Step 1: Foundational Data (Your Master Lists)

Just share examples of your basic warehouse data. Think of it as your company's reference lists.

What We Need: 3-5 examples from each list below. You don't need to send everything—just enough so we understand your data structure.

📦 Carriers
Examples:
• FedEx (Ground, 2-Day)
• UPS (Next Day Air)
• USPS (Priority Mail)
👥 Customers
Examples:
• ACME Corp (Priority)
• XYZ Retail (Standard)
• ABC Distributors (Bulk)
🏭 Vendors
Examples:
• Supplier A (2-week lead)
• Supplier B (Daily delivery)
• Supplier C (Seasonal)
🚪 Dock Doors
Examples:
• Dock 1, 2, 3 (Receiving)
• Dock 10, 11 (Shipping)
• Dock 5 (Cross-dock)
🏢 Warehouses
Examples:
• Main DC - Chicago
• West Coast FC - LA
• East Coast FC - NY
📋 Product Types
Examples:
• Electronics (Serialized)
• Perishables (Expiry dates)
• Hazmat (Special handling)

Other Lists You Might Have:

  • Damage Codes: Crushed, Water Damage, Missing Parts
  • Variance Reasons: Miscount, Theft, Expired
  • Order Priorities: Expedited, Standard, Backorder
  • User Roles: Receiver, Picker, Packer, QC, Supervisor
  • Zones: Refrigerated, Ambient, Frozen, Hazmat

Example: "We use FedEx Ground for standard orders, UPS Next Day for expedited. We have 3 main customers: ACME (priority 2-day delivery), XYZ (weekly bulk), ABC (monthly). Our main warehouse is in Chicago with 8 receiving docks and 6 shipping docks."

Step 2: State Transitions (How Things Move Through Stages)

How do your orders and inventory move through different stages? Most warehouses use the same default stages—just let us know if yours are different.

Good News: We provide default transitions for all 17 entity types. You only need to tell us if you do something different!

Default Transitions (Do you use these or something different?)

📋 Sales Orders

Created → Open → InProcess 
        ↓           ↓
   Cancelled   Released → Shipped

📦 Purchase Orders

Created → Submitted → Approved 
        ↓              ↓
   Cancelled    Receiving → Closed

✅ Tasks

Created → Assigned → InProgress 
        ↓               ↓
   Cancelled      Completed

📦 Inventory

Available → Reserved → Picked 
                   ↓          ↓
              Quarantine   Shipped

When to Tell Us About Custom States:

  • You have extra stages: "We have a 'Quality Hold' state for inventory that needs inspection"
  • Different order flow: "Orders go through 'Allocated' before 'InProcess'"
  • Special approvals: "All orders > $5000 need 'Pending Approval' state"

Example: "We use the default states for most things, but we added a 'Temperature Hold' state for products that need to acclimate before putaway. Also, our sales orders have an extra 'Credit Check' state after 'Created'."

Step 3: Task Templates (What Your Workers Do)

What tasks do your workers perform? What information do they need to collect? Just describe the basics—we'll build the forms.

Tell Us: The tasks your workers do and any special information they need to capture (photos, signatures, temperature, etc.)

Common Task Examples (Do you need these or others?)

📥 Putaway
Typical Fields:
• Product & Quantity
• From/To Location
• Lot Number
• Expiry Date
📤 Pick
Typical Fields:
• Order Number
• Product & Quantity
• From Location
• Scan Verification
📦 Pack
Typical Fields:
• Order Number
• Box Size & Weight
• Carrier Selection
• Print Label
🔢 Cycle Count
Typical Fields:
• Location
• Product
• Actual Count (blind)
• Variance Reason
✅ Quality Check
Typical Fields:
• Product & Lot
• Defect Type
• Photos
• Pass/Fail
🔙 Return to Vendor
Typical Fields:
• Vendor & Product
• Quantity & Reason
• RMA Number
• Authorization

Do You Need Custom Fields?

Tell us if any tasks need special fields:

  • Photo Capture: "Need photos of damaged goods"
  • Signature: "Supervisor signature for adjustments over 10 units"
  • Temperature: "Record temperature for cold storage items"
  • Extra Validations: "Expiry date must be > 30 days from today"
  • Special Scans: "Scan pallet barcode + individual carton barcodes"

Example: "We do standard picking, packing, and putaway. For cold storage items, we need a 'Temperature Reading' field on putaway tasks. For cycle counts, we do blind counts (don't show system quantity). For damaged goods, workers take photos and need a 'Damage Type' dropdown."

