Here's your complete WMS modules and features

checklist
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Selection

Updated: 9th March 2023

Every WMS requirement is unique, but that doesn’t mean they’re all very different. Most
tend to follow the same set of requirements and needs, addressing common problems
and desires. The important thing for you to decide is where you’ll be a standard user and
where you need additional support.

For example, if you’re running a specific type of robotics for picking, you need a WMS
that can work with that platform and properly support the lines and methods it uses.

Nuance and the specific way you structure your operations should be considered as you
build out your set of “must-have” warehouse management system modules. It’s also a
smart idea to collect lists of things you would want to have in the near term and features
you would like to have four or five years down the road.

So, we’ve compiled a large checklist to help you get started. Choose what works for you,
add any requirements you have, and then start speaking to vendors directly and using
comparison tools to build your shortlist.

Receiving
Receiving is the heart of your warehouse. When things go wrong here, the harm ripples
through the rest of your operations. Here are the must-have functions and modules to
keep you running smoothly.

Receiving of orders
Multiple types of receipt orders

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 Specialty receipt support
Allow/restrict partial case receipts
Reverse and voiding of receipts
Appointment scheduling
Dock scheduling
Cross-docking
Yard management
Directed put-away
Returns management
Vendor data tracking
Label verification
Label generation
Palletize LPNs on receipt
Mobile scanner and app/smartphone support

Inventory management
Know what you have so you can sell it. Inventory-focused warehouse management
system modules are designed to ensure you always have accurate inventory counts but
also can predict when you’ll need to re-order. While analytics has its own section, you’ll
want to start thinking about the metrics around these modules so that you know your
most important KPIs and requirements for that functionality.

Replenishment
Cycle counting
Serial tracking
Lot tracking
Quality control
Task interleaving
Labor management
Periodic inventory snapshots
Data tracking across skids, LPNs, packages, and units
Misc. inventory labeling and tracking support
Material handling to pick lanes, combinations
Location-defined SKUs
Adjustable form fields such as lot #, owner, location

Get more in-depth feature ideas with our WMS requirements template

Order fulfillment and management

Order fulfillment encompasses the most thought of warehouse activities for any business.
It’s the entire process from receiving an order to getting it out the door and to the
customer. There’s a lot of functionality here and most of it is standard. You’ll want to think
about any efforts you take to get a product ready to ship as well, such as kitting and

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assembly, plus how your orders should be managed. For instance, if you have multiple
warehouses, you’ll want smart order routing that sends orders to only the warehouse that
has products to fill them right away.

Purchase orders
Pick tickets
Work-in-process materials tracking
Inventory availability
Order entry
Rule-based (smart) order routing
Rule-based allocation tracking and configuration
Rule-based restrictions
Allocation tracking and management on component level
Kitting
Assembly
Parts requirements
Automated inventory updates
Order prep
Scan packing
Inspection and auditing in kits, batches, cartons
Consolidation by shipment or order
Pack and hold support
Shipping label generation including Skid, LPN, and UCC
Package and content labels
Price stickers
Customized font, size, etc.
Distributed order management
Fulfillment tracking and audits
Customer ship-top information storage and tracking

Advanced picking and shipping

Picking, packing, and shipping needs change as companies grow. These WMS
requirements are designed to show you modules to consider as operations scale. While
you might not need support for advanced picking methodologies today, selecting a WMS
that includes the modules will mean you don’t need to replace the system for future
access. Based on how companies are now sorting functionality, our 2020 update has
moved transportation management modules, such as automated carrier selection, to this
set of modules.

Wave management
Picking including Zone, Skip, LPN, Batch
Picking confirmation by type
Skid substitution support
Pack lists

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 Invoice creation and management
Sensor support and compliance (RFID especially)
Shipment notifications
Advanced picking options such as voice-enabled support
Captures asset tags during picking
On-demand replenishment to static, dynamic lanes
Two-stage replenishment support
Carrier selection tools and automation
Freight rating and calculators
Order consolidation support
Bid optimization
Route optimization
Freight payment
Carrier audit tools

Analytics
Tracking for your preferred KPIs across your warehouse
Daily performance and labor tracking
Equipment usage and maintenance schedules
Warehouse layout optimization
Lead time understanding
Return-rate tracking
Inventory turn tracking
Ability to review historical data
Predictive analytics by category and product
Dashboards that are easy to read

Integrations with standard supply chain tech

The functionality we listed above should be covered by your WMS. But that coverage can
be a little tricky and doesn’t necessarily have to be within a specific WMS module.

