WMS Selection
Part of Warehouse management system selection
Testing a WMS vendor's receiving workflow with sample deliveries
Use the same exact, short, excess and damaged deliveries in each WMS demo, then inspect receipt, exception and putaway records.
Give every shortlisted WMS vendor the same sample deliveries and ask them to receive the goods through the mobile workflow proposed for your warehouse. Inspect the resulting stock and putaway records as closely as the entry screens. The exercise should show what happens when goods differ from the order, who resolves the difference, and when stock becomes available.
Prepare a small delivery set
Use anonymised purchase orders and realistic item and location records. Define the expected result before each demonstration.
| Sample delivery | What the vendor should demonstrate |
|---|---|
| Exact delivery | Identify the order line, register the arrived quantity and show the resulting stock and putaway work. |
| Short delivery | Record what arrived and show how the original order quantity and remaining commitment can be checked. |
| Excess delivery | Show whether the proposed configuration accepts, blocks or escalates the excess, and where that rule is set. |
| Damaged units | Separate the physical units and show their stock status and destination before they can be picked. |
| Unexpected item or unreadable code | Show the worker's stop and correction path without attaching goods to the wrong line. |
Add a mixed pallet, batch or serial item only if it reflects your operation. These are proposed cases, not vendor results.
Watch the worker and the record
Start from a visible purchase order or inbound record. Note what the worker enters or scans to identify the item and line. Confirm the unit shown on the device: entering a carton quantity as pieces could make an otherwise smooth demonstration misleading.
After each entry, inspect the registered quantity, stock status, receiving location and generated putaway task. Ask the vendor which menu-item route creates putaway work and which processes existing work, and ask them to demonstrate the route proposed for your warehouse.
Continue beyond a “receipt successful” screen. Complete, interrupt or correct the putaway task and show where the goods can then be found. If damaged units are held, check that the stock record reflects the decision. Ask the vendor to show whether a disposition code is used, and what inventory status and work result from it in the configured receiving route.
Key Metrics to Validate in WMS Receiving Workflow
- Stock availability timing
- When does stock become available after receipt?
- Putaway task generation
- Is a putaway task created automatically after receipt?
- Disposition code usage
- Is a disposition code applied for exceptions? What is the outcome?
- Mobile device configuration
- Are mobile devices properly configured for warehouse use?
- Exception visibility
- Can discrepancies be traced back to original purchase order?
Press on discrepancy handling
For a short delivery, compare the original purchase-order quantity, the registered quantity and any remaining commitment. Ask the vendor to show how the original order quantity remains visible after a change to the inbound load line.
For an excess delivery, ask the vendor to demonstrate any configured tolerance or approval path for the receiving route shown; do not assume it applies to other routes. For an unexpected item, a hold and supervisor review may be the suitable outcome. Record the worker's screen, exception owner and action needed to reconcile the goods with the purchasing record.
Capture comparable evidence
For every case, note the goods presented, fields entered, records shown, staff handovers, configuration used and final stock state. Mark steps supported only by narration as unverified. If a case fails, ask the vendor to resume from the unresolved state so recovery is visible.
