Inbound
Inbound is everything that happens when goods arrive: knowing what is coming (purchase order, ASN), booking the dock, counting what arrived, checking quality, posting the receipt into stock, and putting the goods away on the shelf. At the end of inbound, the stock is available to be picked for orders.
The inbound journey
What each step produces:
| Step | Document | What changes in stock |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | PO-… | nothing — it is only the expectation |
| ASN | ASN-… | nothing — the supplier says "this is on the truck" |
| Dock appointment | APPT-… | nothing — a time slot at a door |
| Receiving | RCPT-… | nothing yet — you count and record what arrived |
| GRN | GRN-… | stock is created in the receiving bin (QA units in the QA bin, damaged in the damage bin) |
| Putaway | PUT-… tasks | stock moves from the receiving bin to a storage bin |
Your warehouse decides which steps to use
Not every company needs every step. Your administrator chooses the steps in Administration → Workflow Designer → Process (and can override them per owner in Master Data → Business Partners):
- Purchase order required? — off by default: you can receive without a WMS purchase order, for example when orders live in your ERP or SQL Accounting.
- ASN and dock appointment — Required, Optional or Off.
- QA — as needed, or every received unit goes to QA hold first.
- GRN — Required (someone posts the GRN) or posted automatically when the receipt is completed.
- Putaway — on, or stock simply stays in the receiving bin.
Screens in this chapter
Purchase OrdersWhat you expect to receive from a supplier.ASNThe supplier's notice of a delivery on its way.Dock AppointmentsBook a door and a time for the truck.ReceivingCount what arrived, record lots, expiry and damage.GRNPost the receipt into stock.Quality / QA HoldInspect, then release or reject held stock.PutawayMove received stock to its storage bin.Return to VendorSend goods back to the supplier.Cross-DockShip received goods without storing them.