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Inventory Overview

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Inventory Overview

Inventory management is the core of supply chain operations. In the Sense pillar, you monitor current inventory state, demand signals, and risk indicators.

Don't Hide Menu Items: All users see the same menu structure. This guide explains recommended starting points for each role, but you can access any feature you have permissions for.

Operations (Warehouse/Inventory)

Start here:

  1. Browse Inventory - Check current stock levels
  2. By Location & Bin - View inventory organized by location
  3. By Channel - See inventory allocated across sales channels
  4. By Lot & Expiry - Track lot numbers and expiration dates

Daily workflow:

  • Morning: Review inventory alerts and low stock items
  • During day: Monitor stock levels and channel allocations
  • End of day: Review expiring stock and risk indicators

Planner (Forecasting + Replenishment)

Start here:

  1. Stock Analytics - Analyze inventory trends and patterns
  2. Demand & Consumption - View demand signals and consumption patterns
  3. On-Order - Monitor inbound commitments
  4. Expiry Risk - Identify products at risk of expiration

Daily workflow:

  • Review demand signals and consumption patterns
  • Monitor on-order commitments
  • Identify expiring stock and risk items
  • Use insights to inform planning decisions

Finance (COGS, Holding Cost, Cost-to-Serve)

Start here:

  1. Stock Analytics - View inventory value and holding costs
  2. On-Order - Monitor committed inventory costs
  3. Expiry Risk - Assess potential waste costs

Daily workflow:

  • Review inventory value and holding costs
  • Monitor committed costs from on-order items
  • Assess risk of inventory write-offs

Executive (Summary Dashboards)

Start here:

  1. Stock Analytics - High-level inventory overview
  2. Inventory Health - Overall inventory health dashboard

Daily workflow:

  • Review high-level inventory metrics
  • Monitor key risk indicators
  • Track inventory value and trends

Inventory Views

Browse Inventory

The main inventory view shows all products with current stock levels, organized by location and channel.

Key features:

  • Search and filter by product, location, channel
  • View quantity on hand, available, and reserved
  • See expiration dates and lot numbers
  • Filter by low stock, expiring soon, or out of stock

Success criteria:

  • Can quickly find any product's current stock level
  • Can identify low stock items
  • Can see expiration dates for perishable items

Common pitfalls:

  • Not filtering by location when working in a multi-location environment
  • Forgetting to check reserved quantities (already allocated to orders)
  • Not accounting for in-transit inventory

Troubleshooting:

  • Inventory shows zero but you know there's stock: Check location filter, verify you're looking at the correct location
  • Quantities don't match physical count: May need to perform cycle count or check for pending adjustments
  • Can't see certain products: Check permissions and location access

By Location & Bin

View inventory organized by physical location and storage bin.

Key features:

  • Navigate by location hierarchy
  • View bin-level detail
  • See location-specific stock levels
  • Filter by location type (warehouse, store, etc.)

Success criteria:

  • Can locate any product's physical location
  • Can see bin assignments for picking operations
  • Can identify locations with low or high stock

Common pitfalls:

  • Not understanding location hierarchy (parent/child relationships)
  • Confusing location types (warehouse vs store vs distribution center)
  • Not checking bin assignments before picking

Troubleshooting:

  • Location not showing: Verify location is active and you have access
  • Bin information missing: May need to configure bin structure for the location
  • Wrong location selected: Use location switcher to change context

By Channel

View inventory allocated across different sales channels (DTC, wholesale, marketplace, etc.).

Key features:

  • See ATP (Available to Promise) by channel
  • View channel-specific inventory levels
  • Monitor channel allocation policies
  • Identify channels with low stock

Success criteria:

  • Can see how inventory is allocated across channels
  • Can identify channels that need more inventory
  • Understand channel policy effects on availability

Common pitfalls:

  • Not understanding channel allocation policies
  • Confusing ATP with physical inventory
  • Not accounting for reserved inventory per channel

Troubleshooting:

  • Channel shows zero ATP but inventory exists: Check channel policy settings, may be allocated to other channels
  • ATP doesn't match expectations: Review channel allocation rules and priorities
  • Can't see channel: Verify channel is configured and active

By Lot & Expiry

Track inventory by lot number and expiration date for traceability and risk management.

