Warehouse Management Mobile Devices Do Work Well With Dynamics 365!

Those Mobile Devices do work well with Dynamics 365 if the mobile device menus are created properly with just the right amount of control paired with enough freedom for the worker to make choices at the proper times.

Because this balance of control with freedom is a business decision, the setup of a Mobile Device Menu Item takes time and serious thought.

Of consideration should be other factors such as:

• The Mobile Device worker setup – Workers can be limited in their ability to access work on the Mobile Device by warehouse and menu.
• Location Directives, used in the Work Templates – Directives can limit or allow flexibility for the worker to move products from/to warehouse locations.  The Location Directives can also be used to restrict the moves to specific inventory categories, statuses, units of measure and dimensions as well as locations.
• Work Exceptions – Work exceptions, presented to the worker on the mobile device, define the limitations placed on the worker, when an exception, such as a short pick, is encountered as well as the automatic actions to be taken by the system (or the lack thereof).
• Work Pools – Work Pools can be created and work templates assigned to Work Pools used to organize work to be assigned to specific workers.
• Work Audit Templates – Work can be audited as it is being performed on the mobile device if called for and documented in a Work Audit Template.  An example of something to be captured in a Work Audit Template would be on inbound raw materials where a check of contents temperature is required and must be within a specific range before it can be accepted.

Any of these objects in combination with the Mobile Device Menu Item, are the basis for the mobile device processes to be used in the warehouse by the workers.  And at any time, the work can be viewed in Dynamics 365 to determine progress, status, who is doing what, what is remaining to do, etc.

Mobile Device Menu Items

Navigate to Warehouse Management > Setup > Mobile Device > Mobile Device Menu Items.

Click New.

Assign a Menu Item Name and a Title to appear on the Mobile Device Menu.

Select the Mode. Choose ‘Work’.  The Indirect Mode does not manage ‘work’ but rather other functions the mobile device can be used for such as Item Inquiry and Label Reprint.  We will concentrate on ‘work’ in this article.

Use Existing Work – If the menu item will be used for work that has been created by another process, like a batch job, select ‘Yes’.  If the menu item will be used to create work, select ‘No’.

Selecting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will determine the contents of the General tab and the options available.  We will select ‘yes’ for this dialogue.

General Section:

• Display Inventory Status – Set to ‘yes’ if the status on the inventory associated with the work be displayed on the mobile device.
• Directed By – Determines how the work should be directed:
• 
  • System directed – Dynamics 365 directs the work assigned to the worker as well as the sequence that work is presented.  This is sometimes called “Get Work”.  When this is chosen, the System-directed sorting order option becomes available where sequences and fields are chosen to be used in sorting the work.
  • 
  • User Directed – The mobile device user determines what work to perform.
  • User Grouping – The mobile device user groups the work
  • System Grouping – A field is selected to group work by and that field of data is required to be scanned or entered to begin work on the mobile device.  A field labeled “System Grouping field will appear and requires selection.  Another field labeled “System Grouping Label” appears and should be populated with the label of the field as it should appear on the mobile device.  See the above screen shot.
  • Validated User Directed – The mobile device worker selects the work to perform when work is associated with a larger entity (i.e. shipment or load)
  • Cluster Picking – The mobile device worker is prompted to scan work to be grouped into clusters.  A good example of Cluster Picking is Cart Picking.
  • Cycle Count Grouping – used to group existing cycle work on the mobile device by work pool, location, or zone.
• Pick and Pack – Set to ‘yes’ to allow worker to combine work for a sales order or load.
• Generate License Plate – Set to ‘yes’ to generate license plate automatically.
• Anchoring – Set to ‘yes’ if the worker is allowed to specify a different location for the remaining put away (staging or loading) work steps.  Selection of shipment or load to be used for anchoring is then required.
• Override Target License Plate – Set to ‘yes’ to allow the worker to override the suggested target license plate.
• Override License Plate during Put – Set to ‘yes’ to allow the worker to override the target license plate during the Put step.  Example:  Put is to a staging location, and worker wants to put to the same staging location previously used.
• Allow Splitting of work –  Set to ‘yes’ to allow worker to put work to more than one destination (target license plate).  The worker clicks ‘Full’ on the mobile device.  The completed picking work and associated puts are then split into two work items.
• Keep work locked by user – If the work remains locked by the user, set to ‘yes’.
• Display Summary of Pick screen – Set to ‘yes’ if a summary of the work to be completed should be displayed to the worker initially.
• Count total item quantity first – Set this to ‘yes’ if the worker should input a total quantity counted first when completing a count.
• Disable Cycle Count Thresholds – Set to ‘yes’ to disable any count thresholds and not create cycle count work as a result of the work completed.
• Group Put away – Set to ‘yes’ to group the put away work after all of the pick work.
• Allow over pick – Set to ‘yes’ to allow over pick on Sales orders and transfer orders only, as long as the worker is allowed to over pick.
• Audit Template ID – An audit template can be created and used during work if auditing is required, such as some type of quality or condition verification.

Work Confirmation Setup:

If there is a need to have any of the steps confirmed with repeated scanning or entry, this is setup by clicking the Work Confirmation Setup.

Confirmations can be required for both the Pick and the Put, for

• Location
• Quantity
• Product (Item)

Mobile Device Menu

The Mobile Device Menu Items must be added to Mobile Device Menus in order to be accessed by the workers.

 

In this example, the Main Menu, includes the Inbound, Outbound, and Inventory menus.  The Inbound, Outbound and Inventory menus include the individual menu items.  Any of these menus can be assigned to users.

Inbound:

Outbound:

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