Step 4: Your Workflows (Just Plain English!)

Describe how your warehouse works in everyday language—like you're training a new employee. No rules, no technical terms needed!

✨ The Magic: Just tell us "We do X when Y happens" or "Fast movers go here, slow movers go there." Our AI turns your plain English into working automation. You don't need to think about putaway rules, pick rules, or technical configurations!

Tell Us About These Areas:

📥 Receiving & Putaway

Just describe where things go:

  • "Fast-moving items go to the pick face near shipping"
  • "Slow movers go to bulk storage on high racks"
  • "Perishables go to refrigerated zone, sorted by expiry date"
  • "Hazmat must be in the hazmat zone away from flammables"
  • "Large/bulky items go to floor locations, not racks"
  • "Products under 30 days expiry go to discount zone"

📤 Picking

Just describe picking logic:

  • "Always pick from oldest lot first" (FEFO)
  • "Pick from pick face first, then bulk if not enough"
  • "Batch orders by zone to minimize travel"
  • "High-priority orders picked immediately, no batching"
  • "Heavy items picked last so they go on bottom"
  • "Multi-item orders picked by same person in one pass"

📦 Packing & Shipping

Just describe packing process:

  • "Orders under 5 lbs go in small box"
  • "Orders 5-20 lbs go in medium box"
  • "Fragile items get bubble wrap"
  • "Expedited orders use UPS Next Day"
  • "Standard orders use FedEx Ground"
  • "International orders need customs forms"

🚚 Cross-Dock / Direct Ship

When do you cross-dock?

  • "If we receive something and have an open order for it, move dock-to-dock"
  • "Only cross-dock if received quantity ≥ order quantity"
  • "Cross-dock must complete within 2 hours"
  • "Pre-ordered items bypass putaway and go straight to staging"

❗ Exceptions & Special Cases

What happens when things go wrong?

  • "Damaged goods go to quarantine zone for inspection"
  • "If damage is vendor's fault, create return to vendor"
  • "Overages go to overflow staging until resolved"
  • "Shortages require supervisor notification"
  • "Cycle count variance > 5% needs supervisor approval"

💡 Remember:

You're NOT writing rules or code. Just describe your warehouse like you're explaining it to someone new. Simple sentences like "We do this when that happens" are perfect!

Example: "Fast-moving items go to forward pick locations near shipping. Slow movers go to bulk on high racks. We always pick oldest lot first for perishables. If something arrives damaged, it goes to quarantine zone and we create an RTV. Orders over $5000 need manager approval before releasing. Expedited orders bypass wave batching and get picked immediately."

📝 Example: 4-Step Submission

Here's how someone might share their warehouse scenario in these 4 simple steps:

Cold Storage Distribution - Chicago

Step 1: Foundational Data

  • Carriers: Refrigerated LTL (Frozen Transport Inc), Local Cold Courier
  • Customers: Restaurant chains (daily delivery), Grocery stores (3×/week), Food service distributors (weekly)
  • Products: Frozen meats, dairy, produce—all lot tracked with expiry dates
  • Warehouses: Main DC Chicago (50,000 sq ft, 3 temperature zones)
  • Dock Doors: 5 receiving docks, 3 shipping docks, 1 cross-dock

Step 2: State Transitions

We use defaults for most things, but added:

  • Inventory: Added "Temperature Hold" state for products that need climate acclimation (30 minutes)
  • Orders: Added "Allocated" state between "Open" and "InProcess"

Step 3: Task Templates

  • Cold Putaway: Standard fields + Temperature Reading + Time Out of Cold Chain
  • FEFO Pick: Standard fields + Temperature Check at pick time
  • Cycle Count: Blind count + Temperature Zone Verification

Step 4: Our Workflows (Plain English)

  • Receiving: "Temperature-sensitive items must be in climate zone within 30 minutes of unload"
  • Putaway: "Fast-moving items (A-class) go to refrigerated pick face. Frozen bulk on high racks. Items expiring in < 30 days go to discount zone"
  • Picking: "Always pick oldest lot first (FEFO). Verify temperature on every pick. If lot expires in < 7 days, flag for immediate shipment"
  • Cross-dock: "Pre-ordered frozen goods move dock-to-dock in under 1 hour to maintain cold chain"
  • Exceptions: "If temperature reads out of range, move to quarantine and notify QC immediately"

Post this on LinkedIn with: #AdaptiveBinTestCase #ColdStorage #FEFO

See how easy? No technical jargon, no complex rules—just a clear description of how the warehouse operates. That's all we need!