In the construction supply business, speed and accuracy during order fulfillment can make or break customer relationships. Whether you’re prepping a rush job-site delivery or organizing a complex mixed-material order, picking and staging are critical steps. That’s where ERP workflows come in—helping your team move faster, reduce errors, and keep operations smooth.
If you’re ready to bring order and visibility to your warehouse floor, here’s how to get started with ERP workflows for picking and staging.
- Map Out Your Current Picking Process
Before you build anything in your ERP, take a close look at how your team currently handles picking:
How are orders received and prioritized?
Are pick lists printed or digital?
Is staging organized by delivery route, customer, or job?
Where do errors typically happen?
Understanding what works (and what doesn’t) gives you a baseline to design a workflow that fits your operation—not one that forces you to change everything overnight.
- Set Up Digital Pick Tickets in Your ERP
Modern ERPs allow you to generate pick lists automatically as orders are entered or released. You can sort picks by:
Route or truckload
Delivery time
Product type or size
Warehouse zone
Digital pick tickets remove the need for paper, reduce manual errors, and keep everyone in sync.
- Prioritize Mobile Access for Pickers
Equip your pickers with mobile devices or tablets that connect directly to the ERP. This allows them to:
See real-time pick lists
Confirm quantities as they go
Flag issues like missing or damaged items
Move straight to staging once the order is verified
With mobile tools, your team can work faster and more accurately—without running back and forth to check lists or update paperwork.
- Define a Clear Staging Workflow
Once items are picked, they need to be staged for loading or customer pickup. Your ERP should help you manage:
Staging locations by delivery route or customer
Visual or digital cues to avoid mixing up orders
Time-stamped records of when staging is complete
Integration with loading or dispatch workflows
This reduces confusion and speeds up the final handoff to delivery drivers or customers.
- Use Scanning to Verify Accuracy
If your ERP supports barcode scanning, now’s the time to use it. Scanners help confirm:
The right item was picked
The correct quantity was staged
Orders match what’s on the delivery or pickup list
Verification at this stage prevents the wrong materials from going out the door—a costly mistake in the building materials world.
- Track Performance and Optimize
Once your picking and staging workflows are live in the ERP, track the results:
How long does picking take by team or product type?
Are certain zones slower or prone to errors?
Are specific items frequently missing or short-picked?
Use this data to refine your warehouse layout, improve training, or rebalance workloads—all directly inside your ERP system.
Final Thought
ERP workflows for order picking and staging bring structure to one of the most chaotic parts of the supply chain. When done right, they improve speed, accuracy, and customer satisfaction—all while giving your team more control and confidence.
Start with what you have, build for how your warehouse really works, and let your ERP system drive the results you need.
