Operations guide · Inbound
What Is Goods Receipt?
Goods receipt is taking stock from a supplier or from production into the warehouse, both physically and in the records. A well-designed receipt determines inventory accuracy, traceability and the quality of later putaway and picking. A poor receipt is one of the most common root causes of the “we have a WMS but the stock never adds up” complaint.
Typical goods receipt flow
- Vehicle / door appointment and dock assignment
- Matching against the expected document or ASN
- Physical unloading and creating handling units (pallet / case)
- Verifying quantity, item, lot / expiry / serial
- Receipt confirmation → posting to available or quality stock
- A putaway task is created
The ERP “goods receipt document” and the physical receipt in the WMS may not happen at the same moment. The design should state clearly which system takes stock ownership, and when (WMS–SAP movement mapping).
ASN and expected deliveries
An ASN (Advance Shipping Notice) tells you in advance what the supplier is sending. The WMS shows the expected lines, so the operator works “against the plan” instead of receiving blind. Without an ASN the receipt still happens, but errors and time increase, and matching items to orders is left to the operator.
- Matching ASN lines to physical lines (item, quantity, lot)
- Early / late delivery and cut-off rules
- Partial closing of the same PO across several shipments
Partial, over, short and damaged
| Situation | Operational question | Define in the system |
|---|---|---|
| Partial receipt | Less arrived than expected | Does the PO stay open? New appointment? |
| Over-delivery | More arrived than expected | Tolerance %, return, separate location? |
| Short / wrong item | The line does not match | Rejection, correction, supplier notice? |
| Damaged | Physical damage | QC hold, photos, quantity split? |
Leaving exceptions for “we'll fix it in the spreadsheet later” makes stock discrepancies permanent. Each exception needs an authorisation, a reason code and a stock status.
Barcode and unit discipline
The most common receipt error: mixing up case barcodes and unit barcodes, or a “1 pallet = X cases” assumption that does not match the real packaging. Scanning the item / SSCC / lot with a handheld is better than guessing quantities.
- Which of the item, case and pallet barcodes are mandatory
- Unit conversion master data (each–case–pallet)
- Where lot / expiry / serial is captured (at receipt or at QC?)
For the handling unit model see the pallet–case–location guide; for traceability see the lot, expiry and serial guide.
Moving to quality hold
Some items are not posted straight to available stock after receipt; they wait in quality / quarantine status. The WMS must block this stock from picking and shipping, and the release should trigger putaway or a status change.
For the quality control process in detail, see the QC hold / release guide. At minimum, the receipt design should make clear: which items go on hold automatically, who releases them, and in which locations hold stock is kept.
Dock-to-stock and KPIs to track
- Dock-to-stock: time from the door until stock is available / putaway is complete
- ASN match rate and blind receipt rate
- Partial / over / damage exception rate
- Count differences and re-picks caused by receipt errors
Skipping scans to save time costs more in the long run. The goal is a fast and accurate receipt — not one or the other.
Next steps
After receipt, stock has to reach the racks. Putaway for placement rules and replenishment for the pick face are the next links in the same chain.
Define putaway and the stock model after receipt.