FS-DOC-01Operations
Launch Plan
Order Processing & Fulfilment Automation
[YourCompany.com] · Fulfilment Department · Prepared by FullSpec · [Today's Date]
This Launch Plan is your single reference for everything happening between now and go-live. It covers what is being built, how the build is structured, what FullSpec needs from you to get started, what your team's role looks like once the automation is live, and how to know when it is working as intended. FullSpec handles all build, configuration, testing, and monitoring end to end. Your role during the build is limited to providing tool access and confirming one key configuration decision before work begins.
01What you're launching
Right now every paid order triggers the same repetitive chain: a coordinator checks Shopify, cross-references Linnworks, copies shipping details into ShipStation by hand, prints a label, marks the order fulfilled, sends a tracking email, and then manually adjusts stock. At around 220 orders per month this consumes nine hours of staff time every week and is the source of your most common errors: oversells, delayed tracking emails, and reconciliation mismatches on wholesale invoices. This automation replaces ten of the twelve manual steps with three purpose-built agents, leaving only the physical pick-and-pack and the wholesale invoice approval as human checkpoints.
Process
Order Processing & Fulfilment
Trigger
A paid order is created in Shopify
Final output
Order fulfilled in Shopify, tracking email sent to customer, stock decremented in Linnworks, and draft Xero invoice raised for any wholesale order
Agents being built
3 agents: Order Intake Agent, Dispatch Agent, Finance Agent
Tools involved
Shopify, ShipStation, Linnworks, Xero, Slack, Gmail, Make
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02How the build works
The build follows four sequential stages: Connect, Build, Test, and Launch. Each stage has a defined set of actions and a clear handoff point. FullSpec manages all technical work across every stage. Your involvement is light and concentrated at the start, specifically in the Connect stage where access is confirmed and one configuration decision is locked in. After that, FullSpec carries the build through to go-live and only pulls you back in during Test to verify that outputs match what you would have done manually.
This is a Moderate complexity build with an estimated delivery window of five business weeks. The delivery clock starts at the close of Connect, not payment. Until API credentials are confirmed and the courier service-level mapping is documented, the build cannot begin.
1Connect
Business days 1 to 5
FullSpec
Sends a credential request checklist covering Shopify webhook settings, ShipStation API key, Linnworks API credentials, Xero OAuth connection, Slack bot token, and Gmail OAuth. Reviews courier service-level options and maps them against checkout options in Shopify. Documents wholesale order tagging logic and confirms the Xero line-item field mapping.
You
Provide API credentials and admin access for each tool listed in Section 03. Confirm which courier service levels correspond to which checkout options. Confirm how wholesale orders are tagged in Shopify and who approves Xero invoices before they are sent.
2Build
Business days 6 to 20
FullSpec
Builds the Order Intake Agent (Shopify to Linnworks stock check, Slack out-of-stock alert branch) in week two. Builds the Dispatch Agent (ShipStation shipment creation, tracking writeback to Shopify, Gmail confirmation email, Linnworks stock deduction) in weeks three and four. Builds the Finance Agent (wholesale order detection, Xero draft invoice creation) in week four. All agents are built and tested internally against live and synthetic orders before moving to Test.
You
No action required during Build. FullSpec will contact you only if an unexpected API limitation or courier mapping ambiguity requires a quick clarification. Expect one or two short messages at most.
3Test
Business days 21 to 25
FullSpec
Runs a full parallel-operation week where automated outputs are generated alongside what staff would have done manually. Executes the full QA test suite covering normal order flow, out-of-stock branching, concurrent low-stock scenarios, wholesale invoice creation, and error-handling edge cases. Documents any discrepancies and resolves them before sign-off.
You
Review the automated outputs provided by FullSpec each day during the parallel week: check that fulfilment records, tracking emails, Linnworks stock levels, and any Xero draft invoices match what you would have expected. Flag anything that looks wrong. No technical knowledge is needed, only your familiarity with how a correct order should look.
4Launch
Business day 25 (end of week 5)
FullSpec
Cuts the automation over to full production, disabling the manual steps it replaces. Hands over the SOP and Runbook for the fulfilment team. Confirms Make scenario health monitoring is active. Remains on standby for 48 hours post-cutover to catch any production edge cases and resolve them immediately.
You
Brief your fulfilment team on the two steps that remain human: pick-and-pack and wholesale invoice approval. Direct them to the Runbook for exception handling guidance. Monitor the fulfilment Slack channel for any out-of-stock alerts in the first week and confirm the approval workflow for Xero invoices is comfortable for the operations manager.
