# Fishbowl: "Not all items for this WO have been picked" when finishing a work order

> This Step Invalid error in the Finish Work Order wizard usually isn't about picking at all — it appears when the work order is short-picked and the user's group lacks the "Consume When Short" access right.

The dialog appears as **Step Invalid** at the Raw Material Consumption step of the Finish Work Order wizard, and the wording points you at picking: pick everything, or change the materials. Both of those work. But if the short pick was intentional — the operator is finishing what could actually be built — the missing piece is a permission, not a pick.

## What triggers it

Two conditions together:

1. The work order has **short-picked items** — at least one raw material's picked quantity is below what the work order requires.
2. The user's group does **not** have the Manufacture Order access right **"Consume When Short."**

If both are true, Fishbowl blocks the step with this exact message. Users in groups that have the right don't see the error at all for the same work order — which is why one operator can finish a short WO while another can't, on the same data. That asymmetry is the usual source of confusion.

## The fix

If short-finishing is acceptable in your operation: in **Setup → User Groups**, edit the operator's group, and under the **Manufacture Order** module's access rights enable **Consume When Short**. Have the user log out and back in so the change takes effect, then re-run Finish Work Order.

If short-finishing is *not* acceptable, the error is doing its job — complete the picks, or change the work order's materials to match what's available.

You don't have to take our word for the permission's effect: Fishbowl's official [Access Rights reference](https://help.fishbowlinventory.com/advanced/s/Access-Rights#Manufacture_Order:~:text=Consume%20When%20Short) defines Consume When Short under Manufacture Order as allowing a user to finish a work order even when some of the raw goods are short. What the official page doesn't say is that this dialog is how the missing right presents itself — that's the part this article fills in.

## What to check first

- Confirm the work order is actually short: open Work Order Picking and compare picked vs. required per item. A single short line — a label, a bag — is enough.
- Confirm which group the user belongs to and whether "Consume When Short" is enabled for it. Test with a user from a group that has the right to isolate the cause.

## Worth knowing

Consuming short means the finished goods consume less raw material than the bill of materials calls for, which flows into the work order's costing. Verify the resulting finished-good cost matches your expectation before making short-finishing routine — it's a policy decision, not just a permission.

---

*From Israel Lopez Consulting (ILC). Custom Fishbowl Inventory integrations and software, and Fishbowl experts since 2015. Written by Israel Lopez. Questions about this topic, or want to reach the people who wrote it? Visit https://israellopezconsulting.com/contact*