Lesson 4 of 6
Executing putaway: warehouse orders and confirmation
9 min
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A putaway task is an instruction. Nothing physical has happened until a person or machine confirms it. Between the two sit warehouse orders and queues, which turn individual tasks into work for a reach-truck driver. This lesson covers how putaway is executed and confirmed, on a mobile device or at a desk, and what confirmation changes.
From tasks to work packages
EWM groups warehouse tasks into warehouse orders using warehouse order creation rules found per activity area and activity. A rule can limit an order to, say, four pallet tasks, sort tasks by aisle, and filter by weight. Each order lands in a queue, and resources whose group may work that queue receive it. For inbound at Contoso, rule PUT1 creates one warehouse order per pallet for the high-rack and one order per five pallets for the bulk floor, and the orders land in queue Q-PUT-HR or Q-PUT-BK.
- Tasks createdTen pallet tasks from staging 9010 to bulk floor 0030
- Creation rule appliedPUT1 groups by five pallets per order
- Two warehouse ordersEach with five tasks, queue Q-PUT-BK
- Driver logs on/SCWM/RFUI with resource RT-02 in group RG-IN
- System-guided putawayDriver receives the first order, scans source handling unit and destination bin
- ConfirmedEach scan confirms a task; stock moves to the bin; last task triggers 171R → 171A
Confirming on a mobile device
Mobile users work in the RF framework, started with /SCWM/RFUI. In system-guided mode the device offers the next warehouse order from the user's queues; in manual mode the user scans a specific handling unit or order. A typical putaway screen asks the user to scan the source handling unit, shows the destination bin, and asks the user to scan the destination bin's verification label. The verification scan is a control: it proves the user stood at the bin. Function keys provide back, list and full-message functions, and an exception field lets the user report that the proposed bin is blocked or full.
Confirming at the desk
Smaller flows and supervisors can confirm tasks without a mobile device: in the warehouse management monitor (methods on warehouse tasks and warehouse orders), in the warehouse task confirmation transaction (/SCWM/TO_CONF in most systems), or in SAP Fiori apps for warehouse tasks where your release provides them. Desktop confirmation is convenient in testing, but it skips the verification scans and the device behavior the real users will see. Use it to prepare test data, not as evidence that the floor process works.
| Mobile (RF) | Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | Drivers and pickers on the floor | Supervisors, office staff, testers preparing data |
| Verification | Scans of handling unit and bin labels | Usually none; user selects and confirms |
| Work assignment | System-guided from queues or manual | Any task the user can select |
| Test value | Proves the real process and devices | Proves configuration and documents only |
What confirmation changes
- The task status changes to confirmed, with the user, resource, time and actual destination.
- The stock moves from the staging bin to the destination bin; the quant and handling unit show the new location.
- The inbound delivery's putaway status advances; when all items are put away, the delivery is complete.
- With received-on-dock and available-for-sale storage locations, completion triggers the posting change to 171A.
- If the user entered a different bin or quantity, the confirmation records the difference with an exception code (next lesson).
What would you do?
A tester confirms all putaway tasks in the desktop transaction and marks the RF putaway test case passed. Marcus refuses to accept it. What is the strongest reason?
- Warehouse orders bundle tasks into work packages; queues route them to the right resources.
- RF confirmation includes verification scans that prove the user was at the bin.
- Desktop confirmation is fine for preparing data but is not evidence of the floor process.
- Confirmation moves the stock, advances the delivery status and can trigger the posting change to available for sale.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. What decides which resources receive a putaway warehouse order?
2. What does the destination-bin verification scan prove?
3. Why is desktop task confirmation weak evidence for an RF test case?
4. What happens when the last putaway task of a receipt is confirmed at Contoso?