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03What FullSpec needs from you
FullSpec only needs access to your existing tools. No technical knowledge is required from you or your team. The table below lists every credential needed, what specifically is required, and when it must be in place. All items are needed before Connect closes so the build clock can start on time.
Shopify
Admin login or a private app API key with orders read/write and fulfilment write permissions. Confirm the store plan supports real-time order webhooks.
Before Connect closes
ShipStation
API key and API secret from the ShipStation account settings. Confirm which carrier accounts are active and which service levels correspond to customer checkout options.
Before Connect closes
Linnworks
Application ID and application secret from Linnworks developer settings, plus an authorisation token for the store account.
Before Connect closes
Xero
OAuth 2.0 connection via Xero's app marketplace. An authorised user with invoicing permissions must approve the connection. Confirm the account codes to use for order line items.
Before Connect closes
Slack
A bot token for the Slack workspace with permission to post to the fulfilment channel. Confirm the exact channel name where out-of-stock alerts should appear.
Before Connect closes
Gmail
OAuth 2.0 connection to the outbound email address used for customer order communications. Confirm whether this is a shared inbox or a named address.
Before Connect closes
Make
FullSpec creates and manages the Make account and scenarios on your behalf. No action needed from you unless you prefer to use an existing Make organisation.
Before Connect closes
The one configuration decision you must confirm before Connect closes: how should the Dispatch Agent select a courier service level for each order? Specifically, does the courier service level always match what the customer chose at checkout, or does the warehouse apply its own rules in some cases (for example, upgrading standard orders to express when stock is low)? This mapping is locked in at Connect and changes after build begins will delay delivery.
04Your role once live
Role
Ongoing responsibilities
What you no longer touch
You (business owner / operations team)
Physically pick and pack each order in the warehouse. Review and approve draft Xero invoices for wholesale orders before they are sent to buyers. Monitor the fulfilment Slack channel for any out-of-stock alerts and act on them (contact supplier, notify customer). Review the weekly fulfilment summary if FullSpec sets one up for you.
Manually checking Shopify for new orders. Cross-referencing Linnworks stock by hand. Copying shipping addresses into ShipStation. Selecting courier rates manually. Marking orders as fulfilled in Shopify. Sending tracking emails. Adjusting Linnworks stock after dispatch. Building Xero invoices from scratch for wholesale orders.
FullSpec
Monitor Make scenario health and uptime. Investigate and resolve any automation errors or failed runs flagged by the monitoring layer. Apply fixes when Shopify, ShipStation, Linnworks, Xero, Slack, or Gmail update their APIs in ways that affect the automation. Notify you before any planned maintenance window that could affect order processing.
N/A
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05What success looks like
Timeframe
What to expect
Sign of success
Week 1
The automation is live and processing real orders. Your team is picking and packing as normal but not touching any of the data-entry steps. The fulfilment Slack channel will receive out-of-stock alerts for any unavailable items. A small number of edge cases may surface that FullSpec resolves within 24 to 48 hours.
Orders are appearing as fulfilled in Shopify within minutes of dispatch. Customers are receiving tracking emails the same day. No one on the team is logging into ShipStation to enter addresses manually.
Month 1
The automation is handling the full order volume without manual intervention on data-entry steps. Your fulfilment coordinator is spending under one hour per week on order admin instead of nine. Wholesale invoices are appearing as drafts in Xero for the operations manager to approve rather than being built from scratch.
Fulfilment admin time is down to under one hour per week. Order-to-tracking time is under five minutes per order. Oversell incidents have dropped to near zero. The operations manager is approving Xero drafts rather than creating invoices.
Month 3
The automation is embedded in daily operations and the team has stopped thinking about it as a new system. Stock accuracy in Linnworks is consistently reflecting live dispatch activity. The payback period is on track, with approximately $5,250 in coordinator time recovered by the 90-day mark based on the 450 hours per year saving rate.
The process runs without any manual escalations in a typical week. Fulfilment errors (wrong tracking, oversells, missing emails) have effectively stopped. The operations manager is spending their time on higher-value work. The automation is on pace to return its build cost within five months.
Next step: share your tool credentials with the FullSpec team using the secure credential intake link you will receive by email. Once all access is confirmed, the Connect stage closes and the build clock starts. If you have any questions before then, contact the FullSpec team at support@gofullspec.com.
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