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Mobile Picking Workflow

Use this guide for the current warehouse picking screen that opens from the secure pick link for a specific order.

What this does

Mobile picking is the live warehouse workflow for confirming picks on one order at a time.

The current implementation is token-based and location-led:

the operator opens a secure picking link for a specific order
Parcel Pilot shows one active location at a time
serialised or on_pick lines are allocated by scanning or entering the serial and clicking Allocate
other lines are confirmed with Mark Picked
the operator confirms each location with Confirm location complete

When to use it

Use the mobile picking screen when warehouse staff are physically collecting stock for an order.

Do not use it to:

create an order list or browse all pickable orders
ship the order
deduct inventory from the warehouse
receive or transfer stock

The audited production workflow is for a specific order only. It does not provide a generic warehouse pick queue on this screen.

Before you start

You must be signed in. Unauthenticated visits redirect to the normal login page.
You need the valid picking link or QR-backed link for the specific order.
The order must still have warehouse-pickable work outstanding.
If the item is serialised or uses on_pick allocation, the correct serial must exist in the correct location before you can allocate it.

How a warehouse user starts a pick

In the current audited flow, the operator starts from the order's secure pick link, not from a general mobile picking menu.

When the page opens, it shows:

the order number
handheld-scanner controls
the current active location
confirmed-location progress
the lines for the current location only

Normal workflow

Open the secure pick link for the order.
Check the Current location card.
Work through the lines shown for that location.
For serialised or on_pick lines:
- scan into the serial field with a handheld scanner, or
- type the serial manually, or
- use Scan QR
- then click Allocate
For non-serial lines, click Mark Picked.
When every line in that location is complete, click Confirm location complete.
Move to the next location and repeat.
When all locations are complete, use Complete picking if the page still shows that final action.

Handheld scanner workflow

The current page includes a dedicated handheld-scanner mode.

Verified current controls:

Handheld scanner: Off / On
Auto-advance
Focus next

This mode is designed for a scanner that behaves like a Bluetooth keyboard. Focus the next serial field, scan the serial, and let the form submit against the active line.

How locations are selected

The live picking screen is driven by the current pick plan.

Parcel Pilot keeps one active location at a time.
The page shows a location progress counter such as confirmed locations versus total locations.
A location cannot be confirmed until every displayed line for that location has either been allocated or marked picked.

The location shown for a line can come from:

the normal planner
an existing allocation
a saved Pick Location Override

The page can also show a location source label alongside the location so the operator can see whether the location is planned or came from another source.

Reservations and stock

This is the most important consequence to understand.

What mobile picking does

For serialised or on_pick items, Allocate creates a line allocation and reserves that specific inventory unit.
For non-serial lines, Mark Picked records the pick state for that line.
The order's picking status moves through pending, in_progress, and picked.

What mobile picking does not do

It does not create a shipment.
It does not deduct stock from the warehouse.
It does not mark the order as shipped.

Shipment creation is the later step that deducts stock.

Serialised items

For serialised or on_pick lines, allocation succeeds only when the scanned unit passes the current checks.

The current implementation blocks allocation when:

the serial does not exist for the order's tenant and client scope
the serial belongs to the wrong SKU
the serial is already allocated to another order
the serial is not in AVAILABLE status
the serial has no location
the serial is in a non-pickable location and no valid exception applies
the serial is in a different location from the planned or overridden pick location
the serial is in QUARANTINE and no valid exception applies

If the wrong serial was allocated, the page provides Remove allocation so the operator can scan a different one.

Pickable vs non-pickable locations

Normal picking expects stock to be in a pickable location.

If the correct stock is sitting in bulk or another non-pickable location, the safe fix is usually to replenish or transfer the stock first rather than forcing the pick.

See Locations - Pickable vs Non-pickable.

Partial picks and shortages

The audited picking screen does not provide a separate warehouse-floor shortage-completion path.

Current behavior:

a location cannot be confirmed while required lines are still missing allocations or pick confirmations
Complete picking is blocked while rows still need allocation or pick confirmation

If the order cannot be fully picked, use the appropriate order or shipment exception workflow rather than pretending the missing quantity was picked.

What happens after picking

After all required lines are completed:

the order can move to picked
the pick state is stored on the order and, for serial lines, on order-line allocations
the later shipment workflow uses that work as part of fulfilment

Picking alone is not the shipping step.

Why an item or order may not be pickable

the link is invalid or the picking token does not match the order
the user is not signed in
the stock is in the wrong warehouse or wrong location
the location is non-pickable
the serial is not available
the serial belongs to another SKU
another order already holds the serial allocation
the line is not part of the current warehouse fulfilment view, so it does not appear on the screen

Bundles and components

This guide does not assume bundle parents are picked as standalone stock.

Where the order's warehouse fulfilment expands into component demand, follow the lines shown on the picking screen. Use the bundle inventory guide when the question is really about which component is limiting availability.