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When receiving gets real: multiple trucks, barcode scans, quality checks, and fast putaway.  Posting Goods Receipt (GR) against the inbound delivery (not directly against the PO) keeps procurement, warehouse, and AP in lockstep. This post leans a bit more into the procurement (SAP MM) setup that makes inbound deliveries sing, then summarizes how WM/Stockroom and EWM take it home on the warehouse side.

If interested in Procurement / Goods Receipt (GR) process without inbound delivery documents please see: SAP MM: End-to-End Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) with the T-Codes You Actually Use

One-line flow:
PR → PO → ASN / Inbound Delivery → GR (vs. delivery) → Putaway (WM/EWM) → Invoice (MIRO) → Payment (F110/F-53)

Procurement First: Set Up POs That Receive Themselves

Inbound deliveries are only as good as the POs they’re born from. A few MM basics to get right:

Requisition & Sourcing

  • PR (ME51N/ME52N/ME53N). Use real material masters and UoM; set plant, storage location, delivery dates, and (if consumable) the account assignment up front.
  • Info Records & Source Lists (ME11/ME01). Keep who-buys-what clear so buyers aren’t hunting for prices or suppliers.
  • Outline Agreements.
    • Contracts (ME31K) for header-level pricing and terms across POs.
    • Scheduling Agreements (ME31L) when you expect releases and steady demand.

The Purchase Order That “Just Works”

  • Create PO (ME21N) with vendor, plant, storage location, price conditions, Incoterms, and delivery tolerances that match reality.
  • Texts & requirements. Spell out packing (e.g., “SSCC per pallet”), batch/serial needs, and quality expectations. These copy forward to the inbound delivery.
  • GR-based IV on the PO helps AP pay only what’s physically received.
  • Confirmation Control if you want vendor confirmations or ASNs as a must-have.
  • Release strategy (ME29N). Keep approvals predictable by value, plant, or material group.

Goal: A PO that anticipates how the truck actually arrives packed, labeled, and ready to scan.

From PO to Inbound Delivery: Your Receiving Playbook

The Inbound Delivery is the document of record at the dock: what’s coming, how it’s packed, and how to process it.

How it’s created

  • Best practice: vendor sends an ASN (EDI DESADV) → SAP creates the inbound delivery automatically with lines, quantities, and handling units (HUs/SSCC).
  • Manual alternative: VL31N (create) / VL32N (change) / VL33N (display) with PO reference.

What to capture (don’t skimp here)

  • Delivery note & carrier, planned arrival date, unloading point/door.
  • HU hierarchy (carton → pallet) with SSCC serials, plus batch/serial data where relevant.
  • Over/under delivery adjustments to reflect what’s actually on the truck. Better to correct the delivery first than fight the GR later.

Keep the dock informed

  • Inbound Delivery Monitor (VL06I) for arrivals due/overdue, by plant or vendor.
  • Print labels from the delivery if you generate SSCCs on your side; your RF scanners will be happier.

Post GR Against the Inbound Delivery (Not the PO)

Two common ways to post:

  • MIGO: choose Goods Receipt → Inbound Delivery, enter the delivery number, verify items/HUs/batches/serials, and post. Movement is typically 101 to unrestricted (or to QI stock if QM applies).
  • VL32N: use Post Goods Receipt directly from the delivery; great for delivery-centric users.

What happens on post:

  • SAP creates a material document (MB03 to display), updates PO history (ME23N), triggers a QM inspection lot (if set), and hands warehouse work to WM or EWM.

Fixes if something goes sideways:

  • Reverse with MIGO 102 (or 122 return to vendor). If quantities were wrong, fix the delivery first, then re-GR. Clean delivery = clean GR = clean invoice match.

Quality & AP: Keep the Three-Way Match Honest

  • Quality (QA32). Process inspection lots created at GR. Accept to unrestricted, or move to blocked/scrap/return. Early decisions prevent paying for rejects.
  • Invoice Verification (MIRO). AP references the PO, but the match is PO ↔ GR ↔ Invoice. With GR-based IV, partial receipts produce partial matches—perfect for staged deliveries or milestone services.
  • Payment. Use F110 for automated runs; F-53 for one-offs. FBL1N to chase open/blocked items.

WM/Stockroom (LE-WM): Summary for the MM Crowd

If you’re still on classic WM (or Stockroom Management in S/4):

  • Interplay with GR. GR into Inventory Management creates a Transfer Requirement and places stock in an interim storage type (your GR area).
  • Move to final bin. Create a Transfer Order (e.g., LB10, LT06, LT10) and confirm it (LT12).
  • HU-managed WM. If your inbound delivery is packed (HUs in VL32N), you can TO by HU—scan once, move the full pallet/carton.
  • Monitoring. LX03 for bin stock, LT24 for open TOs; LI20/LI21 for PI.
  • Why deliveries help WM: The HU structure, batch splits, and quantities are already organized; WM just moves what the delivery says arrived.

