Fulfillment Orders and Shipments
A Fulfillment Order is an instruction from a Company in Endless to a fulfillment service to fulfill part or all of a Sales Order.
The fulfillment service may be an internal building, warehouse, 3PL, supplier, or connected fulfillment system. The Fulfillment Order tells that service which items and quantities it is responsible for, where the goods should go, and which shipping and business requirements apply.
Creating Fulfillment Orders
A Sales Order must be confirmed and active before Fulfillment Orders can be created. A Fulfillment Order can be created in three ways:
- Directly: selected Sales Order item quantities are assigned to a building.
- By routing strategy: Endless evaluates routing configuration and available inventory, then creates one or more Fulfillment Orders.
- By integration: a supported source supplies the initial Fulfillment Orders when a Sales Order is imported.
Some integrations supply only the Sales Order, leaving its items to be assigned or routed in Endless.
Applying a routing strategy replaces eligible Draft Fulfillment Orders. Fulfillment Orders that have already progressed beyond Draft are preserved.
When assigning an item, its total quantity across active Fulfillment Orders cannot exceed the Sales Order quantity. Canceling a Fulfillment Order releases its assignments so you can assign those quantities elsewhere.
Managing Fulfillment Orders
Open the Sales Order in Endless to assign items, split Fulfillment Orders, change buildings, or apply a routing strategy. Available changes depend on the Fulfillment Order’s state. Contact the fulfillment service before changing work already sent to it.
Orders connected to a source
For imported Sales Orders, edit products and quantities in the source. Manage fulfillment assignments in Endless. Some sources supply only the initial fulfillment plan. Later changes to that plan do not change existing Fulfillment Orders in Endless.
The options to view, compare, and update a source plan depend on the integration.
Add items or increase quantities
- Add the item or increase its quantity in the source.
- Wait for the change to import, or select “Reload Order” in Endless.
- Assign the unassigned quantity to a Fulfillment Order, or apply a routing strategy.
Routing considers all current unassigned quantities. Configured automation can also run routing. New Fulfillment Orders follow your fulfillment rules and automation.
Remove items or reduce quantities
A source update can reduce ordered quantities without changing Fulfillment Orders, inventory reservations, or Shipments.
Check the affected Fulfillment Orders. Reduce or cancel them where their state allows it. Contact the fulfillment service if it has received the work. A Sales Order change does not undo a Shipment or return inventory to stock.
Removed items appear in the Sales Order’s Removed section if the source update retains them. Their original quantities appear when recorded.
Compare fulfillment plans
- Select “Reload Order” from the Actions menu to retrieve the latest source information.
- Select “View requested fulfillment plan” in the source panel.
- Compare the source’s locations, items, and quantities with the plan in Endless.
The source plan shows when it was last updated, includes fulfilled quantities, and warns if information is incomplete. Viewing the plan does not apply it to Endless.
Order Signals identify plan differences and fulfillment quantities that exceed ordered quantities. A plan difference signal does not change or stop fulfillment. Plan comparison requires a complete source plan whose items and buildings match records in Endless.
To follow the source plan, edit the Fulfillment Orders in Endless where their state allows it. To send the Endless plan to the source, use the steps below.
Update the source’s fulfillment plan
For supported integrations, “Update Fulfillments…” sends the Endless plan to the source.
- Check that fulfillment quantities match the Sales Order. Other requirements depend on the integration.
- Select “Update Fulfillments…” from the Actions menu and review the confirmation.
- If the update fails, check the order timeline for details.
Processing a Fulfillment Order
The normal lifecycle is:
Draft → Allocated → Ready → In Progress → Fulfilled
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | The instruction exists and can still be revised. |
| Allocated | Inventory is reserved for the assigned items. |
| Ready | The Fulfillment Order has passed the requirements needed for execution. |
| In Progress | The fulfillment service has started or received the work. |
| Fulfilled | The work completed with Shipment information. |
| Failed | A handoff or execution attempt failed and can be corrected or retried. |
| Canceled | The instruction was stopped and no longer contributes to Sales Order coverage. |
A Fulfillment Rule can define the requirements for each transition and allow eligible transitions to happen automatically. Common requirements include inventory, a valid address, carrier service, and other shipping or retailer information.
Fulfillment Orders can move backward when allocation, readiness, or execution needs to be corrected. Failed Fulfillment Orders keep their item assignments and inventory reservations while they await recovery. A Fulfilled Fulfillment Order cannot be canceled.
When a Fulfillment Order does not progress, the explanation comes from its current state and the requirements for its next transition. Check, in order:
- whether the Sales Order is confirmed and active;
- whether the intended items and quantities are assigned;
- whether inventory and building requirements pass;
- whether the Fulfillment Rule’s shipping and business conditions pass; and
- whether the fulfillment service accepted the handoff.
Inventory Allocation
Allocation reserves inventory for a Fulfillment Order. It reduces the inventory available to other demand but does not mean the goods have shipped.
The reservation remains active while the Fulfillment Order is Allocated, Ready, In Progress, or Failed. Reverting to Draft or canceling the Fulfillment Order releases the reservation.
Fulfillment Services
A Fulfillment Order is passed to a fulfillment service, such as an internal team, warehouse, 3PL, or supplier. The fulfillment service may process the work directly in the Endless app, retrieve it through the API, or receive it automatically through a connected integration.
When a connected system is used, Endless can push the Fulfillment Order directly to that service. If the handoff fails, the Fulfillment Order becomes Failed so the issue can be corrected and the work retried.
The fulfillment service does not need to be the same system that created the Sales Order. For example, a sales channel may supply the Sales Order while a 3PL processes its Fulfillment Orders.
Shipments
A Shipment is created when the fulfillment service ships the goods. It can include the shipped date, tracking number, carrier service, packages, cartons, pallets, weight, and cost.
The assigned fulfillment service reports Shipments. This can be the source integration. After work is sent to another fulfillment service, that service must report the Shipments.
Shipment information may be recorded in Endless or supplied through the API or an integration. Creating the Shipment records the physical movement and completes the Fulfillment Order.
Fulfilled quantities from the Fulfillment Orders determine the Sales Order status. The Sales Order becomes Shipped only when Fulfilled Fulfillment Orders cover all of its active item quantities.
See Troubleshooting Orders if a fulfillment or Shipment update is rejected.