Your first warehouse, set up with intention.
A practical launch checklist, from the location map to a complete test order.
Map the space before the screens.
Write down your receiving, storage, pick-face, packing and staging areas. Separate operating facilities are warehouses; wings within one facility are usually zones. Give locations codes people can read on a printed label.
- Name the warehouse and its zones
- Define rack, bin and standalone-area codes
- Decide the walking order with the floor team
Get the catalog into working shape.
Start with a small representative set of products. Include a simple SKU, a lot-tracked item and an item with case or pallet packs if your operation uses them. A small useful sample reveals mapping errors before a large import.
- Check SKU and barcode uniqueness
- Define each, case and pallet quantities
- Identify lot, serial and expiry requirements
Bring in stock with its identity.
Opening balances need more than a quantity. Record the owner, location, stock status and any lot, serial or LPN details. Keep unavailable stock distinct from available stock.
- Confirm the stock owner
- Reconcile physical quantities to your source
- Validate a sample import before the full file
Walk one complete order.
Receive stock, put it away, create an order, allocate it, pick in walk order, verify at packing and dispatch. Use the actual devices and printed labels your team will use.
- Test a correct scan and a wrong scan
- Check a partial order or shortage
- Follow the movement history after dispatch
Practice an exception.
Count a bin with a variance. Put a lot on hold. Receive and grade a return. A workflow is ready only when the team understands what to do when the happy path ends.
- Confirm who can approve a variance
- Check the effect of held stock on allocation
- Decide how returns reach their next destination
Make the go-live decision explicit.
Early-access software needs a deliberate readiness review. Confirm required capabilities, backup and recovery arrangements, support, access control and an agreed fallback before moving live operations.
- Validate the final stock totals
- Review roles and warehouse access
- Record the rollout owner and fallback plan
A practical NextStock guide. Adapt it to your operation and validate with your team.