The 7 principles of a professional warehouse
At Picqer, we believe the best warehouses are run by people who care about their business and have a genuine interest in their products. We also believe that a professional warehouse follows a few key principles. These are the 7 principles of a professional warehouse according to Picqer.
1. Warehouse work should be enjoyable
Automation helps make your warehouse more efficient, but warehouse work is still people work. Divide tasks between your team and your systems. Computers are better at remembering where products are stored or calculating how much stock to order. Let people focus on what they’re great at—carefully packing and shipping every order.
You can reduce decision-making with automation, which speeds up the process and reduces errors. That makes the work calmer and more enjoyable. Ask your team for regular feedback—how does it work for them in practice? This helps you implement automation where it makes the biggest impact.
2. Do it for your customer
Your warehouse is like the kitchen in a restaurant. Customers don’t see what happens after placing an order, but they do see the outcome—the package they receive. The better and faster that delivery is, the better their experience. And your warehouse process plays the biggest role in that moment.
In a professional warehouse, everything is done with the customer in mind. Every change is made with their experience in focus. Customers notice the care you put into packaging, how the box is filled, and how clearly you communicate. Every detail adds to the unboxing experience.
3. Clear processes create independence
A professional warehouse runs on clear processes. These processes show exactly what needs to be done—nothing more, nothing less. They leave room for personal judgement and empower people to work independently.
Everyone can start and finish their own tasks without depending on someone else. That means you need fewer managers, and the warehouse can adapt more quickly when things change. Independence grows when processes are owned from start to finish. Assign full responsibility for a task to one person instead of splitting it into fragments.
Software helps you design clear processes and makes it easier to follow them. If multiple people are involved in a process, the software shows exactly what steps have already been completed, so anyone can pick up where someone else left off.
4. Eliminate to go faster
Speed is not a goal, it’s a result. You don’t make a warehouse faster by walking faster. You make it faster by walking less and making fewer mistakes. You do this by eliminating unnecessary steps.
Unnecessary things can slow you down everywhere: excess stock, unused box sizes, or process steps you skip 90% of the time. Eliminate anything that feels like it's in the way or no longer adds value.
5. Only real-time information counts
Things move quickly in a warehouse, so only real-time information is reliable. Make sure all your information is digital and updated in real time. Connect all your systems, like your warehouse software and your webshop. Always track the actual status. For example, only mark an order as “shipped” when it’s truly been shipped.
Avoid printing information whenever possible. Anything on paper can be outdated the moment it’s printed. Label storage locations only with static details like location numbers, not product information that might change.
6. Progress motivates
There’s always work to do in a warehouse, which can make it hard to feel progress. Show your team the progress: how many orders have been shipped today and the quality of that work. You can use a large screen with real-time stats to make everyone’s contribution visible.
Be proud of what the team achieves together, but avoid turning it into a competition. Show the team's collective progress, not individual results. That encourages people to help each other and improve the warehouse as a whole.
7. Keep improving
A warehouse is always evolving. Your product range changes, order volumes shift, and customers expect more. To stay flexible, you need to keep training your improvement muscle. Make changes quickly and experiment often. Focus on getting better every day, instead of trying to perfect something once and for all. Because that “perfect” solution may already be outdated tomorrow.
Improvement ideas can come from anywhere in your warehouse. A good suggestion or a small frustration can spark change. Plan regular moments to gather input, so you avoid slowing things down during busy shipping times.
What defines a professional warehouse?
A professional warehouse is efficient, flexible, and makes very few mistakes. It’s also clean and well-organized. You can’t ship beautiful packages from a messy warehouse. But more than that, a great warehouse just feels right. Even during busy periods, it feels calm and under control. When everyone knows what they’re doing and everything is in its place, you feel the difference.
If something doesn’t feel right in your warehouse, that’s a signal that something needs to improve. Find out what’s causing the stress, clutter, or confusion, and fix it. It doesn’t have to be complicated. With these principles in mind, you can make your warehouse feel a little better every single day.
