Pick Waves

Pick Waves organize and optimize the order picking process by grouping multiple orders into efficient batches for warehouse fulfillment.

Overview

Pick Waves enable you to:

• Batch orders for picking
• Optimize pick routes
• Assign to warehouse staff
• Track picking progress
• Reduce fulfillment time
• Improve picking accuracy

Accessing Pick Waves

Navigate to Warehouse → Pick Waves from the main menu.

Pick Wave Dashboard

Overview

Pick Waves Dashboard

Today's Activity:
├─ Orders Ready to Pick: 156
├─ Active Waves: 5
├─ Pickers Working: 8
└─ Orders Completed: 234

Wave Status:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Status      │ Waves │ Orders │ Lines │ Progress              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Pending     │ 3     │ 45     │ 234   │ ░░░░░░░░░░ 0%        │
│ In Progress │ 5     │ 78     │ 456   │ ████████░░ 78%       │
│ Completed   │ 12    │ 234    │ 1,234 │ ██████████ 100%      │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Picker Performance Today:
1. John S. - 67 lines/hour (156 completed)
2. Sarah M. - 62 lines/hour (142 completed)
3. Mike R. - 58 lines/hour (128 completed)

[Create Wave] [Auto-Generate Waves] [View All]

Creating Pick Waves

Manual Wave Creation

Create Pick Wave

Wave Details:
├─ Wave ID: WAVE-2026-0089 (auto)
├─ Wave Type: [Standard ▼]
│  ├─ Standard
│  ├─ Priority/Rush
│  ├─ Bulk Pick
│  └─ Zone Pick
├─ Warehouse: [Main Warehouse ▼]
└─ Picker: [Assign Later ▼]

Order Selection:
Filter: [Ready to Ship ▼] [Priority ▼] [Ship Method ▼]

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [x] │ Order #     │ Customer        │ Lines │ Priority│ Ship By│
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [x] │ SO-2026-089 │ Acme Corp       │ 5     │ Rush    │ Today  │
│ [x] │ SO-2026-085 │ TechStart Inc   │ 3     │ Rush    │ Today  │
│ [x] │ SO-2026-078 │ Global Retail   │ 8     │ Normal  │ Today  │
│ [ ] │ SO-2026-065 │ Smith & Co      │ 2     │ Normal  │ Tomorrow│
│ [x] │ SO-2026-045 │ Big Box Store   │ 12    │ Normal  │ Today  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Wave Summary:
├─ Orders Selected: 4
├─ Total Lines: 28
├─ Estimated Time: 45 minutes
└─ Suggested Route: A → B → C → D

[Cancel] [Create Wave]

Auto-Generate Waves

Auto-Generate Pick Waves

Generation Settings:
├─ Warehouse: [Main Warehouse ▼]
├─ Max Orders per Wave: [25]
├─ Max Lines per Wave: [100]
└─ Max Estimated Time: [60] minutes

Grouping Strategy:
● By Ship Date (orders due soonest first)
○ By Ship Method (ground, express, etc.)
○ By Zone (optimize walking path)
○ By Customer (single customer waves)
○ By Product Type (similar products)

Priority Handling:
├─ [x] Rush orders in separate waves
├─ [x] Process rush waves first
└─ [x] Same-day orders prioritized

Available Orders: 156 orders, 789 lines

Preview Generation:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Wave   │ Orders │ Lines │ Type     │ Est. Time │ Ship By     │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Wave 1 │ 8      │ 24    │ Rush     │ 35 min    │ Today 2PM   │
│ Wave 2 │ 22     │ 89    │ Standard │ 55 min    │ Today       │
│ Wave 3 │ 25     │ 98    │ Standard │ 58 min    │ Today       │
│ Wave 4 │ 25     │ 95    │ Standard │ 56 min    │ Today       │
│ Wave 5 │ 25     │ 87    │ Standard │ 52 min    │ Tomorrow    │
│ Wave 6 │ 25     │ 92    │ Standard │ 54 min    │ Tomorrow    │
│ Wave 7 │ 26     │ 94    │ Standard │ 55 min    │ Tomorrow    │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

[Cancel] [Generate 7 Waves]

Wave Management

Wave List

Pick Waves

Filter: [All Status ▼] [Warehouse ▼] [Picker ▼] [Date ▼]

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Wave ID       │ Type   │ Orders│ Lines│ Picker   │ Status     │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ WAVE-2026-089 │ Rush   │ 8     │ 24   │ John S.  │ In Progress│
│ WAVE-2026-088 │ Standard│ 22   │ 89   │ Sarah M. │ In Progress│
│ WAVE-2026-087 │ Standard│ 25   │ 98   │ Mike R.  │ In Progress│
│ WAVE-2026-086 │ Standard│ 25   │ 95   │ Lisa T.  │ Pending    │
│ WAVE-2026-085 │ Standard│ 25   │ 87   │ -        │ Pending    │
│ WAVE-2026-084 │ Standard│ 24   │ 92   │ John S.  │ Completed  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Stats:
├─ Total Pending: 50 orders (182 lines)
├─ In Progress: 55 orders (211 lines)
└─ Completed Today: 234 orders (1,234 lines)