Reading that now might seem a little confusing, but consider how you work each day.

Let’s look at order entry, for example. It’s possible that you will manually enter orders on
occasion, so the WMS should support this. However, you likely get orders from an online
e-commerce system or customer portal. The WMS doesn’t need to create either of these
solutions for you, it just needs to be able to receive the order data from these locations.
You achieve that by integrating it with your e-commerce or customer-facing software.

Getting the right WMS for your business includes finding one that supports your needed
integrations.

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E-commerce tool integration makes sense for growing businesses and many B2C
companies. For the B2B side, one of the more popular solutions today is a WMS that can
integrate with TMS tools. This will help you run your warehouse and overall operations,
whether or not you’re a shipper. Consider asking partners what they use and what you
might be able to support.

Why is this important to shippers? Data shows that using a TMS can reduce freight
invoice payments by up to 95%. Even if you are just managing equipment and fleet for
local deliveries or moving between your own sites, a TMS can help you better plan for
costs and generate savings in fleet management, fuel usage, routes, and even
customer/supplier relations.

You want to think about the software you use throughout the year and include as much as
possible. Don’t limit yourself just to software that touches directly on your supply chain.
There are many industry standards to help run other parts of your business, such as
marketing tools, email management, and accounting platforms like QuickBooks.

Tailor the integration requirements to your own business. If you run your own warehouse,
for instance, your WMS should be able to report labor trends to your payment system.
However, if you’re a 3PL running a fulfillment center for many clients, the WMS’ labor and
order metrics should integrate with billing software too — so clients are billed
appropriately for the orders you fill and the staff you needed.

Integration and reporting are becoming standard, which is helpful for businesses like
yours. The next piece to ask for is a way to automate the process.

Prioritize automatic data sharing

For your WMS to be at its most useful, it needs to collect and share a wide range of
information. Cloud solutions are generally promoted because they can save on initial
costs. However, they may be smart for your long-term growth, too, if you choose a WMS
that supports and has its own APIs.

An API will automate the way software shares information. WMS that support third-party
APIs might be able to get information from your ERP or e-commerce tools, while having
its own API can make it easy to automatically send re-supply orders to your suppliers.

Think about the data you use currently in your warehouse, not just in the WMS. You’ll
have labor information, equipment maintenance, inventory counts, packing materials,
order volumes, returns, and much more.

Each data point you use — and every single bit you send to someone else — should be
collected. Your WMS will either need to serve as the place that collects all of this
information, or it should be able to easily, quickly, and accurately share data with
whatever you use as your central hub. APIs are designed to do that within your
operations and with your partners’ systems.

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Ask any vendor who is on your shortlist to discuss how their WMS can automate your
data collection and sharing. If you choose one that can’t do this automatically, you run the
risk of errors due to manual tasks and increased costs from partners who want data feeds
instead of faxes and phone calls.

Addressing the unique features that you need

If you hired a new warehouse worker who already had experience in a fulfillment center
the same size as yours, what would you need to train them on most? What habits would
you have to change because your business does something differently?

Those two questions on training and processes can help businesses identify the areas
where they operate with unique needs. A system can address these if you identify them
early on in the WMS requirements building process. It is okay to ask for something
tailored to your business.

Building this metric also helps you narrow down vendors to get a solid shortlist. You can
ask vendors if they have experience with your specific needs or creating custom
solutions. Get specific with your need, such as defining how you use sensors instead of
just asking for a platform that “supports IoT.”

If there’s functionality you want to track or support in the future — maybe you’re planning
a mobile app or considering joining a supply chain blockchain that has its own reporting
requirements — add these too.

Mapping out what makes you unique and then asking for it is perhaps the best way to
wrap up creating a WMS requirements list. It’ll ensure your business gets the options it
needs to thrive.

Geoff Whiting

Free white paper

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WMS requirements template

Over 120 WMS feature ideas to help you build a requirements list and shortlist vendors

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