EWM Outbound: Wave, Picking Task, Packing, Loading and Goods Issue (601)

Business scenario

Demo Retail Pvt. Ltd. ordered 40 EA of FG-2000. Warehouse EW01 releases the delivery in the morning wave, a picker takes the goods from pick face PICK-02-05, packs them on one pallet and loads the truck at door 05.

All companies, numbers and documents are fictional demo data.

Step-by-step flow

1. 01

   Delivery reaches the warehouse open in twin

   Sales order 10000150 → outbound delivery 80000470, distributed to warehouse EW01 as an outbound delivery order.

   From here the warehouse owns the physical work; the core delivery waits for EWM to report picking and goods issue.

2. 02

   Release the wave open in twin

   The delivery joins the morning wave for door 05. Releasing the wave creates the picking task.

   Releasing work in waves balances the workload and makes sure everything for one truck is ready at the same time.

3. 03

   Pick to the goods-issue zone open in twin

   The picker confirms the task: PICK-02-05 60 → 20 EA, GI-ZONE +40 EA. Still your stock.

   This is a bin-to-bin move inside EWM. Inventory management sees no change — the stock is still in AFS.

4. 04

   Pack and load open in twin

   The 40 EA are packed onto one pallet (a handling unit) and loaded onto the truck at door 05.

   Handling units make the shipment scannable as one item at loading and at the customer.

5. 05

   The truck is loaded open in twin

   Picked, packed and loaded. Is the stock out of inventory yet?

   As in plain SD, only goods issue reduces stock and posts cost of goods sold.

6. 06

   Picking moves, it does not issue open in twin

   Inventory management still shows 60 EA in AFS: 20 in the pick bin, 40 in the goods-issue zone.

   If goods issue is forgotten, the truck leaves with goods that are still in the books — found later as a stock difference.

7. 07

   Post goods issue (601) open in twin

   GI posted in EWM: GI-ZONE −40 EA, movement 601. Cost of goods sold ₹48,000. The truck leaves.

   This reduces stock, posts cost of goods sold and makes the delivery due for billing.

8. 08

   Outbound complete open in twin

   Delivery → wave → pick → pack → load → GI 601. Billing can follow in SD.

   Outbound is the mirror image of inbound: the financial posting is plain SD, EWM adds the physical steps in between.

SAP documents

Stock impact

Accounting impact

Movement type

• 601GI for delivery (posted from EWM)Reversal: 602

Ships customer orders efficiently: groups work into waves, directs pickers to bins, packs into trackable handling units and posts goods issue only when the truck is really leaving.

Transactions & Fiori apps

Configuration

• Stock removal strategy

  Configuration dependent

  FIFO, fixed bin, stringent FIFO and others decide which bin the picking task takes from.

• Wave templates and wave release

  Configuration dependent

  How items are grouped and when they are released for picking.

• Warehouse order creation rules

  Configuration dependent

  How tasks are bundled into warehouse orders for each worker.

• Goods issue prerequisites

  Configuration dependent

  Whether packing or loading must be complete before goods issue can be posted.

Prerequisites

• Sales order and outbound delivery in the core system, distributed to the warehouse
• Stock in pick bins, with stock removal strategies configured
• Wave templates (if waves are used), packaging specifications, doors and staging areas

Master data

Product (EWM views)

Stock removal control indicator and packaging data.

Storage bins

Fixed pick bins and staging areas.

Customer / ship-to

Route, door and staging-area determination.

Organizational structure

• Warehouse EW01
• Plant 1000 / storage location AFS
• Door 05

Tables

Integration

• SDThe sales order and delivery originate in SD; billing follows goods issue.
• MMGoods issue updates inventory management with 601.
• FICost of goods sold is posted at goods issue.

Common errors

• “No picking task created for a delivery item”

  Likely causes: No stock in bins allowed by the removal strategy; Wave not released; Product not extended to the warehouse

  Where to look: Warehouse monitor — open delivery items · Stock per bin · Wave status

• “Goods issue cannot be posted”

  Likely causes: Picking or packing incomplete; Loading required by configuration but not done; Posting period closed

  Where to look: Delivery order status · Goods issue prerequisites configuration

Troubleshooting

Something went wrong? Work through these checks in order. They are diagnostic questions, not configuration instructions — confirm changes with your system owner.

1. CHECK 1

   Picking

   • Is the wave released?
   • Is there stock in an allowed pick bin?
   • Is the task stuck in a warehouse order?

2. CHECK 2

   Goods issue

   • Is the delivery fully picked and packed?
   • Is loading required first?

Interview questions

• What happens in inventory management when an EWM picking task is confirmed?

  Nothing, in a standard setup. The task moves quants from the pick bin to the goods-issue zone inside EWM; the stock is still in the same storage location in inventory management. Only goods issue (601) reduces stock and posts cost of goods sold.

• What is a wave and why use one?

  A group of delivery items released for picking together, built from wave templates by criteria such as route, door or departure time. Waves balance workload and ensure everything for one shipment is picked and staged at the same time.

• What is a handling unit?

  A physical unit — pallet, carton — with its own identification number, containing products and packaging materials. In EWM, handling units are created at packing and can be scanned as one item at loading, goods issue and the customer's receipt.

Quiz

Related processes

• 601Order to Cash
• 101 · 311EWM Inbound
• FlowReplenishment

References

• SAP SE — SAP Help Portal: Outbound Processing in EWM (source)
• SAP SE — SAP Help Portal: Wave Management (source)
• SAP SE — SAP Help Portal: Packing and Handling Units (source)

Explanations are original. They summarize standard behaviour; always validate against your system's release and configuration.

Version history