Pick List
A Pick List is a document used in warehouse operations that tells warehouse staff which items need to be collected from stock in order to fulfill Sales Orders, Work Orders, or Material Requests.
It acts as a structured instruction sheet for inventory picking, ensuring the right items, quantities, warehouses, batches, and serial numbers are selected before dispatch or manufacturing.
1. Prerequisites
Before creating a Pick List, the following setup is required so that item sourcing and warehouse allocation work correctly.
- A Stock Item must be created with proper inventory settings like valuation, warehouse, and stock tracking enabled.
- A Warehouse structure must be defined so the system knows where stock is stored and from where it should be picked.
2. Purpose of Pick List
Pick Lists are used in different operational scenarios depending on business requirements. The system supports three main purposes.
- Delivery: Used when fulfilling Sales Orders. Items are picked from warehouses and later used to create Delivery Notes for shipment.
- Material Transfer for Manufacture: Used in manufacturing workflows where raw materials are picked based on a Work Order to produce finished goods.
- Material Transfer: Used when items are moved internally between warehouses based on a Material Request.
3. How to create a Pick List
- Go to Stock > Stock Transactions > Pick List and create a new document.
- Select the Company and choose the purpose of the Pick List based on operational need.
- Add required items in the Item table or fetch them from a reference document like Sales Order, Work Order, or Material Request.
- Click Get Item Locations to automatically fetch warehouse details based on stock availability, FIFO logic, and batch expiry rules.
- Review the Item Locations table which shows exact warehouse, batch, and serial number details for picking.
- Save and submit the Pick List once stock has been physically picked.
ERPNext automatically selects warehouses based on FIFO rules. For batched items, it prioritizes batches with the nearest expiry to reduce wastage and improve stock rotation.
4. Creating Pick List from Documents
4.1 From Sales Order
A Pick List can be generated directly from a Sales Order. The system fetches all pending items and allocates warehouses automatically. After picking, a Delivery Note can be created.
4.2 From Work Order
For manufacturing, a Pick List is generated based on the Work Order. It calculates raw material requirements based on finished goods quantity and prepares a structured picking plan for production.
4.3 From Material Request
Material Requests of type “Material Transfer” can also generate Pick Lists for internal warehouse transfers and stock movement planning.
5. Features
5.1 Update Current Stock
This feature refreshes stock availability in real time. It is useful when stock levels change after the Pick List is created, ensuring accurate warehouse selection before final processing.
5.2 Barcode Scanning
Pick List supports barcode scanning to improve accuracy and speed. Scan Mode ensures only correct items are picked, while quantity prompts allow controlled quantity entry during scanning.
5.3 Manual Picking
If warehouse staff manually adjust batches or selections, enabling “Pick Manually” ensures that the system does not overwrite these changes during save operations.
6. Key Benefits
- Improves warehouse efficiency by structuring picking operations.
- Reduces errors in order fulfillment through controlled item selection.
- Supports FIFO and batch-based picking for better inventory control.
- Enables smooth integration with Delivery Notes and Stock Entries.
7. Related Topics
- Sales Order
- Work Order
- Material Request
- Delivery Note