[+ Create Wave] [Assign Pickers] [Print Pick Lists]

Wave Detail

Pick Wave: WAVE-2026-089

Wave Information:
├─ Type: Rush
├─ Status: In Progress
├─ Warehouse: Main Warehouse
├─ Created: Jan 22, 2026 9:15 AM
├─ Started: Jan 22, 2026 9:30 AM
└─ Picker: John Smith

Progress:
├─ Orders: 8 total (6 complete, 2 in progress)
├─ Lines: 24 total (18 picked, 6 remaining)
├─ Progress: ████████░░ 75%
└─ Est. Completion: 10:15 AM

Order Details:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Order       │ Customer      │ Lines │ Picked │ Status         │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SO-2026-089 │ Acme Corp     │ 5     │ 5/5    │ ✓ Complete     │
│ SO-2026-085 │ TechStart Inc │ 3     │ 3/3    │ ✓ Complete     │
│ SO-2026-078 │ Global Retail │ 8     │ 6/8    │ ⏳ Picking     │
│ SO-2026-045 │ Big Box Store │ 8     │ 4/8    │ ⏳ Picking     │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Pick Route:
Zone A → Zone B → Zone C → Zone D (Optimized)

[View Pick List] [Reassign] [Split Wave] [Cancel Wave]

Picking Process

Pick List

Pick List: WAVE-2026-089

Picker: John Smith
Wave Type: Rush
Print Time: Jan 22, 2026 9:30 AM

Pick Route (Optimized):
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Seq│ Location│ SKU        │ Product          │ Qty │ Order    │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1  │ A-01-01 │ WDG-PRO-001│ Widget Pro       │ 10  │ SO-089   │
│ 2  │ A-01-02 │ WDG-STD-002│ Widget Standard  │ 5   │ SO-085   │
│ 3  │ A-02-01 │ GDG-PLU-001│ Gadget Plus      │ 8   │ SO-078   │
│ 4  │ B-01-01 │ CBL-USB-001│ USB Cable        │ 20  │ SO-045   │
│ 5  │ B-02-03 │ CBL-HDM-002│ HDMI Cable       │ 15  │ SO-078   │
│ 6  │ C-01-02 │ ACC-PWR-001│ Power Adapter    │ 12  │ SO-089   │
│ ...                                                            │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Total Items: 24 lines, 156 units
Estimated Walking Distance: 450 feet
Estimated Time: 35 minutes

□ All items picked
□ Verified counts
□ Delivered to packing

[Print] [Start Picking] [Scanner Mode]

Mobile Picking Interface

Mobile Pick Screen

Wave: WAVE-2026-089
Progress: 18/24 lines (75%)

Current Pick:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                                │
│  Location: A-02-01                                             │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│                                                                │
│  SKU: GDG-PLU-001                                              │
│  Product: Gadget Plus                                          │
│                                                                │
│  Order: SO-2026-078                                            │
│  Quantity Needed: 8                                            │
│                                                                │
│  [Scan Barcode] or enter quantity:                             │
│                                                                │
│  Picked: [____]                                                │
│                                                                │
│  [Short Pick] [Problem] [Skip]                                 │
│                                                                │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Next Location: B-01-01 (USB Cable, Qty: 20)

[Pause] [Complete Wave]

Short Pick Handling

Short Pick

Location: A-02-01
Product: Gadget Plus (GDG-PLU-001)
Requested: 8 units
Available: 5 units

Short Pick Options:

● Pick available and short remainder
  ├─ Pick: 5 units
  ├─ Short: 3 units
  └─ Action: Backorder or cancel

○ Find alternate location
  └─ Check: B-03-02 has 10 units

○ Skip and return later
  └─ Mark for investigation

○ Cancel line entirely
  └─ Notify customer

Reason for Short:
[Stock discrepancy ▼]
├─ Stock discrepancy
├─ Damaged goods
├─ Reserved for other order
├─ Location empty
└─ Other

Notes:
[Only 5 units found at location, system shows 8]

[Cancel] [Submit Short Pick]

Zone Picking

Zone Configuration

Zone Pick Setup

Warehouse: Main Warehouse

Zone Configuration:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Zone │ Aisles    │ Products      │ Assigned Picker │ Status   │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ A    │ A-01 - 05 │ Electronics   │ John Smith      │ Active   │
│ B    │ B-01 - 08 │ Cables        │ Sarah Miller    │ Active   │
│ C    │ C-01 - 06 │ Accessories   │ Mike Roberts    │ Active   │
│ D    │ D-01 - 04 │ Large Items   │ Lisa Thompson   │ Active   │
│ E    │ E-01 - 03 │ High Value    │ John Smith      │ Active   │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Zone Pick Flow:
├─ [x] Pass bins between zones
├─ [x] Consolidation at end
└─ [ ] Parallel zone picking

