Stock Requests
Stock requests are requests for inventory from one location to another, used for replenishment, fulfillment, and inventory balancing.
Recommended Starting Points by Role
Operations (Warehouse/Inventory)
Start here:
- Depot Workflow - Process stock requests through depot workflow
- Verify Requests - Verify request details and inventory availability
- Pick and Ship - Pick items and create shipments
- Track Status - Monitor request status through workflow
Daily workflow:
- Review pending stock requests
- Verify inventory availability
- Pick requested items
- Create and ship shipments
- Update request status
Planner (Forecasting + Replenishment)
Start here:
- Review Requests - Review incoming and outgoing requests
- Approve Requests - Approve requests that require approval
- Monitor Fulfillment - Track request fulfillment status
- Analyze Patterns - Identify recurring request patterns
Daily workflow:
- Review pending approvals
- Approve requests aligned with planning
- Monitor fulfillment rates
- Analyze request trends
Finance (COGS, Holding Cost, Cost-to-Serve)
Start here:
- Request Reports - Generate reports on stock requests
- Cost Analysis - Analyze costs associated with requests
- Fulfillment Metrics - Review fulfillment performance
Daily workflow:
- Review request volumes and costs
- Analyze fulfillment efficiency
- Monitor cost-to-serve metrics
Types of Stock Requests
Standard Stock Requests
Regular replenishment requests:
- Request Type: STOCK
- Purpose: Standard inventory replenishment
- Workflow: Request → Approval (if required) → Fulfillment
Ad Hoc Requests
One-time or special requests:
- Request Type: ADHOC
- Purpose: Special circumstances, urgent needs
- Workflow: Request → Approval (if required) → Fulfillment
Electronic Requests (E-Requests)
System-generated requests:
- Request Type: E_REQUEST
- Purpose: Automated replenishment from stocklists
- Workflow: Auto-generated → Fulfillment
Stock Request Workflow
Requestor Workflow
1. Create Request
- Navigate to Run → Stock Requests
- Click Create Request
- Configure:
- Request Type: STOCK, ADHOC, or E_REQUEST
- Requesting Location: Your location
- Fulfilling Location: Depot or supplier location
- Products: Products and quantities needed
- Priority: High, medium, low
- Delivery Window: When items are needed
2. Submit Request
- Review request details
- Add notes if needed
- Click Submit Request
- Request moves to:
- PENDING: If no approval required
- WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL: If approval required
3. Track Request
Monitor request status:
- DRAFT: Being created
- PENDING: Awaiting fulfillment
- WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL: Awaiting approval
- APPROVED: Approved, awaiting fulfillment
- VERIFYING: Being verified at depot
- PICKING: Items being picked
- PICKED: Items picked, awaiting checking
- CHECKING: Items being checked
- SHIPPED: Items shipped
- RECEIVED: Items received
- FULFILLED: Request fully fulfilled
- CANCELLED: Request cancelled
Approver Workflow
1. Review Pending Approvals
- Navigate to Run → Stock Requests
- Filter by Status: WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL
- Review request details:
- Requesting location and need
- Products and quantities
- Priority and delivery window
- Request history
2. Approve or Reject
To approve:
- Click Approve on the request
- Optionally add approval notes
- Request moves to APPROVED status
To reject:
- Click Reject on the request
- Required: Provide rejection reason
- Request moves to REJECTED status
- Requestor can rollback to DRAFT if needed
Depot Workflow
1. Verify Request
- Navigate to Run → Stock Requests
- Find requests in PENDING or APPROVED status
- Click Start Verifying
- Verify:
- Inventory availability
- Request details
- Product specifications
- Request moves to VERIFYING status
2. Pick Items
- Click Start Picking
- Request moves to PICKING status
- Pick items from inventory:
- Follow pick list
- Verify quantities
- Check lot numbers (if applicable)
- Check expiry dates (if applicable)
- Click Complete Picking
- Request moves to PICKED status
3. Check Items
- Click Start Checking
- Request moves to CHECKING status
- Verify picked items:
- Check quantities
- Verify product correctness
- Inspect condition
- Request ready for shipping
4. Ship Request
- Click Ship
- Request moves to SHIPPED status
- System creates shipment record
- Requestor can track shipment
5. Receive Request (at Destination)
- Requestor receives shipment
- Click Receive on the request
- Verify received items
- Request moves to RECEIVED status
- Request moves to FULFILLED when complete
Stock Request Status Transitions
Requestor Actions
- Submit: DRAFT → PENDING (or WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL)
