Understanding Shipment Planner
What is Shipment Planner
Shipment Planner is the starting point of the warehouse shipping process, primarily used by Warehouse Managers to manage and process outbound shipments. It allows users to search, review, and progress shipments into the wave planning and execution flow. It also allows 3PLs to run Soft Allocation on selected Shipments.
Navigation:
Access Shipment Planner by typing it into the search bar or via the path:
Shipping > Shipment Planner
Pool Tab
Purpose: The Pool tab is the first stage in the outbound shipment status flow. When a shipment is created, it is initially placed in this tab until further action is taken.
Display: The Pool tab shows a list of all individual shipments along with detailed information similar to what is available in the shipping enquiry section.
Options: Each shipment features an ellipsis menu offering four key actions:
Available Actions (via the Ellipsis Menu)
- Edit: Modify shipment details.
- Hold: Place a shipment on hold.
- Delete: Remove the shipment.
- To Wave: Move one or more shipments to the Wave tab for further processing.
Bulk Actions:
Use the checkboxes to select multiple shipments and send them to Wave in a single action.
🔍 Searchable Fields in the Pool Tab
You can locate shipments by searching with any of the following fields:
📦 Shipment Details
Shipment Number
Customer Order Reference
Company
Created Date (From / To)
🚚 Shipping Information
Carrier
Carrier Service
Ship To Name
Ship To City
Ship To Country
📄 Item Information
Item Code
🗒️ Additional Filters
Wave Reject Comment
Once you have entered all the information, you need to find your results click on the search button
to continue.
Pool Results View
The Pool results grid shows limited columns by default. To view additional data, scroll horizontally. Key columns include:
🖼️ Visual
Item Thumbnail
📦 Shipment Details
Shipment Number
Item Code
Customer Order Reference
Warehouse
Company
Created Date/Time
Planned Dispatch Date
🧾 Shipment Contents
Total Lines / Total Units
Lines in Pool
🚚 Shipping Information
Carrier / Carrier Service
Ship To Name
Ship To City
Ship To Country
⚠️ Exceptions
Wave Reject Reason
If you want to go back and input more information, click on the search icon
and enter whatever data you need to refine your search.
Putting Shipment To Wave
Find your Shipment using the search function you were prompted with when opening the shipment planner, then select the shipments you want using the check box
, if you want to select all shipments in the pool, use the check the box at the top 
.
Click on the three dots 
and "To Wave".
Select your Wave via the drop-down menu once you have done so, click on the submit button .png)
If needed you can create a wave using the create wave button 
.
Creating a Wave
If your wave has already been created, you can skip this step.
If a suitable wave doesn't exist, create one by entering the following:
Wave Name
Waveflow Header – This determines the processing logic (e.g., allocation and picking tasks).
Click on the Submit button to continue.
Running the Wave of the Shipment
To run a wave, you first switch to the wave tab within the shipment planner.
In this tab, you should see a list of all waves, including their name, ID and waveflow header. Find the wave that you want to release, click on the three dots and then click "Run". You also have the option to view and delete waves.
When the wave is successfully run, the assigned Waveflow is executed. This typically includes:
Allocation – Assigning inventory to shipments based on Allocation Rules.
Shipment Picking Job Creation – Generating picking tasks for operatives, based on the Shipment Picking Job Creation configuration.
Additional Waveflow processes may apply depending on your configuration. For a full list, refer to the Waveflow knowledge article
Running Soft Allocation (for 3PL Clients)
Overview
Soft Allocation allows 3PLs to reserve inventory against orders without progressing to picking. This feature is useful when you want to earmark stock for an order early, such as when syncing with platforms like Shopify, but you're not yet ready to begin fulfilment.
Soft Allocation is typically enabled at the Company level, allowing selected clients to benefit from early reservation logic.
When to Use Soft Allocation
To reserve stock for an order in advance, without initiating a wave or picking process.
When waiting on operational readiness (e.g. batching, label prep, inbound completions) before full fulfilment.
To reflect inventory commitments on platforms like Shopify, even before jobs are created.
How to Run Soft Allocation
Go to the Pool tab in Shipment Planner.
Use the search function to find the relevant order(s).
Click the ellipsis (three dots) next to a shipment.
Select Run Soft Allocation.
Note: This option only appears for shipments associated with Companies that have Soft Allocation enabled.
The system will attempt to allocate the entire order. Inventory will be reserved, but no picking jobs are created at this stage. You can later deallocate or proceed to hard allocation via Waveflow when you're ready.