Warehouse mobile workflows in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain

The advanced Warehouse Management module in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management is one of the standout features that justifies stepping up from Business Central. At its heart is a configurable mobile workflow engine that drives handheld scanner devices on the warehouse floor — purpose-built for performance, glove-friendly use, and customisable without code.

The model. A mobile workflow is a sequence of steps a warehouse worker performs through their handheld device — scan a license plate, scan an item, confirm a quantity, scan a destination location, complete the move. Each step is defined in the workflow designer with prompts, validation, and conditional branching. Workflows live in F&O's setup; they're solution-package-portable like other configuration.

Pre-built workflow types. Microsoft ships configurations for the standard warehouse operations:

• Receipt — inbound from purchase orders, transfer orders, return shipments.
• Put-away — directed put-away to bins.
• Pick — pick for outbound shipments, transfers, production consumption.
• Pack — packing into outbound containers.
• Load — loading onto outbound shipments.
• Counting — cycle counting and full physical inventory.
• Movement — moving stock between bins.
• Production — material picking for production orders, finished-goods reporting.
• Quality — quality inspection sampling and disposition.

Each pre-built workflow can be cloned and customised — change the prompts, skip optional steps, add validation rules, branch on conditions.

License plates. A license plate (LP) is a label representing a logical unit of inventory — a pallet, a tote, a carton. License plates are the unit of movement: scan one license plate to move many items at once. License plates can be nested (a pallet LP contains many carton LPs each containing many items). Operations on the LP propagate to its contents.

The handheld experience. The mobile interface is deliberately minimal — large buttons, short prompts, scannable barcodes. Workers operate at speed without paging through menus. Each step's UI is generated from the workflow definition, with text and barcode-input emphasis.

Hardware. F&O's mobile experience runs on Windows-based industrial PDAs, Android devices via the Warehouse Management mobile app (the modern, recommended option), iOS devices, and forklift-mounted vehicle terminals. Bluetooth and Bluetooth+WiFi scanners pair with the device. Voice-pick devices integrate through partner add-ons.

Wave processing. Outbound order flow runs through waves: groups of orders released together for picking. Wave templates define the bundling logic (orders by route, by carrier, by priority). When a wave releases, the system computes pick plans, generates LP shipments, and queues pick work for handhelds.

Slotting and replenishment. Bin replenishment (moving stock from bulk to pick bins) is automated based on min/max thresholds, demand profiles, or scheduled jobs. Slotting (the assignment of items to optimal pick bin locations) can run on an ABC-velocity basis or through advanced WMS optimisation modules.

Why this matters. A well-configured advanced WMS in F&O can run a complex distribution warehouse with hundreds of operators, multiple shifts, and thousands of orders per day at the kind of throughput that lower-tier WMS systems struggle with. The trade-off is real: implementation is substantial, and the workflow design demands warehouse-domain expertise.

Beyond the standard. Customers with very specific WMS needs (mezzanines with pick-to-light, dynamic slotting based on real-time analytics, robotic AS/RS integration) extend through partner ISVs or via the open APIs.