduces wrong-SKU picks, hidden staging stock, rack drift, and disputes that cannot be resolved without reconstructing scans from memory.
- Bind intake to PO or inbound header context before floor execution.
- Enforce scan validation before quantity moves to rack locations.
- Preserve FIFO and slot occupancy rules for pick quality.
- Produce outbound evidence aligned to order and delivery workflows.
The workflow also protects operators: scan-led confirmation reduces blame ambiguity when something ships incorrectly. Supervisors review event feeds and movement history instead of relying on verbal recounts.
For inventory variance programs, receive–putaway–ship is the operational half of reconciliation — commercial inventory views and warehouse balance comparisons depend on this chain being complete and authoritative.
Workflow
1) Receive queue and inbound header (desk authority)
Receive desk monitors PO-driven intake and eligible lines. Inbound control manages header lifecycle transitions toward putaway readiness. Operators plan work from queues; they do not replace floor scans from the desk alone.
2) Floor receive execution (PWA)
Scan paths confirm supplier cartons and pallets against expected context. Wrong scans block progression until corrected. Receive intake respects product pallet profiles, carton limits, and configured metadata checks — batch or expiry prompts appear only when authoritative records do not already supply them.
3) Putaway and rack assignment
Putaway moves staged quantity into rack slots with slot enforcement semantics. Destination occupancy, palletization profiles, and recommendation chains reduce ad-hoc slot guessing. Closed header edge cases may allow balance-only putaway when staging stock still exists — preventing false deadlocks.
4) FIFO layer and location truth
Inbound timing anchors FIFO discipline for later picks. Rack map visual truth and rack registry authority must agree; slot inspector detail supports audits without creating parallel rack owners.
5) Pick and ship readiness
Pick execution consumes location truth and produces shipment readiness signals linked to order outbound workflows. Pick evidence feeds delivery and invoice eligibility upstream in order-to-cash — without warehouse modules owning customer pricing or AR posting.
6) Exceptions and disposition
Inbound rejects, returns, and short-close scenarios route through exception disposition authority. Audit feeds remain read-only visibility; disposition actions live in the exception control surface.
Throughout, Office commercial inventory and WMS operational inventory remain distinct authorities. Variance views reconcile them; they do not merge semantics into one ambiguous “inventory” label.
Example
A PO line for 120 cartons arrives on two pallets. Receive desk shows the PO in the queue; floor operators scan each pallet against the inbound context. Putaway recommends rack slots by zone rules; slot enforcement blocks occupied single-pallet destinations. After putaway, FIFO timestamps preserve inbound order for later picks. A customer order releases; pick scan confirms SKU and location; ship stage records outbound proof. If the customer claims short delivery, supervisors traverse pick scans, movement ledger entries, and delivery status without manual reconstruction.
If operators skip putaway and leave stock in virtual staging, pick quality degrades and variance programs show persistent mismatch. The workflow expects explicit putaway completion or governed exception handling — not indefinite staging drift.
If barcode mapping is wrong, scans fail early — that is desirable. Fixing master barcode governance is the correct response, not bypassing scan gates.
FAQ
- Do we need WMS for every Orbita customer?
- No. WMS is optional; without it, this workflow applies only where warehouse modules are enabled.
- What is the difference between receive desk and floor scan?
- Desk monitors and plans; floor execution confirms physical actions with scans.
- Can office staff run receive scans from the browser desk?
- Floor execution uses published PWA scan paths; desk pages monitor and link — they do not replace scan authority.
- Where is movement history?
- Inventory Movement Center (ledger) is the qty mutation history authority.
- Does Atlas move stock?
- No. Atlas observes and explains; WMS execution modules mutate operational quantity through governed actions.
- How does this connect to procure-to-pay?
- Receive evidence is the operational anchor for supplier billing alignment in P2P.
Misconceptions
“Creating a product auto-creates inbound stock.” False. Product identity does not imply inbound intent.
“Audit feed buttons can disposition exceptions.” False. Disposition belongs to exception control authority.
“Rack map is decorative.” False. It is visual truth paired with registry and enforcement rules.
When It Matters
This workflow matters when pick error cost, SKU count, batch sensitivity, or multi-location complexity grows. It is critical for businesses claiming scan-led discipline to customers and auditors.
It also matters during WMS rollout: teams that train desk and floor roles separately — with correct authority labels — adopt faster and avoid parallel “shadow” processes in spreadsheets or messaging apps.