WM: Inbound Delivery based GR feeds WM with the right quantities/HUs so TOs can be created and confirmed quickly—less keyboard, more scanning.

Embedded/Decentralized EWM: Summary for the MM Crowd

EWM is delivery-driven by design. The ERP inbound delivery replicates to EWM and warehouse execution runs there.

  • Core objects. EWM inbound delivery (/SCWM/PRDI), Goods Receipt (/SCWM/GR), Warehouse Tasks/Orders for unloading and putaway, RF work (/SCWM/RFUI), and the Monitor (/SCWM/MON).
  • Process in short. Unload and scan SSCC/HUs, post GR in EWM (which posts back the ERP material document), then system-guided putaway creates tasks to final bins.
  • Quality inside EWM. With QIE, you can sample and decide in the warehouse; stock moves accordingly.
  • Advanced routing. POSC/LOSC route HUs through deconsolidation, quality, or mezzanines automatically.

EWM: The inbound delivery is the backbone without it there’s no tasking. Accurate HUs and quantities create smooth RF flows and clean ERP updates.

Practical Tips that Make or Break Inbound Deliveries

  1. Model the truck in the PO. If you expect pallets with SSCCs, say so in PO texts and vendor agreements. The delivery will mirror it.
  2. Enforce ASN discipline. Require suppliers to send DESADV so inbound deliveries show up before the truck dock planning loves this.
  3. Adjust the delivery, then GR. Don’t “fix it in GR.” Get the inbound delivery right so WM/EWM and AP flows stay clean.
  4. Use over/under tolerances. Prevent surprise overdeliveries from posting to unrestricted without review.
  5. Turn on GR-based IV. It’s the simplest way to keep MIRO honest when partials and rejections happen.
  6. Batch and serial hygiene. Capture at delivery/GR time. Don’t push this downstream.

Common Pitfalls (and the quick fix)

  • GR posted against the PO (habit). Reverse (102) and repost against the inbound delivery to preserve HU/QM/WM/EWM integrity.
  • HU managed site, but delivery isn’t packed. Pack in VL32N or insist on vendor SSCC labels via ASN.
  • Invoice blocked for quantity/price. Confirm the delivery reflects reality, then re-GR or update PO conditions; reprocess MIRO.
  • EWM GR done, ERP not updated. Check /SCWM/MON queues; reprocess so the ERP material document posts.

T-Code & App Cheat Sheet (Handy Reference)

Procurement (MM)

  • PR: ME51N (Create), ME52N (Change), ME53N (Display)
  • PO: ME21N (Create), ME22N (Change), ME23N (Display), ME29N (Release)
  • Sourcing: ME11/ME12 (Info Record), ME01 (Source List), ME31K (Contract), ME31L (Sched. Agreement)

Inbound & GR

  • Inbound Delivery: VL31N (Create), VL32N (Change/Pack/Post GR), VL33N (Display)
  • Monitor: VL06I (Inbound Delivery Monitor)
  • Goods Receipt: MIGO (GR vs. Inbound Delivery), MB03 (Material Doc)

Quality & AP

  • QM: QA32 (Inspection Lot Worklist)
  • IV & Payment: MIRO (Invoice), FBL1N (Vendor Items), F110 (Auto Pay), F-53 (Manual)

Warehouse (summary)

  • WM/Stockroom: LB10, LT06, LT10, LT12, LX03, LT24, LI20/LI21
  • EWM: /SCWM/PRDI, /SCWM/GR, /SCWM/RFUI, /SCWM/MON

Wrap Up

If you remember nothing else, remember this: the inbound delivery is the receiving playbook. MM sets the terms with a clean PO, your vendor announces the shipment (ASN), and the inbound delivery becomes the single source of truth at the dock. Post GR against that document, then let WM/Stockroom or EWM guide putaway. AP closes the loop only on what truly arrived no more, no less.

That’s how you keep P2P tight, warehouses fast, and vendors happy without living in exception hell.

If you have question on this or any other PortSAP Consulting blog please feel free to contact us at Blog@PortSAP.com. Or if you are looking for Top Quality SAP Consultants please feel free to contact us.

The author, Ray Hornbrook, has over 19 years of SAP functional and technical experience.  Ray started his career in SAP as a MM/PP Subject Matter Expert (SME) for a SAP implementation in 1998 and is now a Senior Level SAP Consultant.  Since Ray has worked both sides of SAP, business end user and IT professional, he is able to communicate effectively with both IT and Business team members. Having a background as an SAP business end user has helped Ray greatly in his consulting career.  The business background helps him better communicate with the business members of the team.  As well as helping bridge gaps in communication between the IT and Business team members.

To find out more about Ray Hornbrook please check out his LinkedIn profile by clicking HERE.