Sales Order Fulfillment: allocate, pick, pack, and ship

Use this workflow after a customer order is ready for warehouse execution. It ends with a confirmed shipment or pickup and gives billing the actual fulfillment result. Customer invoicing and collection remain in Order to Cash.

Where this workflow fits

This workflow is common for warehouse distributors, e-commerce sellers, and manufacturers that ship finished goods. Order to Cash supplies the approved customer commitment. The actual shipment or pickup returns to billing.

Featured capabilities

• Orders & Sales: Prepare the quote or order and hand off accepted demand.
• Inventory & Products: Check quantity, condition, and stock disposition.
• Shipping & Fulfillment: Pick, ship, or transfer the approved quantity.
• Shop Floor Terminal: Review relevant production and material work where assigned.
• Extensiv 3PL Fulfillment: Review the partner’s actual receiving or shipping result where connected.

People and preparation

Sales and warehouse teams need an approved order, destination, delivery commitment, available stock, product handling requirements, and access to the chosen carrier or warehouse partner.

Process areas and stages

1. Release for execution

   Owner: Sales and fulfillment coordinator. Input: Customer sales order.

   Work and decision: Review released sales orders for address, payment, inventory, hold, and shipping requirements. Resolve any credit, allocation, or product exception. Confirm address, payment or hold conditions, shipping choice, and promised quantity. Resolve a credit hold, stock shortage, or incorrect item with the commercial owner before work is released.

   Evidence and handoff: Released order communicates the approved fulfillment quantity.

2. Allocate and direct work

   Owner: Inventory or warehouse lead. Input: Released order and stock availability.

   Work and decision: Allocate inventory and create the picklist or warehouse work required for the order. Use the Shop Floor Terminal when the work is assigned through that focused production and material workspace. Allocate the approved quantity and create the picklist or applicable warehouse work. Check that the stock and facility match the order; unresolved demand returns to sales for a new promise or replenishment decision.

   Evidence and handoff: Allocation and picklist pass an executable task to the picker.

3. Pick and check

   Owner: Warehouse picker. Input: Picklist and physical stock.

   Work and decision: Pick the correct product, quantity, lot, serial number, and Bin Location. Report shortages or damage before packing. Locate the item, count it, and verify required lot, serial number, and Bin Location. Report damage or a short pick before packing; a planned allocation is not evidence that the correct goods were physically found.

   Evidence and handoff: Actual picked quantity and exceptions go to packing and inventory.

4. Pack and prepare dispatch

   Owner: Warehouse packer. Input: Verified picked goods.

   Work and decision: Pack the shipment, choose the carrier service, create labels and tracking, and confirm the package contents. Check package contents against the order, protect the goods, select the carrier service, and generate label and tracking information where used. Resolve mismatches before sealing or tendering packages.

   Evidence and handoff: Packed shipment and carrier information are ready for confirmation.

5. Confirm shipment or pickup

   Owner: Shipping and customer service. Input: Dispatched package or customer pickup.

   Work and decision: Post the shipment or record customer pickup. Send fulfillment information to the customer and update the sales order status. Record what actually left, when, and the tracking or pickup result. Send the customer the appropriate information and pass fulfilled quantity to billing; do not post an undelivered balance as shipped.

   Evidence and handoff: Shipment or pickup and updated order status hand off to Order to Cash.

6. Review third-party execution

   Owner: Fulfillment coordinator. Input: Eligible Extensiv shipment where configured.

   Work and decision: When Extensiv fulfills the order, send the eligible package once and review the returned carrier and tracking status before proceeding. Submit the eligible fulfillment once, then inspect the partner’s returned shipment and tracking result. A request to the partner is not proof it dispatched the order.

   Evidence and handoff: Partner response reconciles with the order or becomes a named exception.

Variations and exceptions

A partial pick returns the remainder to sales for an amended commitment. A third-party warehouse performs the physical handling; your team still reviews its returned result before invoicing.

Completion and review

The order shows its fulfilled quantity, package or pickup record, shipment date, and tracking information where applicable. Inventory and any serialized or lotted records reflect the completed shipment.

Related workflows

• Order to Cash: from accepted order to payment
• Inventory Control and Transfer