Consolidation Station: Pack Station 1

[Edit Zones] [Reassign Pickers]

Zone Wave

Zone Pick Wave: WAVE-2026-090

Wave distributed across zones:

Zone Progress:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Zone │ Picker      │ Lines │ Picked│ Status     │ Progress    │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ A    │ John S.     │ 15    │ 15    │ Complete   │ ██████████  │
│ B    │ Sarah M.    │ 22    │ 18    │ In Progress│ ████████░░  │
│ C    │ Mike R.     │ 18    │ 12    │ In Progress│ ██████░░░░  │
│ D    │ Lisa T.     │ 8     │ 0     │ Waiting    │ ░░░░░░░░░░  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Bin Tracking:
├─ Bin 1: Zone A → Zone B (in transit)
├─ Bin 2: Zone A (picking)
├─ Bin 3: Zone A → Zone B → Zone C (in transit)
└─ Bin 4: Consolidation complete

[View Details] [Reassign] [Complete]

Wave Optimization

Route Optimization

Route Optimization Settings

Optimization Algorithm: [Shortest Path ▼]
├─ Shortest Path (minimize walking)
├─ S-Pattern (serpentine through aisles)
├─ Largest Order First
├─ Zone Sequence
└─ Custom

Current Wave: WAVE-2026-089

Before Optimization:
├─ Total Distance: 850 feet
├─ Estimated Time: 52 minutes
└─ Zone Changes: 12

After Optimization:
├─ Total Distance: 450 feet
├─ Estimated Time: 35 minutes
└─ Zone Changes: 4

Savings: 47% distance, 33% time

Pick Sequence Comparison:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Original         │ Optimized                                   │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. A-01-01       │ 1. A-01-01                                  │
│ 2. C-02-03       │ 2. A-01-02                                  │
│ 3. A-01-02       │ 3. A-02-01                                  │
│ 4. B-01-01       │ 4. B-01-01                                  │
│ 5. A-02-01       │ 5. B-02-03                                  │
│ ...              │ ...                                         │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

[Apply Optimization] [Preview Route]

Reports

Wave Performance

Pick Wave Performance Report

Period: January 2026

Summary Metrics:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Metric                    │ Value    │ Target   │ Status      │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Waves Completed           │ 456      │ -        │ -           │
│ Orders Fulfilled          │ 5,678    │ -        │ -           │
│ Lines Picked              │ 34,567   │ -        │ -           │
│ Avg Lines/Hour            │ 58       │ 55       │ ✓ Above     │
│ Accuracy Rate             │ 99.2%    │ 99.5%    │ ⚠️ Below    │
│ On-Time Completion        │ 96.5%    │ 95%      │ ✓ Above     │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Picker Performance:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Picker      │ Waves│ Lines │ Lines/Hr│ Accuracy│ Rank         │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ John Smith  │ 89   │ 5,678 │ 67      │ 99.5%   │ 1            │
│ Sarah Miller│ 85   │ 5,234 │ 62      │ 99.8%   │ 2            │
│ Mike Roberts│ 82   │ 4,890 │ 58      │ 99.1%   │ 3            │
│ Lisa Thompson│ 78  │ 4,567 │ 55      │ 98.9%   │ 4            │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

[Export Report] [View Details]

Productivity Analysis

Picking Productivity Analysis

Daily Trends (Last 30 Days):
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Mon │████████████████████████████████████████ 1,890 lines     │
│ Tue │█████████████████████████████████████ 1,756 lines        │
│ Wed │████████████████████████████████████████████ 2,045 lines │
│ Thu │██████████████████████████████████████ 1,823 lines       │
│ Fri │████████████████████████████████████████████████ 2,234 lines│
│ Sat │██████████████ 678 lines                                  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Hourly Distribution:
├─ Peak: 10 AM - 12 PM (28% of volume)
├─ Steady: 1 PM - 4 PM (45% of volume)
└─ Wind Down: 4 PM - 6 PM (27% of volume)

Bottleneck Analysis:
├─ Zone A: Occasional congestion (2 pickers)
├─ Zone D: Large items slow picking
└─ Recommendation: Add picker to Zone A during peak

[Generate Recommendations]

Best Practices

Wave Planning

• Group by ship date
• Balance wave sizes
• Consider picker capacity
• Optimize routes

Picking Efficiency

• Use barcode scanning
• Follow optimized routes
• Handle shorts promptly
• Verify picks accurately

Management

• Monitor real-time progress
• Reassign as needed
• Track performance
• Address bottlenecks

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Wave stuck in progress

• Check for short picks
• Verify picker assigned
• Review problem items
• Force complete if needed

Route not optimized

• Verify location data
• Check zone configuration
• Re-run optimization
• Manual adjustment

Picker performance low

• Review route efficiency
• Check for obstacles
• Verify training
• Consider reassignment

Orders missing from wave

• Check order status
• Verify inventory
• Review allocation
• Add manually

Related Documentation

Learn about Stock Transfers for moving inventory between warehouses.