14.3 Wave Templates, Work Templates, and Location Directives Configuration

14.3 Wave Templates, Work Templates, and Location Directives Configuration

Quick Answer: The core operational engine of Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management advanced Warehouse Management is the WMS Execution Triad: Wave Templates group and release demand into synchronized operational batches; Work Templates define what tasks workers execute through paired Pick and Put lines; and Location Directives determine where materials are picked from and placed. Understanding the sequence, query scopes, and configuration parameters of this triad is essential for the MB-330 certification.

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1. The WMS Execution Triad Overview

Every advanced warehouse process in D365 SCM relies on three interconnected configuration engines working in strict orchestration:

[OUTBOUND DEMAND: Sales Order / Transfer Order Released]
                          │
                          ▼
      +---------------------------------------+
      |            1. WAVE TEMPLATE           |
      |  Groups demand lines into batches;    |
      |  Executes methods: Allocation,        |
      |  Replenishment, Containerization      |
      +-------------------+-------------------+
                          │
                          ▼
      +---------------------------------------+
      |            2. WORK TEMPLATE           |
      |  Constructs labor tasks as paired     |
      |  Pick & Put lines;                    |
      |  Enforces work breaks and maximums    |
      +-------------------+-------------------+
                          │
                          ▼
      +---------------------------------------+
      |         3. LOCATION DIRECTIVES        |
      |  Evaluates 3-tier rules to find       |
      |  WHERE to Pick (inventory source)     |
      |  and WHERE to Put (destination bin)   |
      +---------------------------------------+

Triad Architectural Comparison

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2. Wave Templates: Orchestration, Methods, and Thresholds

A Wave represents a discrete grouping of outbound shipment lines released to the warehouse floor for coordinated picking, packing, and shipping.

• Navigation: Warehouse management > Setup > Waves > Wave templates.

Wave Template Types and Attributes

• Wave template types: Shipping (sales orders and outbound transfer orders), Production (raw material picking for production orders), and Kanban (kanban picking).
• Key Automation Toggles:
  • Automate wave creation: If Yes, releasing an order line to the warehouse automatically creates a wave or adds the line to an existing wave.
  • Assign to open waves: Combines new shipment lines into an existing unprocessed wave matching wave attributes.
  • Process wave at release to warehouse: Immediately executes the wave process methods (allocating inventory and generating work) upon release.
  • Automate wave release: Automatically unblocks generated warehouse work (transitions work status from Unprocessed to Open), making it visible on mobile devices without supervisor intervention.

Wave Process Methods

A wave template executes an ordered pipeline of Wave process methods that perform advanced logistics calculations:

• allocateWave: Mandatory method that evaluates on-hand inventory, applies reservation hierarchies, and triggers Location Directives to find pick locations.
• replenish: Evaluates wave demand against pick bin quantities; if picking demand exceeds pick slot inventory, generates wave-demand replenishment work from bulk storage.
• containerize: Evaluates packaging dimensions against shipping container types to pre-calculate carton requirements and create container packing work.
• waveSortation: Groups picked items into sortation wall slots for high-speed multi-order consolidation.

Wave Thresholds

Wave thresholds prevent waves from growing uncontrollably by closing the active wave and creating a new one when limits are breached:

• Maximum number of shipments
• Maximum number of lines
• Maximum weight
• Maximum volume

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3. Work Templates: Structure, Line Pairing, and Staging

Work Templates define the specific labor activities that warehouse workers perform.

• Navigation: Warehouse management > Setup > Work > Work templates.

Work Order Types

Work templates are authored per Work order type:

• Sales orders / Transfer issue: Outbound shipping execution.
• Purchase orders / Transfer receipt: Inbound receiving and putaway.
• Replenishment: Movement from bulk storage to active pick faces.
• Raw material picking: Staging materials for production jobs.
• Cycle counting: Physical inventory verification.

