Sales Order Status Workflow

The Five Statuses

Draft

The order has been entered in CrafterBy but has not yet been confirmed with the customer. Use Draft while the order is still being discussed, when quantities or prices are not yet finalised, or when you are preparing a quote.

• Stock impact: None
• Typical next step: Confirm the order with the customer, then change to Confirmed

Confirmed

The order is accepted. You are preparing the goods for dispatch — making, packing, or picking from stock.

• Stock impact: None yet
• Typical next step: Dispatch the order, then change to Shipped

Shipped

The order has left your hands — posted, couriered, or handed to the customer in person. This status triggers the stock update.

• Stock impact: Quantities of all line item products are deducted from your finished goods stock
• Typical next step: Record payment (if not already done) and optionally move to Delivered

Delivered

The customer has confirmed receipt. This is an optional final active state for businesses that want to distinguish between "sent" and "received by customer".

• Stock impact: None (stock was already adjusted at Shipped)
• When to use: High-value orders where you track confirmed delivery, or when your customer confirms receipt and that triggers their payment obligation

Cancelled

The order did not proceed — the customer cancelled, or you could not fulfil it.

• Stock impact:
  • If the order was Confirmed but never Shipped: no stock was affected, no reversal needed
  • If the order was already Shipped: stock was already decremented and is not automatically restored. If the goods were returned to you, make a manual stock adjustment.

Status Transition Summary

• Draft -> Confirmed -> Shipped -> Delivered
• Draft -> Confirmed -> Shipped (if you skip Delivered)
• Draft -> Cancelled
• Confirmed -> Cancelled
• Shipped -> Cancelled (stock already decremented; manual adjustment needed if goods are returned)

The Key Rule: Shipped Triggers Stock Decrement

Only the transition to Shipped updates stock. Moving an order from Draft to Confirmed does not change stock. Only when you confirm physical dispatch — by setting status to Shipped — does CrafterBy deduct the quantities from your finished goods inventory.

Practical Notes

• If you realise you shipped the wrong quantity, cancel the original SO and create a corrected one.
• For partial fulfilments — you ship some items now and the rest later — create two separate sales orders: one for what you are shipping now, one for the remainder.
• If you use Delivered, record payment before or at this stage so your revenue reports accurately reflect when money was received.