- Cancel: DRAFT/PENDING/WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL → CANCELLED
- Rollback: REJECTED → DRAFT
Approver Actions
- Approve: WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL → APPROVED
- Reject: WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL → REJECTED (requires comment)
Depot Actions
- Start Verifying: PENDING/APPROVED → VERIFYING
- Start Picking: VERIFYING → PICKING
- Complete Picking: PICKING → PICKED
- Start Checking: PICKED → CHECKING
- Ship: CHECKING → SHIPPED
- Receive: SHIPPED → RECEIVED → FULFILLED
Stocklists and Automated Requests
Stocklists can automatically generate stock requests:
Stocklist Configuration
- Configure stocklist with:
- Target Location: Where items are needed
- Products: Products and target quantities
- Reorder Points: When to trigger requests
- Schedule: Recurrence schedule
Auto-Generated Requests
When inventory falls below reorder point:
- System generates E_REQUEST
- Request follows standard workflow
- Requestor can track automated requests
What Success Looks Like
Operations Success
- ✅ Requests processed through workflow efficiently
- ✅ Picking accuracy high (no discrepancies)
- ✅ Shipments created and tracked accurately
- ✅ Requests fulfilled on time
- ✅ No workflow bottlenecks
Planner Success
- ✅ Requests approved promptly
- ✅ Request patterns identified and optimized
- ✅ Fulfillment rates meet targets
- ✅ Stocklists generating appropriate requests
- ✅ Request costs tracked and optimized
Finance Success
- ✅ Request costs tracked accurately
- ✅ Fulfillment efficiency measured
- ✅ Cost-to-serve metrics available
- ✅ Request volumes analyzed
Common Pitfalls
1. Not Specifying Delivery Windows
Problem: Creating requests without delivery windows makes prioritization difficult.
Solution: Always specify delivery windows:
- When items are needed
- Urgency level
- Business impact
How to avoid: Make delivery window a required field.
2. Not Checking Inventory Availability
Problem: Creating requests for items that aren’t available at fulfilling location.
Solution: Check inventory availability before creating request:
- Verify fulfilling location has inventory
- Check channel allocations
- Consider lead times
How to avoid: Use inventory views before creating requests.
3. Skipping Verification Step
Problem: Moving directly to picking without verifying request details.
Solution: Always verify requests:
- Check request details
- Verify inventory availability
- Confirm product specifications
How to avoid: Make verification a required step in workflow.
4. Not Tracking Request Status
Problem: Creating requests but not tracking their progress.
Solution: Monitor request status:
- Set up status change alerts
- Review request dashboard regularly
- Follow up on delayed requests
How to avoid: Use request tracking features and alerts.
Troubleshooting
Request Stuck in Pending
Symptoms: Request remains in PENDING status without progress.
Possible causes:
- No one assigned to process requests
- Inventory not available
- Workflow configuration issue
- Permissions issue
Steps to resolve:
- Check if depot staff are assigned
- Verify inventory availability
- Review workflow configuration
- Check user permissions
- Manually transition status if needed
Can’t Approve Request
Symptoms: Approve button not available or not working.
Possible causes:
- Insufficient permissions
- Request not in correct status
- System error
Steps to resolve:
- Check user permissions (APPROVER role)
- Verify request is in WAITING_FOR_APPROVAL status
- Refresh page and try again
- Contact support if issue persists
Request Fulfilled But Inventory Not Updated
Symptoms: Request marked as FULFILLED but inventory not updated at destination.
Possible causes:
- Receiving process not completed
- Inventory allocation failed
- System synchronization issue
Steps to resolve:
- Verify receiving process completed
- Check inventory levels at destination
- Review request fulfillment status
- Manually reconcile if needed
- Contact support if issue persists
Stocklist Not Generating Requests
Symptoms: Stocklist configured but not generating requests.
Possible causes:
- Stocklist not published
- Inventory above reorder point
- Schedule not configured
- Auto-pull not enabled
Steps to resolve:
- Verify stocklist is published
- Check inventory levels vs reorder points
- Review stocklist schedule
- Verify auto-pull is enabled
- Check stocklist status
Related Pages
Permissions & Roles
Creating stock requests requires standard user permissions. Approving requests requires APPROVER role. Processing requests through depot workflow requires DEPOT_MANAGER, PICKER, CHECKER, or SHIPPER roles. Contact your organization administrator for details.