Create Waves for Outbound Orders in GWMS

Last updated: 2026-04-16

1. Scenario

Definition: Wave creation means grouping eligible outbound orders into one or more waves. GWMS generates a wave number, wave document, and picking details for each wave.

Purpose: After wave creation, the warehouse can print picking lists by wave, assign picking tasks, continue to secondary sorting, or proceed with outbound processing. This avoids handling orders one by one in scattered operations.

Use this guide when:

• A batch of dropship orders has been approved and needs to be arranged for picking together.
• The warehouse wants to filter orders by warehouse, carrier, SKU, customer, or packing type before organizing operations by wave.
• Different operation methods need to be selected, such as 【Secondary Sorting】 or 【One Order One Pick】.

Do not use this guide when:

• The order has not been approved. Complete outbound order review first.
• The order has already been waved. Go to GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Management to view or cancel the original wave.
• The order has already shipped.
• The order is not a dropship order. Non-dropship orders are not processed in the current wave creation list.

2. Steps

Prerequisites

Please confirm the following before you start:

1. Your account can access GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Creation and has permission to use 【Create Wave】.
2. The orders to be waved have completed review and are in 【Reviewed】 status.
3. The orders are still 【Unwaved】 and 【Unshipped】.
4. The orders already have the SKU, locked inventory, shipping channel, and label information required for later outbound processing. If label files are missing, generating the wave label package may fail later.

2.1 Open the Wave Creation page

Menu path: GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Creation

1. Go to GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Creation.
2. Select 【Warehouse】 first.
3. The page uses default filters: 【Order Status = Reviewed】 and 【Wave Status = Unwaved】.
4. To narrow the result range, enter filters such as 【WMS Order No.】, 【Wave No.】, 【SKU】, 【GSKU】, 【SKU Name】, 【Quantity >=】, 【Quantity =】, 【Carrier】, 【Product Type】, 【Packing Type】, 【Customer Code】, and 【Shipping Channel】.
5. Click 【Search】.

System feedback:

• If you search without selecting a warehouse, GWMS prompts 【Please select a warehouse】.
• The search result only displays dropship order details that match the conditions.
• If no waveable orders match the current filters, the list displays 【No Data】.

2.2 Select order details to create waves

1. Select the order details that need to be grouped into waves.
2. After selection, the top of the page displays selected statistics: selected order count, SKU count, and item quantity.
3. Check 【WMS Order No.】, 【Product Type】, 【Packing Type】, 【Customer Code】, 【SKU】, 【GSKU】, 【Quantity】, 【Carrier】, 【Order Status】, 【Wave Status】, and 【Outbound Status】 in the list.

System feedback:

• If you click 【Create Wave】 without selecting any details, GWMS prompts 【Please select data to create waves】.
• If the selected details include both 【One Order One Item】 and 【One Order Multiple Items】, GWMS opens a confirmation prompt. Confirm manually whether to continue creating waves.

2.3 Create the wave

1. Click 【Create Wave】 above the list.
2. GWMS opens the 【Create Wave】 dialog.
3. Enter the maximum number of orders per wave in 【Order Count】.
4. Select 【Picking Type】:
   • 【Secondary Sorting】: Use this when items are picked together by SKU or location first, then processed in secondary sorting.
   • 【One Order One Pick】: Use this when picking is performed order by order.
5. Enter the picker name in 【Picker】.
6. If on-site notes are needed, enter shift, route, customer, or exception information in 【Remarks】.
7. Click 【Confirm】.

System feedback:

• After you click 【Confirm】, GWMS displays 【Creating waves...】.
• After wave creation completes, GWMS prompts 【Wave created successfully】.
• If 【Order Count】 is empty or less than or equal to 0, GWMS puts all selected orders into one wave. If a positive number is entered, GWMS splits the selected orders into multiple waves by that number.

2.4 Check the wave creation result

1. After wave creation succeeds, GWMS refreshes the current list.
2. Waved orders no longer appear in the default 【Unwaved】 list.
3. Go to GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Management.
4. Search for the newly created wave by 【Warehouse】, 【Wave No.】, or 【Picker】.
5. In the wave list, check 【Wave No.】, 【Picking Type】, 【Order Count】, 【SKU Item Quantity】, 【Location Count】, 【Carrier】, 【Picker】, 【Picking Status】, and 【Outbound Status】.

Result:

• GWMS generates one or more wave numbers.
• The wave status of selected orders changes from 【Unwaved】 to 【Waved】.
• A new wave starts as 【Not Picked】 and 【Unshipped】.
• GWMS generates wave picking details and prepares the data needed for later printing and sorting.

3. Notes

3.1 Which orders appear on the Wave Creation page

The current Wave Creation list is used for dropship order details. Common default filters are:

• Order status: 【Reviewed】
• Wave status: 【Unwaved】
• Outbound status: 【Unshipped】, or no outbound status selected

If an order cannot be found, check whether it has been approved, whether it has already been waved, whether it belongs to the selected warehouse, and whether it is a dropship order.

3.2 How 【Order Count】 affects wave splitting

【Order Count】 controls how many orders each wave can contain.

Example: If 25 orders are selected and 【Order Count】 is 10, GWMS creates 3 waves: two waves with 10 orders and one wave with 5 orders.

If 【Order Count】 is left blank, GWMS puts all selected orders into one wave. When the order volume is large, split waves based on on-site picking capacity to avoid creating an oversized wave.

3.3 What data GWMS generates after wave creation

After wave creation succeeds, GWMS processes the following results:

• Generates wave numbers.
• Generates wave documents.
• Updates order wave status to 【Waved】.
• Calculates order count, SKU item quantity, and location count in the wave.
• Generates picking details.
• Generates the label package used for later printing.

If an order is missing a label file or the label address is abnormal, wave creation may fail and show a label-related error.

3.4 Can a wave be canceled after creation?

Unshipped waves can be canceled in GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Management. After cancellation, orders in the wave return to 【Unwaved】 status and can be waved again.

If any order in the wave has already shipped, GWMS prevents cancellation to avoid putting shipped orders back into the wave pool.

4. FAQ

Q1: What should I do if GWMS prompts 【Please select a warehouse】 after I click 【Search】?

A1: Select 【Warehouse】 at the top of the page, then click 【Search】 again. Wave creation is processed by warehouse, and GWMS needs the warehouse to read orders and later picking paths.

Q2: Why can't I find the order that needs to be waved?

A2: Check these items in order: whether the order is a dropship order, whether it has been approved, whether it is still 【Unwaved】, and whether it belongs to the selected warehouse. If the order has already been waved, go to GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Management to find the original wave.

Q3: What happens if I click 【Create Wave】 without selecting orders?

A3: GWMS prompts 【Please select data to create waves】 and does not create a wave. Select order details in the list first, then click 【Create Wave】.

Q4: Why does GWMS say the order already has a wave document?

A4: The order has already been assigned to another wave and cannot be waved again. Go to GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Management to find the wave for that order. If the order needs to be waved again, cancel the original unshipped wave first.

Q5: What should I do after wave creation succeeds?

A5: Go to GWMS-Outbound Management-Wave Management to view the new wave. The warehouse can continue to print picking lists, assign pickers, enter secondary sorting, or process outbound by wave.