The Mandatory Pick and Put Rule

Work lines must always be structured in valid Pick and Put pairs. A work template cannot contain an unpaired Pick or Put line.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|               WORK TEMPLATE: 2-STEP STAGED OUTBOUND WORK                |
+------+-----------+----------------+----------------+--------------------+
| Line | Work Type | Mandatory / Opt| Directive Code | Operational Step   |
+------+-----------+----------------+----------------+--------------------+
| 1    | Pick      | Mandatory      | (Blank)        | Pick from Bulk Bin |
| 2    | Put       | Mandatory      | STAGE          | Put to Stage Area  |
| 3    | Pick      | Mandatory      | STAGE          | Pick from Stage    |
| 4    | Put       | Mandatory      | BAYDOOR        | Put to Baydoor     |
+------+-----------+----------------+----------------+--------------------+

Directive Codes and Multi-Step Routing

When intermediate staging is required (e.g., picking from storage, staging at an inspection or consolidation lane, then loading onto a trailer):

• The consultant assigns a Directive code (e.g., STAGE) to the intermediate Put line (Line 2).
• The subsequent Pick line (Line 3) also references STAGE.
• The Location Directive engine uses this Directive Code to match the intermediate Put line with a specific staging Location Directive, directing the worker to STAGE-01.
• The final Put line (Line 4) references a shipping dock directive code or baydoor query.

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4. Location Directives: Three-Tier Hierarchy and Resolution Logic

Location Directives are the routing algorithms that search the warehouse topology to determine the exact coordinates where inventory must be picked or placed.

• Navigation: Warehouse management > Setup > Location directives.

Location directives are configured per Work order type (e.g., Sales orders) and Work type (Pick vs. Put).

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                  LOCATION DIRECTIVE 3-TIER HIERARCHY                    |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1. DIRECTIVE HEADER (Evaluated Top-Down by Sequence Number)             |
|    • Site / Warehouse | Directive Code | Work Type: Pick or Put         |
|    • Multiple SKU toggle (applies to consolidated putaway)              |
|    • Header Query: Filters by customer, item group, order attributes    |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+
                                     │
                                     ▼
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 2. DIRECTIVE LINES (Evaluated by Quantity Range & Unit)                 |
|    • Sequence Number                                                    |
|    • From Quantity / To Quantity (e.g., 1-10 Ea vs. 11-100 Cases)       |
|    • Unit of Measure (e.g., restricts line to Pallet or Each)           |
|    • Locate by unit / Restrict by unit                                  |
|    • Allow split (enables splitting work across multiple bins)          |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+
                                     │
                                     ▼
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3. DIRECTIVE ACTIONS (Search Strategies & Location Queries)             |
|    • Sequence Number & Action Name                                      |
|    • Action Query: Location profile, Zone, Aisle, Shelf criteria        |
|    • Action Strategy: Algorithmic selection rule                        |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Location Directive Action Strategies

The Strategy field on the Location Directive Action dictates how D365 SCM selects among multiple candidate locations matching the action query:

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5. Implementation Scenarios and Common Exam Traps

[!IMPORTANT] Exam Tip — The Directive Code Anchor: On the MB-330 exam, candidates are frequently asked how D365 SCM connects an intermediate Put line on a Work Template to the correct staging location directive. The link is established exclusively via the Directive Code. If the Directive Code on the Work Template line does not match the Directive Code on the Put Location Directive header, the system ignores that location directive.

[!WARNING] Exam Trap — Sequence Number First-Match Wins: Location Directive Headers and Directive Actions are evaluated sequentially by sequence number (1, 2, 3...). The first header or action whose query and criteria are met terminates the search evaluation. Always configure the most specific rules (e.g., Item-specific, Cold-chain zone) with low sequence numbers and broad fallback rules (e.g., All items, Ambient bulk) with high sequence numbers.

[!TIP] Exam Tip — Allow Split on Directive Lines: If an inbound purchase order receives 100 cases, but each available bulk rack can only accommodate 25 cases, putaway generation will fail with an allocation error unless Allow split is selected on the Location Directive Line. Enabling Allow Split instructs the directive engine to divide the work line across four 25-case locations.