A pre-dispatch check compares the authorised order with the items being prepared and the approved delivery information. Its purpose is to catch a mismatch before goods are handed over, with a clear record of unresolved exceptions.
This is a general ordinary-goods record check. Follow the actual packing, transport, safety and product-specific requirements; the guide does not provide dangerous-goods or specialist packaging instructions.
Start with the current authorised order
Identify the correct order, version and dispatch authority. Check whether a later change, cancellation or hold affects the work before using a printed list from an earlier stage.
Confirm product codes, descriptions, quantities and units. Similar packaging is not enough to identify an item, particularly where several sizes or variants are stored together.
Business Queensland’s stock-control guidance provides context for accurate stock movements. Apply the actual order and dispatch controls in the workplace.
Use a practical dispatch-check record
Check:
- Order: correct authorised reference and current status.
- Items: product identity, variant and required batch information.
- Quantity: counted amount and unit, including pack conversions where relevant.
- Condition: required checks completed by the appropriate person.
- Eligibility: any hold, recall or restriction requiring review.
- Destination: approved delivery details and necessary recipient information.
- Documents: correct references and permitted information included.
- Handover: authorised release, carrier or receiving contact and movement record.
Do not mark a technical or quality check complete if your role only covers quantity and identity. Refer work requiring another person’s competence or authority.
A fictional order mismatch
In this invented example, an office order requests six packs of a particular notebook size. The prepared goods contain six packs of a visually similar larger notebook.
The checker compares the item code and description with the authorised order and identifies the mismatch before handover. They refer it through the agreed process and arrange the correct items only within their authority.
The count was correct, but the product was not. This illustrates why “six packs checked” is incomplete evidence unless the check also confirms which packs were counted.
Keep changes and exceptions controlled
If the requested item is unavailable, do not substitute a different product or split the shipment without the required decision. Record what is missing and who can approve the next step.
Verify changed delivery instructions through the approved process, especially where an unexpected message redirects goods. Do not rely on an unverified email merely because it contains a familiar order reference.
Keep personal details proportionate to delivery needs and use approved records. Avoid including unrelated customer information in the paperwork handed to a carrier.
Confirm the handover and movement
Record the actual items released, handover time and relevant dispatch reference. Update the stock movement through the authorised system rather than assuming preparation of a parcel has already reduced the correct balance.
Where a check fails, keep the order status accurate until the exception is resolved. Review recurring mismatches for unclear codes, outdated lists or workflow problems. A useful dispatch check leaves evidence that the goods and destination matched the current authorised order at the point of release.
For the wider coordination role, see logistics coordinator duties and compare how order checks, carrier handovers and exceptions fit together.
