Blue Yonder WMS Inventory Execution Training Course

Course overview

Inventory execution failures rarely begin with a single bad transaction. They emerge when receipt exceptions are not controlled, stock is placed in unsuitable locations, replenishment signals are ignored, cycle counts are poorly targeted, or adjustments lack an auditable reason trail. For warehouse professionals, the operational consequence is measurable: unavailable stock, avoidable travel, delayed orders, customer service failures and unexplained inventory variance. This course focuses on using Blue Yonder WMS to control the inventory lifecycle at transaction level while maintaining the data discipline needed for reliable warehouse decisions.

Participants learn how Blue Yonder WMS represents items, locations, inventory attributes, status codes, ownership and handling units; how these records drive receiving, putaway, movement, replenishment, allocation, picking and counting. The programme develops practical capability in interpreting inventory inquiry results, executing RF-directed tasks, managing exceptions, applying adjustment controls, planning cycle counts and investigating discrepancies. It also explains the operational impact of key WMS rules, including location capacity, putaway logic, replenishment triggers, allocation priorities and inventory hold statuses.

Instruction combines instructor-led demonstrations in a Blue Yonder WMS training environment with realistic warehouse scenarios, transaction exercises and team-based exception investigations. Participants work through an end-to-end inventory execution case covering a receipt discrepancy, directed putaway, replenishment shortfall, cycle-count variance and shipment allocation issue. They leave with a completed Inventory Execution Control Pack: transaction checklists, exception-routing rules, count-investigation template, KPI definitions and a 30-day workplace application plan.

The course is designed for operational users, team leaders and analysts who need to execute or govern inventory processes in Blue Yonder WMS, as well as implementation-support staff who must translate warehouse operating requirements into disciplined system use.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Execute Blue Yonder WMS receiving, putaway, movement and replenishment transactions using inventory status and location controls
• Interpret inventory inquiry screens to trace item, lot, serial, location, handling-unit and ownership records
• Apply directed putaway and location-capacity rules to select appropriate storage destinations
• Manage inventory exceptions through holds, reason codes, task reassignment and controlled adjustments
• Plan risk-based cycle counts using ABC classification, count triggers, tolerance settings and variance queues
• Investigate inventory discrepancies by reconciling transaction history, physical evidence and WMS audit trails
• Configure operational decision rules for replenishment, allocation priorities and inventory availability within defined governance limits
• Produce an Inventory Execution Control Pack containing SOPs, exception workflows, KPI measures and an action plan

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Warehouse Supervisors — who must control daily inventory exceptions and ensure task execution meets service targets
• Inventory Control Analysts — who investigate variances, design count routines and report inventory accuracy
• WMS Key Users — who support Blue Yonder WMS users and translate operating requirements into repeatable procedures
• Warehouse Operations Managers — who need reliable inventory visibility, replenishment discipline and exception governance
• Distribution Centre Team Leaders — who allocate work across receiving, putaway, replenishment and counting teams
• Supply Chain Systems Analysts — who analyse WMS transaction data and support inventory-process improvement

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic warehouse flows: receiving, putaway, storage, replenishment, picking, shipping and stock counting. Familiarity with common inventory terms such as SKU, batch or lot, serial number, unit of measure, inventory status and location is expected. Prior exposure to Blue Yonder WMS, JDA WMS or another warehouse management system is helpful but not mandatory. This is a foundation-to-intermediate course, so complete beginners can attend if they are prepared to work through warehouse scenarios and system terminology. No programming, database administration, Blue Yonder configuration certification or prior RF-device experience is required.

Training methodology

Each day combines short instructor-led Blue Yonder WMS demonstrations with guided transactions in a configured training environment. Participants use warehouse cases to receive stock, resolve directed-putaway conflicts, respond to replenishment shortages, execute counts and investigate variances through transaction history. Small groups compare operational choices against service, capacity and control requirements, then document the procedure they would apply in their own facility. The final day uses a cross-functional inventory incident simulation and concludes with individual 30-day application planning.

Course outline

Day 1: Blue Yonder WMS inventory foundations

• Blue Yonder WMS navigation, menus, inquiry panels and task-monitor views
• Warehouse structure: sites, zones, locations, work areas and location types
• Item master, pack configuration, units of measure and handling-unit relationships
• Inventory attributes: lot, serial, expiry, ownership, quality and status
• On-hand, available, allocated, held and in-transit inventory quantities
• RF-directed task execution and transaction confirmation discipline
• Inventory inquiry methods for tracing stock by item, location and handling unit

Workshop: Participants build an inventory trace from a SKU inquiry, identifying its quantities, attributes, locations, task history and availability constraints.

Day 2: Receiving, putaway and internal movement control

• Expected receipts, advance shipment information and receiving appointment context
• Receipt confirmation, overage, shortage, damage and unidentified-item exceptions
• Quality, quarantine and inventory-hold status workflows
• Directed putaway logic using location type, capacity, compatibility and velocity rules
• Handling-unit creation, labelling and GS1-128 identification principles
• Inter-location moves, consolidation, split handling units and audit requirements
• Putaway exception resolution for blocked, full or incompatible locations

Workshop: Participants process a discrepant inbound receipt and produce a documented putaway and exception-resolution decision for each handling unit.

Day 3: Replenishment and allocation execution

• Forward-pick versus reserve-storage inventory roles
• Min-max, demand-based and task-driven replenishment triggers
• Replenishment task prioritisation, release and confirmation
• Short-pick, empty-location and replenishment-shortage exception handling
• Allocation rules, inventory eligibility and order-priority logic
• FIFO, FEFO, lot selection and expiry-sensitive allocation methods
• Inventory availability checks before wave release and pick execution

Workshop: Teams resolve a replenishment failure and allocation conflict, then produce a prioritised recovery plan that protects a high-priority shipment.

Day 4: Cycle counting, adjustments and inventory integrity

• ABC classification and risk-based cycle-count programme design
• Event-driven, location-driven and scheduled count triggers
• Count task creation, blind counts, recounts and tolerance controls
• Physical-to-system variance analysis by SKU, location, lot and transaction type
• Inventory adjustment reason codes, approval limits and segregation of duties
• Transaction-history review for root-cause investigation
• Inventory accuracy, count completion and adjustment-value KPI calculations

Workshop: Participants design a cycle-count schedule and complete a variance investigation report using count results, transaction history and adjustment controls.

Day 5: Exception governance and operational improvement

• Inventory exception queues, ageing analysis and escalation paths
• Standard operating procedures for holds, adjustments and task reassignment
• Inventory-control dashboards and daily management routines
• Root-cause methods using five whys, Pareto analysis and transaction evidence
• WMS master-data dependencies affecting inventory execution
• Integration touchpoints with ERP, transport and warehouse automation systems
• 30-day inventory execution improvement planning and control ownership

Workshop: Participants complete an end-to-end inventory incident simulation and produce an Inventory Execution Control Pack for application in their own operation.

Tools & standards covered

Blue Yonder WMS, Blue Yonder Luminate Platform, Microsoft Excel, GS1-128

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions