Order Fulfillment Checklist Template

What the Order Fulfillment Checklist Covers

1. 1
   Phase 1

   Phase 1: Set Up & Check the Order

   7 tasks

   Start when the order is released to the warehouse. Most fulfillment problems can be seen in the order before anyone picks it: a missing line, an address the carrier will not accept, a payment that has not gone through. The order type on the first task adds a payment check for a consumer or a credit check for a business customer.

   • Set up the order — the order number, the customer, whether it is a business or consumer order, where the customer is, any special handling, the promised dispatch date and the people; later tasks are assigned from these fields
   • Check the order lines — items, quantities, prices and the customer’s reference against what was agreed, and query anything that looks wrong before stock is touched
   • Check the delivery address — complete, in a form the carrier accepts, with a contact name and telephone number, and any access limits such as a site that cannot take a large vehicle
   • Confirm the payment has been taken — consumer orders only; the payment is authorised or captured and the order is not waiting for a fraud review
   • Check the account and credit position — business orders only; the account is open, the order is within the credit limit and terms, or finance has released it
   • Read the special instructions — delivery notes, packing requests, gift messages, labelling or paperwork the customer asked for, and pass each one to the person who must act on it
   • Confirm the promised dispatch and delivery dates — the dispatch date and delivery date the customer was given, and whether stock and the carrier’s cut-off times allow them; if not, tell the customer now and record it as an exception
2. 2
   Phase 2

   Phase 2: Allocate Stock & Release the Pick List

   5 tasks

   Reserve the stock for this order before anyone walks to a shelf, so it cannot be picked for another one. Stock that is damaged, on hold or close to its expiry date is not available stock.

   • Check stock is available — every line in the right quantity, in a pickable location and status, not on hold or reserved for another order
   • Allocate stock to the order — by your stock rotation rule, first in first out or first expired first out for dated goods, with batch or serial numbers where you trace them
   • Plan the packaging — box or pallet size, protective materials and whether the order ships as one parcel, several parcels or a pallet
   • Confirm the special handling requirements — orders with dangerous goods or special handling only; what applies, whose instructions you are following and that the carrier and service you plan to use accept the goods
   • Release the pick list — to the picker, in pick-path order, with the lines, locations, quantities and any batch or serial numbers
3. 3
   Phase 3

   Phase 3: Pick the Order

   5 tasks

   Check the item, not just the location. Most picking errors are a neighbouring item, the wrong size or colour variant, or the right item in the wrong quantity. Anything wrong found so far, at the order check, allocation or here, is recorded at the end of this phase.

   • Pick each line from its location — scan or check the item code and the quantity for every line, not only the location label
   • Check batch, serial and expiry details — against the allocation, and pick nothing past its use-by date or inside the customer’s minimum shelf life
   • Check the condition of the picked goods — no damaged packaging, missing parts or signs of returned stock being picked as new
   • Record any exceptions before packing — a short pick, damaged stock, an address or payment problem or a date that cannot be met; answering Yes adds the exception steps
   • Move the picked order to packing — with the pick list, in a tote or space marked with the order number, so it cannot be mixed with another order
4. 4
   Phase 4

   Phase 4: Resolve Exceptions Before Packing

   4 tasks

   Applies only when an exception is recorded at the end of Phase 3. Decide the remedy and tell the customer before the order is packed, so the parcel, the delivery note and the invoice all match what actually ships.

   • Log each exception — the line, what is wrong, the quantity affected and the evidence, in the exceptions register
   • Decide the remedy for each exception — pick from other stock, replace damaged items, ship part now and back-order the rest, offer a substitute or cancel the line; never substitute without the customer’s agreement
   • Tell the customer before you dispatch — what has changed, the new date if there is one and their options, and record their answer
   • Update the order and the pick list — so the parcel, the packing slip and the invoice show what will actually ship, and correct the stock record
5. 5
   Phase 5

   Phase 5: Pack the Order

   5 tasks

   Pack for the journey, not for the shelf. The packaging has to survive the carrier’s handling, and the parcel has to carry everything the customer and the carrier need.

   • Pack the items with the right protection — a box or pallet suited to the weight and fragility, enough void fill that nothing moves, and liquids sealed and bagged
   • Add the documents — the packing slip or delivery note, any invoice, certificates or returns information, and the customer’s reference where they asked for it
   • Weigh and measure each parcel — the actual weight and dimensions, because carriers price and accept parcels by them
   • Print and attach the shipping label — one per parcel, on the largest flat face, with no old labels or barcodes left showing
   • Apply the special handling marks and documents — orders with dangerous goods or special handling only; the marks, labels and transport documents the specialist rules and your carrier require, prepared by the people your procedure names
6. 6
   Phase 6

   Phase 6: Pack Check & Release

   5 tasks

   A second person checks the packed order before it can leave. The warehouse supervisor’s release is the gate: nothing after it can be completed until it is recorded, so no parcel is booked, handed over or tracked unchecked.

   • Check the right items and quantities — every line against the order, the pick list and the packing slip, by someone other than the packer where you can
   • Check condition and packaging — goods undamaged, packaging strong enough for the journey, nothing loose and every parcel sealed
   • Check the documents and labels — the label address matches the order, the service matches what the customer paid for, and every document is in the parcel
   • Run any quality check the order needs — a function test, a sample inspection, a photograph of the packed order or the customer’s own quality requirements
   • Release the order for dispatch — the warehouse supervisor’s decision after the pack check; nothing after this task can be completed until it is recorded
7. 7
   Phase 7

   Phase 7: Book the Carrier & Dispatch

   6 tasks

   Dispatch is the moment the parcels leave your hands. Book the service the customer paid for, count the parcels onto the vehicle and get a record of the handover, because it is your evidence of when the order shipped.

   • Book the carrier — the service the customer paid for or agreed, a collection time, and the weights and dimensions recorded at packing
   • Book a delivery slot with the customer’s goods-in — business orders only; where the customer’s site receives deliveries only against a booked slot, book one and give the carrier the reference and the customer’s purchase order number
   • Prepare the dispatch documents — the carrier’s manifest or consignment note, and the customs paperwork for an order going to another country
   • Hand the parcels to the carrier — count them onto the vehicle, get a signature or scan for the number handed over and note the time
   • Confirm dispatch in your order system — so the stock, the invoice and the order status all show that the order has shipped
   • Send the tracking details to the customer — the carrier, the tracking number or link and the expected delivery date, and for a part shipment, what follows and when
8. 8
   Phase 8

   Phase 8: Confirm Delivery & Close the Order

   8 tasks

   The order is not done when it leaves: it is done when the customer has it. Follow the tracking until delivery, record the outcome, and the outcome adds a task for a failed delivery, damage or loss, or a return to sender.

   • Check the tracking until delivery — look for stalled scans, failed attempts, address queries or a return, and act on the same day
   • Record the delivery outcome — delivered in full, delivered with damage or a shortage, a failed delivery, lost in transit or returned to sender; anything but delivered in full adds the task to resolve it
   • Resolve the failed delivery or address problem — check the carrier’s reason, then rebook, correct the address with the customer in writing, or arrange a collection from the depot
   • Handle damage, a shortage or a loss in transit — ask for photographs and keep the packaging, put it right with the customer and claim from the carrier within its time limit
   • Deal with a return to sender — check the goods back in, find out why they came back and agree with the customer whether to reship or refund
   • Confirm the delivery with the customer — the proof of delivery, and that what arrived is what they ordered
   • Close the order — the invoice sent or the payment settled, every exception and claim closed or handed on, and the record complete
   • Note any lessons for the process — repeated exceptions for the same item, location, packaging or carrier, and the change you will make