Advanced Warehousing Go-Live Checklist for Texas Distributors

We have led 30+ Dynamics 365 Advanced Warehousing go-lives across Texas. The same five mistakes show up over and over. Here is the pre-cutover checklist our Houston team runs through with every distributor — pin it to the war-room wall before your weekend cutover.

1. Wave templates not stress-tested

Teams test wave templates with 10 orders, then go live with 800. Always run a peak-day simulation with at least 2× your expected daily order volume. If the wave takes more than 4 minutes to release, redesign before go-live.

2. Mobile device flows skipped on the floor

Configuring flows in a conference room is not the same as testing on a wet, cold dock. Walk every flow on the actual handheld, in the actual lighting, with actual gloves on.

3. Cycle counting strategy missing day-1

If you go live without cycle counting cadence configured, inventory accuracy decays inside 30 days. Define ABC counts, blind count rules, and adjustment thresholds before cutover.

4. 3PL/EDI integration tested only one-way

Send AND receive every transaction during UAT — ship confirms, ASNs, invoice reconciliations. Most go-live disasters trace back to a one-direction integration test.

5. No rollback plan

Hope is not a strategy. Document the exact rollback steps and who has authority to call it. Our Houston cutover war-rooms always include a 4-hour 'go/no-go' checkpoint.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a D365 WMS go-live weekend take?

Plan for 36–48 hours of cutover work for a single DC, with the floor operating in fallback mode for the first business day post go-live.

Do we need a dedicated WMS partner or can our F&O partner handle it?

Most F&O partners can scope WMS, but Texas distributors get materially better outcomes from teams with 10+ live WMS implementations. Ask for references.

Need a tailored plan for your Texas team? Our Houston principals offer a free 30-minute consultation — no pitch deck, just answers.