Is batch 2207 released?
The warehouse asks whether they can ship the new batch of face cream to a retailer. The quality person checks their inbox for the lab report, finds one for 2206, and remembers that 2207's sample went a few days later. The lab's portal shows it as complete, but nobody downloaded the report. Meanwhile batch 2203 has been sitting in quarantine for longer than necessary, because the result came in and nobody signed it off.
In a busy week, it is also possible for a batch to be picked before it was released, because quarantine is a taped-off area and a sign.
Release status lives in one person's head
The release process is often clear on paper. The trouble is keeping track of where each batch is, when results come from outside labs by email or portal, and stock control does not know about release at all.
- Samples are sent to external labs with a covering form, and the dates are not tracked.
- Results arrive as PDFs by email or wait in a lab portal.
- Each batch's required checks, and which are complete, are tracked on paper or in memory.
- Sign-off is a signature on a batch record, not visible to the warehouse.
- Quarantine is a physical area, not a stock status.
What unclear release status costs
Stock waiting longer than needed delays orders and ties up space. Stock shipped before release is the more serious risk, and something you want structurally prevented rather than relying on memory. The quality person becomes a bottleneck, answering "is it released yet?" all day. What checks your batches need before release is for you and your adviser to decide. We make sure the process you have is followed and visible.
A release board with a stock block
- Your release procedure is recorded per product type: which checks are required, in-house and external.
- When a batch is made, it enters the board with its required checks and is placed on hold in stock, so it cannot be picked.
- Samples sent to a lab are logged with the date sent and the expected return, and overdue results are flagged.
- Lab reports arriving by email are filed against the batch automatically where the batch number can be read, and results can be entered for in-house checks. Where the lab has a portal with downloads or an API, reports are collected from it.
- When all required checks are in, the batch shows as ready for review, and the named person reviews and signs off in the system.
- Released batches become available to pick. A batch with a result outside your limits stays on hold and is flagged for a decision.
| Question | Answered now by | With the release board |
|---|---|---|
| Is this batch released? | Asking the quality person | Status visible to everyone |
| What is still outstanding? | Memory | Checks listed per batch |
| Where is the lab report? | Inbox or portal | Filed against the batch |
| Can the warehouse pick it? | A sign on the area | Blocked in stock until released |
Release without the chasing
Everyone can see which batches are waiting, and on what. Results that arrive are filed and flagged for review, so batches do not wait on someone noticing an email. The warehouse cannot pick held stock by accident. The quality person reviews and signs, rather than acting as a switchboard.
The board also shows how long batches wait at each stage, which makes it easier to talk to your lab about turnaround, or to plan production so batches for an urgent order go to the lab first.
Is this your quarantine area?
- People ask the quality person whether batches are released.
- Lab results arrive by email and are sometimes missed.
- Batches have waited in quarantine after results were in.
- Held stock is not blocked in your stock system.
- You have worried about stock leaving before release.