I am in the middle of writing directed pick/put module for a warehouse. I just had a meeting last week on the exact same topic. My software gives the user the most optimal pick list and the warehouse manager wanted me to change it so his team could pick from alternate bins. His justifications:
1. My software doesn't know that there is a cart/ladder/forklift blocking the most optimal bin while the bin next to it is easily accessible.
2. My software cannot tell if QC is in middle of sampling or if Inventory team is in middle of cycle counting that exact bin.
3. My software doesn't factor in changes in real-world that have not yet been inputted into the computer system. So if there is spillage, quantity, or quarantine issues that haven't been scanned into the system yet, my software calculates the optimal bin incorrectly.
It's not that code cannot calculate what optimal means given a set of requirements. It's just that the end-user might be in a better position to decide if it really is optimal or not.
1. My software doesn't know that there is a cart/ladder/forklift blocking the most optimal bin while the bin next to it is easily accessible.
2. My software cannot tell if QC is in middle of sampling or if Inventory team is in middle of cycle counting that exact bin.
3. My software doesn't factor in changes in real-world that have not yet been inputted into the computer system. So if there is spillage, quantity, or quarantine issues that haven't been scanned into the system yet, my software calculates the optimal bin incorrectly.
It's not that code cannot calculate what optimal means given a set of requirements. It's just that the end-user might be in a better position to decide if it really is optimal or not.