This is what happens in the video
When you have multiple sales orders competing for the same limited stock, the challenge is not the orders you can ship freely. It is the orders that draw from shared inventory, where shipping one order affects whether you can fulfil the next. This article explains how to handle conflict stock items in your warehouse process and why you need to recalculate the shortage status as you ship.
You should pick and ship the orders with no conflict or full stock first. Then handle the conflict stock items in a priority order set by the sales responsible. After shipping each conflict order, recalculate the shortage status so you know whether the next order still has enough stock.
You can let the warehouse staff recalculate directly if you ship per order and do not use shipping documents. A full recalculation on every pick is possible but can be a heavy job.
Pick the orders without stock conflicts first
The starting point is to let the warehouse staff finish picking all the shortage orders that have no conflict, meaning the items are on stock and not shared with other orders. Those orders ship without any complications. Once they are done, the warehouse can move on to the conflict stock items.
The sales responsible decides the priority order
Conflict stock items are where things get tricky, because several orders want the same limited inventory. Someone has to decide which order gets the stock first. This is a job for the sales responsible. They prioritise the orders so the warehouse staff know in which sequence to handle the sales orders.
The first order in that priority list will be easy to ship, because the stock is available. The complications start when you move to the next order.
Recalculate the shortage status after each order
When the warehouse staff take the next order and enter it, they need to recalculate the shortage status. The reason is simple: shipping the first order consumed stock that the following orders were also counting on.
If you are not using shipping documents and you only ship per order, you can let the warehouse staff do this recalculation directly. By recalculating, you confirm that the shortage status is still conflict stock, which means you can still ship the entire order.
Once you ship that order and continue to the next, the picture can change. Sometimes you enter an order and find that it is now partial stock or no stock, and you cannot ship it anymore. The stock simply ran out along the way.
Recalculate per order or run a full recalculation
You have two options. You can recalculate for each individual order as you go, or you can run a full recalculation every time you pick an order. The full recalculation gives you a complete picture, but be aware that it can be a heavy job depending on the volume you are working with.
Q&A
Why do I need to recalculate the shortage status when shipping conflict stock orders?
Because shipping one order consumes stock that other orders are also competing for. After shipping, the next order might no longer have enough stock. Recalculating tells you whether the next order is still conflict stock and shippable, or whether it has dropped to partial or no stock.
Who should set the priority for conflict stock orders?
The sales responsible should prioritise the orders. This tells the warehouse staff in which sequence to handle the competing sales orders.
Can the warehouse staff handle the recalculation themselves?
Yes. If you are not using shipping documents and you ship per order, you can let the warehouse staff recalculate the shortage status directly as they work through the orders.
Should I recalculate per order or run a full recalculation?
You can do either. Recalculating per order is lighter, while a full recalculation on every pick gives a complete picture but can be a heavy job.