Onboarding Timeline

What Shapes Each Phase of the Timeline

No two onboarding projects run on exactly the same calendar, because the pace depends less on the software and more on the trading relationships behind it. Knowing what tends to speed things up or slow them down helps you plan realistic internal deadlines and avoid surprises close to go-live.

Trading partner requirements

Most retailers, distributors and manufacturers publish their own EDI implementation guides. These specify which transaction sets they expect, such as the 850 purchase order, 856 advance ship notice and 810 invoice, along with the segments, qualifiers and label formats they require. Gathering these guides early, ideally before the system assessment, prevents rework later. If a partner runs a formal certification or testing programme, its schedule often sets the real pace of your project.

Product and label data

Barcoding work depends on clean item data. Before labels can be printed reliably, each product needs a valid GTIN, accurate descriptions, units of measure and case pack quantities. Shipping labels such as GS1-128 carton labels with SSCC numbers also need to match the data sent in the ship notice. Inconsistent spreadsheets or duplicate item records are among the most common causes of delay, so a data clean-up pass is worth scheduling alongside the implementation plan.

Testing before go-live

A careful test phase usually includes:

• Sending sample documents to each partner and resolving any validation errors they report
• Printing and scanning test labels on the actual printers and scanners used in your warehouse
• Walking through a full order cycle, from purchase order to invoice, with real staff
• Confirming who receives error alerts and how quickly they are expected to respond

After launch

The first weeks after go-live are when compliance issues, such as late ship notices or unreadable labels, tend to surface. Keeping close watch on acknowledgements and partner scorecards during this period lets small problems be fixed before they turn into chargebacks. Our service standings explain how response and resolution times are tracked, and the support page outlines how to raise issues once you are live.