One record per shipment.
The operational record is the unit of work in Importcommand. It starts at order readiness and stays open until arrival, collecting every document, partner exchange, milestone, exception, and cost along the way.
What it does
Most import teams already have all the information they need. It is simply distributed across a tracking spreadsheet, several inboxes, one or two carrier portals, and a chat thread with the warehouse. Each person holds a fragment, and the shipment itself has no single place where the whole picture exists.
Importcommand replaces the fragments with one operational record per shipment. The record is created from the order, linked to the purchase order and supplier, and assigned an owner. From that point every stage of the workflow, from collecting documents to acting on an exception, reads from and writes to the same record.
Because the record is shared, the questions that used to require a meeting are answered by looking: where is this shipment, what is still missing, who was asked for it, and what happens next.
How it lives on the operational record
Every capability in Importcommand writes to the same shipment record. Nothing here is a separate module with its own list; it is a view of one record.
- Order readiness: supplier, terms, quantities, target arrival, and the linked purchase order.
- The required document set for the scope, with readiness per document.
- Every request to a supplier, forwarder, or broker and every reply, attached where it belongs.
- Movement milestones and customs context as the shipment progresses.
- Exceptions with an owner, a next action, and a resolution.
- The landed-cost view, updated as freight, duties, and fees are confirmed.
In the workspace
Record header
Shipment ID, route, owner, current milestone, and expected arrival at the top of every record.
Document panel
Which documents are required, received, requested, or missing, with the last exchange for each.
Activity timeline
Partner exchanges, milestone updates, and exception changes in one chronological view.
Open items
Everything waiting on someone, with age and owner, ordered by impact.
Cost view
Freight, duties, fees, and adjustments against the shipment, with what is estimated and what is confirmed.
Access
Which internal roles and which external partners can see or update this record.
Boundary
The record organizes information about a shipment. It does not create, transport, or clear the shipment. Carriers, forwarders, and customs brokers remain responsible for their parts of the work.
Common questions
When is a record created?
At order readiness, typically when the purchase order is confirmed with the supplier and a target arrival exists. Records can also be created later for shipments already in motion during a pilot.
Can one record cover several containers?
Yes. A record represents a shipment as your team manages it. Container-level details sit on the record; the pilot confirms the right granularity for your process.
What happens after arrival?
The record is closed with its final cost view and full history. It remains searchable for reference and for the next order with the same supplier or lane.
Start with one representative shipment.
A controlled pilot maps your handoffs, checks fit and integrations, and shows what a single operational record changes for your team.