Enhanced Cycle Count

The purpose of this page is to capture best practices for cycle counting based on my experience. Here is how I would describe what works best.

Assumptions

This page assumes you have bins/locators labeled with bar-codes so that a user can walk up and scan a bin/locator.
This page assume you have product labeled with bar-codes so that a user can scan the Product Key, Lot# (if applicable) and Qty.

User Input

In my experience, it is better to allow the user to create the items found first (before the system). This means you need to provide a custom window for a user to create:

Scan header - specify if by Row, Bin or Aisle (or specific locator)
Scan lines - each line represents a Locator + Product Key + Lot # +Qty

Once a user has created all the needed lines for a given header, the user flags the header as being 'scanned complete'. Either the user on the warehouse floor or a different user can execute a process to pull what the system has on record. The process also identifies what products have mismatched quantities and recommends howto fix the outliers. Possible fixes include: Physical Inventory, Inventory Move, Nothing [product just shipped], etc... A process exists to automate the correcting document.

User Input Interface

I have been in two high-volume cycle count environments. One used a mobile workstation (computer), and the other used a web-enabled bar-code scanner. The mobile workstation used the normal iDempiere user interface. The mobile workstation could operate on a long extension cord or via battery. The average batter life was 6 to 8 hours. The workstation contained: touch screen laptop, mouse, scanner, and bar-code printer. The users brought the mobile workstation through the warehouse to perform cycle counts. The web enabled bar-code scanner accessed the iDempiere mobile interface. The Scan window was designed so that a user scan through the fields and save records. All fields were read via a bar-code scan. The user experience went something like this: scan, scan, scan, scan, click-save, scan, scan, scan, scan click-save, etc... until all lines for a given headers were complete. This is a perfect application for the iDempiere mobile interface. The use cases are simple. You can create a new Scan header and Scan line records with minimal effort.

Frequency - System Picks or User Picks

The Scan header drives activity. Either the system creates the headers for the user, or the user methodically walks through the warehouse creating Scan headers and lines. In the case where the system creates the Scan headers, the user is responsible for finding the location and creating the Scan lines.

Magic Happens Here...

A process to identify: The magic happens in the process that compares what the user scanned with what the system has on record. At a minimum, you should be able to quickly identify the mismatched quantities. You should be able to take notes about the issue just in case it is not resolved in time for the next cycle count. These notes should re readily available for the next scan if applicable. A process to fix: once the use confirms the corrective action, the user should be able to click a button to create and complete the adjusting document (Physical Inventory, Inventory Move, etc...). It is also possible to use the request system to task others to help research and fix cycle count issues.

Next Step

The class has the technical knowledge to create such a system. We can definitely use class time to architect the system if the class wishes.