Outbound Shipment Documents

When an Outbound movement is created in OpenBoxes, some documents are automatically generated. These documents can be useful resources to communicate with recipients, find items in inventory, and keep track of the items requested. The documents are generated when the outbound shipment process is started in OpenBoxes, even before the shipment is shipped. The content of the documents is also automatically updated with any changes made to the shipment. 

We can also upload documents pertaining to the Outbound Shipment. This way we have important documents related to the shipment available in OpenBoxes for users to view and download. Uploading documents is discussed at the end of this document. 

Each organization can generate custom documents. The instructions to do this will be posted soon.  

We can access the Outbound Shipment documents in two ways:

• Enter the Shipment code in the Global Search bar > On the Shipment Details page, Click on the Documents tab.
• Hover over the Outbound tab on the top navigation bar > Click on Outbound List Movements > Search for the desired shipment and click on the Shipment hyperlink > On the Shipment Details page, Click on the Documents tab.

All of the documents can be downloaded to the computer by clicking on the Download button in the right column. 

Outbound Shipment Documents

Below are the documents automatically created for outbound shipments:

1. Export Stock Movement Items. This is a CSV file that contains information on the products requested for shipment. This file populates information for the Product code, Product name, Quantity, and Recipient ID. 
2. Print Picklist. Once the quantity of the requested items has been confirmed in the Outbound shipment process in Open boxes and we are reading to start packing the items, warehouse colleagues can print this document to find the items in the warehouse.
   
   This document consists of information on general information and the location of the items. The list also groups items based on the handling categories, such as cold chain, hazardous material, and general goods. Items that are canceled due to any reason are also grouped separately. 
   
   It shows the information on:
   1. Requested: The quantity that we will fulfill. 
   2. Serial/Lot Number: The lot number of the items to be selected to be shipped out. There may be more than one lot number for a single requested item. OpenBoxes pulls information from different lot numbers in the available inventory to fulfill the requested quantity. 
   3. Expiration date: The expiration date for the lot numbers to be shipped out.
   4. Bin Location (if used): The bin location for the lot numbers.
   5. Suggested pick: The quantity of the items to pick from each lot and bin numbers. 
3. Delivery Note. This is a great document to use as a communication tool with the receiving party. This document can be sent with the shipment and it shows discrepancies between the shipment sent and the original request including any comments on why there are discrepancies. This saves time and confusion.
   For example, if a particular requested item was substituted with another item, this can be seen in the delivery note along with the reason code, as seen in the screenshot below:Another example of an instance where a delivery note could be helpful is if we were not able to completely fulfill a request due to low stock or canceled a request for any reason.
4. Packing List. A packing list accompanies the actual shipment or the physical boxes and is used to inform transportation companies about what they are transporting. Besides transportation, it also allows the recipient to quickly find the item they are looking for and where they are located (which box or which pallet). The packing list consists of the origin, destination, shipment type, shipment number, expected ship date, actual ship date, actual delivery date, and any comments. 
   
   The automated packing list generated by OpenBoxes also consists of the following information regarding the products:
   1. Pack Level 1
   2. Pack Level 2
   3. Product code
   4. Product name
   5. Supplier code
   6. Manufacturer
   7. Manufacturer code
   8. Lot number
   9. Expiration date
   10. Quantity
5. Export Packing List (.xls). The Packing List mentioned above is meant for printing whereas the Export Packing List is just a data table, meant for imports/exports or data analyses. 
6. Certificate of Donation. This document shows the total value of a shipment, formatted for printing. The excel format also allows users to make changes. It was designed for certain users who needed to present documentation of each distribution to a health facility since the government records it as a donation. 

Upload Documents

1. To upload documents in OpenBoxes related to an Outbound Shipment, go to the Shipment page. 
2. On the Shipment page, there is an option to "Upload documents." Click on the button. 
3. Now, we can add documents to the shipment. Enter information for the following fields:
   1. Name: Enter a name that best describes the document. 
   2. Document type: Select a document type from the options in the dropdown. There is an option "Other" if the document does not match the provided dropdown options. If we want to attach a link instead, we do not need to select a document type.  
   3. File: Select the file from your computer to upload. If we upload a file, this will be displayed under the Documents tab. 
   4. URL: If we want to attach a link instead of a document, we can input the link here. This will be displayed under the Documents tab under Links. A hyperlink is created with the provided link that users can click on.