How to Create a Picking List From the Work Order

A picking list turns the parts on a work order into a job for the store, so whoever is on the counter knows exactly what to pull off the shelf, where to find it and when the mechanic needs it.

Overview

Parts get added to a work order long before anyone walks into the warehouse. A picking list closes that gap: it takes the stock lines you nominate, hands them to a picker with a due date, and reports back to the work order as the parts are gathered.

Picking lists are created from the work order, and only ever contain the work order's Stock lines.
Each stock line can only be on one picking list at a time, so lines already picked or being picked are hidden from the form.
You can pick a subset of the lines. The rest stay Unpicked and can go on a later picking list.
The picking list carries its own number, status, picker and due date, and shows the warehouse and bin for every part.
A picking list moves through Open, Picking and Completed, and can be cancelled at any point before it completes.
Picking does not consume stock. The quantity is only used up when the work order itself is completed.

Before You Begin

Picking lists for work orders are off by default. Check these before you start.

Requirement	Where to Find It
Enable Picking Lists for Work Orders must be on	Security › Settings › Service
Edit Work Order permission	Security › Configuration › Permission Groups › Service › Option
Picking Lists permission	Security › Configuration › Permission Groups › Stock › Screen
A work order in Open status with at least one Stock line	Service › Work Orders

The Service settings module, filtered to the one toggle that switches work order picking lists on

Without the setting, Create Picking List still appears in the work order's Options menu, but it's greyed out and hovering it tells you "Picking Lists can be enabled from System Settings". The Picking Lists tab and the Picking Status column on the work order are hidden as well.

Creating the Picking List

Step 1 - Check the parts on the work order

Open the work order from Service › Work Orders and go to the Actuals tab. Every part added to the work order is a Stock line with a Picking Status of Unpicked, Picking or Picked. Only Unpicked stock lines can go on a new picking list, so if a line you expect is missing from the form later, this is the tab that explains why.

If the parts aren't on the work order yet, add them first with Options › Add Parts.

The Actuals tab before any picking list exists - all three stock lines sit at Unpicked. Labour, Kit, Freight and Expense lines never carry a picking status

Step 2 - Open Create Picking List

Select Options › Create Picking List in the top right of the work order.

Create Picking List sits with the other line-level actions, just under Add Expense

Step 3 - Review the lines Latner offers you

The form opens with every unpicked stock line on the work order already loaded, showing the line number, stock number, description and quantity. The quantity is taken straight from the work order line and cannot be edited here.

The Create Picking List form on opening - the Work Order is fixed, the Description is pre-filled and the Due Date defaults to now

Step 4 - Fill in the details and tick the lines you want

Complete the header fields, then tick each line to include. The tickbox in the table header selects and clears every line at once.

Work Order - fixed to the work order you started from and cannot be changed.
Description - required. Pre-filled as "Picking list for Work Order <number>"; overwrite it with something more useful to the picker if you like.
Picker - optional. Any skilled person can be nominated. You can leave it blank now and assign someone later from the picking list itself.
Due Date - required, and defaults to the current date and time in the work order branch's timezone.

You don't have to take every line. Anything you leave unticked stays Unpicked on the work order and remains available for a second picking list.

Two of the three lines ticked, with a picker and a due date set. Line 3 is being left for a later picking list

Step 5 - Save

Select Save. Latner creates the picking list against the work order's branch, gives it its own number and takes you straight to it. If you save without ticking anything, you'll get "At least one picking item must be selected" and nothing is created.

The new picking list opens at Open status, with the Warehouse and Bin for each part pulled through from the stock record so the picker knows where to walk

After Creation

Every line you ticked flips from Unpicked to Picking on the work order's Actuals tab.
The picking list appears on the work order's Picking Lists tab and on Stock › Picking List, where the Source column reads Work Order and Linked To links back.
Description, Picker and Due Datetime stay editable on the picking list's General Details card.
Work through the picking list with Options on the picking list itself: Set Picking moves it from Open to Picking, and Complete Picking List then closes it and sets the work order lines to Picked. Complete Picking List stays greyed out until the list is at Picking.
Generate Picking List PDF produces a printable copy for the warehouse.
Cancel Picking List is available at Open or Picking and puts every line back to Unpicked, so the parts can be put on a fresh picking list.

The same three lines after saving - the two on the picking list now read Picking, while the untouched line is still Unpicked

The picking list's own Options menu drives the whole lifecycle. Complete Picking List is greyed out here because the list is still at Open

Stock › Picking List with the My Picking Lists quick filter cleared, showing work order and sales order picking lists side by side

A work order cannot be completed or cancelled while any of its picking lists is still Open or Picking - you'll be stopped with "Cannot Completed Work Orders with Open Picking List." Finish the picking list, or cancel it, and the work order will then complete.

FAQs

Create Picking List is greyed out. Why?

Two things disable it. Either Enable Picking Lists for Work Orders is off in Security › Settings › Service - hovering the item will tell you so - or the work order is not in Open status. A completed, cancelled or pending approval work order cannot have a picking list raised against it.

The form opened with no lines in it. Where are my parts?

Only Stock lines at Unpicked are offered. Labour, Kit, Freight and Expense lines are never picked, and any stock line already on another picking list sits at Picking or Picked and is excluded. Check the Picking Status column on the Actuals tab to see which is the case.

Can I raise a second picking list for the same work order?

Yes. Any line you left unticked, and any line whose picking list was cancelled, is back at Unpicked and will appear the next time you open Create Picking List. This is the normal way to handle parts that arrive on a later purchase order.

Can I pick part of a line's quantity?

No. A work order line goes onto the picking list at its full quantity - the quantity column on the form is read-only. If you need to split the job, split the line on the work order first.

Does completing the picking list take the parts out of stock?

No. Completing the picking list only marks the work order lines as Picked. The stock quantity is consumed, and the stock movement written, when the work order itself is completed.

What happens if I delete a part from the work order after the picking list exists?

The matching line is removed from the picking list automatically, and if that was the picking list's only line, the picking list is cancelled for you. Work order lines can only be deleted while the work order is Open.

The Picking List screen looks empty even though I just created one. Why?

Stock › Picking List opens with the My Picking Lists quick filter switched on, which shows only the lists where you are the nominated picker. Select the My Picking Lists chip to clear it and you'll see everything you have branch access to.

Can I create a picking list from a rental contract?

Not yet. Picking lists can currently be raised from work orders and from sales orders only.

Watch the Demo

Prefer to watch it? Step through the same flow here.