Lesson 6 of 6
Testing outbound with sales: partial and short picks
9 min
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Outbound tests are integration tests by nature. A single delivery touches sales, warehouse, inventory, finance and often transportation. This lesson builds Contoso's outbound test set with Maria and Marcus, explains the evidence that proves each case, and shows how to handle the cases that most often go wrong: partial picks, short picks and late changes.
The outbound test set
| ID | Scenario | Expected result | Key evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| OUT-01 | Full order, quantity-dependent picking (48 from 0010, 2 from 0020) | Three tasks from the right storage types; goods issue 50 | Tasks, source bins, material document, journal entry |
| OUT-02 | Wave release for route GL-NORTH with three customers | One wave; tasks and orders created at release | Wave, warehouse orders, queue |
| OUT-03 | Partial pick denial with other stock available | Replacement task from P-02-05; full quantity ships | Exception code, new task, count document |
| OUT-04 | Short pick with no stock anywhere | Delivery split or reduced per business rule | Delivery documents, sales order backorder |
| OUT-05 | Pack at PK01 into shipping HUs | HUs closed, weight and label correct | HU numbers, weight, label scan |
| OUT-06 | Staging at the determined door | HUs in the DR05 staging bin | Staging bin, delivery order header |
| OUT-07 | Goods issue at departure | Movement type 601 from 171A; billing due | Material document, journal entry, billing due list |
| OUT-08 | Goods issue reversal before billing | Delivery and stock back to pre-issue state | Reversal documents, stock |
| OUT-09 | Sales order quantity change after wave release | Defined behavior: blocked change or adjusted tasks | Change log, tasks, delivery |
| OUT-10 | Stock transport from Detroit to Chicago | Outbound from plant 1710 (EWM), receipt in plant 1720 (IM) | Delivery, goods issue, receipt in 172A |
Outbound test cases for warehouse 1710.
Short and partial picks are business decisions
A short pick tests more than the scanner. It asks what the business wants: replace from reserve, ship partial, hold the delivery, or cancel the rest. Write that decision into the expected result before testing, signed by Maria and Marcus together. Otherwise the test "passes" whatever the system does, and the real decision is made at 15:55 on the first busy day after go-live.
- Set upPrepare stock so 0010 holds one full pallet plus 18 in 02-07-1 and P-02-05 only 2, for OUT-04
- RunRelease the wave; picker confirms 18 at 02-07-1 with the partial pick denial code
- ObserveNo replacement task is possible; delivery order shows 6 open
- Decide per ruleGreat Lakes accepts partials: split, ship 44, 6 on a new delivery
- VerifyGoods issue 44; new delivery for 6; sales order shows the open 6; count document for 02-07-1
- ReconcileEWM and inventory management stock agree; billing for 44 only
Evidence that convinces both sides
Maria wants to see the sales view: document flow from order to delivery to billing, quantities, and the customer-facing output. Marcus wants the warehouse view: wave, warehouse orders, tasks with user and device, handling units, bins and exception codes. Dan wants the material document and journal entry. A good outbound test record holds all three, linked by delivery number, so nobody needs to rerun the test to answer a question. In SAP Cloud ALM, attach them to the test step where each was produced.
What would you do?
OUT-04 (short pick with no stock) "passed" because the tester saw a delivery split. Priya reviews the evidence and finds the sales order shows no open quantity: the 6 alternators silently disappeared from the customer's order. What is the right call?
- Outbound tests are integration tests: sales, warehouse, inventory, finance.
- Agree short-pick and partial-delivery rules before testing and write them as expected results.
- Evidence links the sales, warehouse and finance views by delivery number.
- Test late sales order changes at every outbound stage.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Why must short-pick rules be agreed before testing?
2. Which evidence does Dan need from an outbound test?
3. Why test sales order changes after wave release?
4. A split shipped 44 but the sales order lost the open 6. What is the test result?