Key features:

  • View lot numbers and batch information
  • See expiration dates and days until expiry
  • Filter by expiring soon (30, 60, 90 days)
  • Track lot-specific inventory levels

Success criteria:

  • Can identify products expiring soon
  • Can trace inventory by lot number
  • Can manage FIFO/FEFO (First In First Out / First Expired First Out) workflows

Common pitfalls:

  • Not checking expiration dates before picking
  • Not using lot numbers for traceability
  • Ignoring expiring stock until it's too late

Troubleshooting:

  • Expiration dates missing: Verify products have expiry tracking enabled
  • Lot numbers not showing: Check if lot tracking is configured for the product
  • Expiring stock not flagged: Review expiry risk thresholds in settings

Inventory Snapshots

View historical inventory levels at specific points in time.

Key features:

  • Create snapshots at key dates
  • Compare snapshots over time
  • View inventory trends
  • Export snapshot data

Success criteria:

  • Can view inventory state at any past date
  • Can compare inventory levels over time
  • Can export snapshot data for reporting

Common pitfalls:

  • Not creating snapshots at key dates (month-end, quarter-end)
  • Forgetting to name snapshots meaningfully
  • Not using snapshots for trend analysis

Troubleshooting:

  • Snapshot not available: Snapshots must be created manually or scheduled
  • Data seems incorrect: Verify snapshot was created at the intended time
  • Can't create snapshot: Check permissions for snapshot creation

Demand Signals

Demand & Consumption

View demand patterns and consumption rates to understand what's being consumed.

Key features:

  • View consumption by product, location, channel
  • See demand trends over time
  • Identify high-consumption items
  • Compare demand across locations

Success criteria:

  • Can identify products with high consumption rates
  • Can see demand trends and patterns
  • Can use consumption data for planning

Common pitfalls:

  • Not accounting for seasonality in consumption patterns
  • Ignoring outliers or one-time events
  • Not comparing consumption across locations

Troubleshooting:

  • Consumption data missing: Verify transactions are being recorded
  • Data seems incorrect: Check date range and filters
  • Can't see consumption: May need specific permissions

On-Order

Monitor inbound inventory commitments from purchase orders and transfers.

Key features:

  • View all on-order items by supplier
  • See expected receipt dates
  • Monitor order status
  • Track committed inventory value

Success criteria:

  • Can see all inbound inventory commitments
  • Can track expected receipt dates
  • Can identify delayed orders

Common pitfalls:

  • Not accounting for on-order when planning
  • Forgetting to update expected receipt dates
  • Not tracking order status changes

Troubleshooting:

  • On-order items not showing: Verify purchase orders are in correct status
  • Dates seem incorrect: Check purchase order line dates
  • Can't see on-order: May need purchasing permissions

Risk Signals

Expiring Stock

Identify inventory that is expiring soon or has already expired.

Key features:

  • View products expiring in next 30, 60, 90 days
  • See already expired inventory
  • Filter by location and product
  • Export expiring stock reports

Success criteria:

  • Can identify all expiring stock
  • Can prioritize items by expiration date
  • Can take action before items expire

Common pitfalls:

  • Not checking expiring stock regularly
  • Not prioritizing by expiration date
  • Ignoring expired inventory

Troubleshooting:

  • Expiring stock not showing: Verify products have expiry tracking enabled
  • Dates seem incorrect: Check product expiration date configuration
  • Can't see expiring stock: May need specific permissions

Expiry Risk

Assess risk of inventory waste due to expiration.

Key features:

  • View expiry risk scores
  • See products at high risk of expiration
  • Monitor risk trends over time
  • Get alerts for high-risk items

Success criteria:

  • Can identify high-risk items
  • Can prioritize actions based on risk
  • Can track risk reduction over time

Common pitfalls:

  • Not acting on high-risk items
  • Not understanding risk scoring
  • Ignoring risk trends

Troubleshooting:

  • Risk scores not showing: Verify expiry risk calculation is enabled
  • Scores seem incorrect: Review risk calculation parameters
  • Can't see risk data: May need specific permissions

Permissions & Roles

Inventory viewing requires inventory.read permission. Some features like snapshots may require additional permissions. Contact your administrator if you can't access certain inventory views.