Learn how PurchasePlus helps your Organization to manage the Products that you hold in Inventory.
This is Part 5 of our Introduction to Inventory series.
- Read Introduction to Inventory, Part 1
- Read Introduction to Inventory, Part 2: Stock Items
- Read Introduction to Inventory, Part 3: Stock Locations
- Read Introduction to Inventory, Part 4: Transfers
What is a Stocktake?
A Stocktake is a method of verifying the quantity of Stock Items that are being held in a Stock Location. A Stocktake is conducted at a Stock Location, and has a defined ‘Period’ (i.e. a calendar year and a month). The Stocktake allows users at your Organization to count the Actual number of Stock Items in the Location, so that this count can then be compared to the Expected number of Stock Items in the Location. The difference between the Actual and the Expected count must be accounted for in a Variance Transfer, prior to the Stocktake being Closed.
The abilities to Manage Stocktakes and Close Stocktakes are controlled by independent user permissions, such is the importance of Stocktakes in good Inventory Management.
Viewing Stocktakes
Users view their Organization’s Stocktakes by navigating to [Inventory] → [Stocktakes] in the side navigation bar.
You can view the details of any single Stocktake in the table by clicking the Stock Location Name on the far left of the table.
Stocktake Status
A Stocktake can be in one of two States:
- In Progress: The Stocktake has been started and is ongoing.
- Closed: The Stocktake has been marked as Complete, and any Variances have been accounted for.
Count Status
A Stocktake also has a Count Status, and this is different from the Stocktake Status. The different Count Statuses are:
- Not Counted: None of the Stock Items in the Stock Location have had a count recorded against them.
- Partially Counted: Some but not all of the Stock Items in the Stock Location have had a count recorded against them.
- Fully Counted: All of the Stock Items in the Stock Location have had a count recorded against them.
Starting a New Stocktake
Users with the Manage Stocktakes permission can click the [Start a New Stocktake] button on the [Inventory] → [Stocktakes] page.
Users have the option to start a Stocktake at a Single Location or at All Locations:
Starting a Stocktake at a Single Stock Location.
Selecting 'Single Stock Location' will open a New Stocktake at the defined Stock Location with a status of ‘In Progress’, and a Count Status of ‘Not Counted’.
Starting a Stocktake at All Stock Locations.
Selecting 'All Stock Locations' will open a New Stocktake at every Stock Location in your current Organisation, with a status of ‘In Progress’, and a Count Status of ‘Not Counted’. Please note: you cannot Start Stocktakes at All Locations if there are any Stocktakes already created in the chosen Stocktake Period.
Stocktake Period
Each Stocktake must have a 'Stocktake Period', which is usually the calendar month and year in which the Stocktake takes place.
Blind Stocktakes
When creating (or updating) a Stocktake, a user can make the Stocktake ‘Blind’, meaning that the users conducting the Stocktake will not see a count of how many Stock Items are expected to be in the Location. This can be an effective way of ensuring that the Stock Items are carefully counted. Only users with the 'Close Stocktakes' permission will be able to view the expected count of a Stock Item in a Blind Stocktake.
Conducting Stocktakes
Any user can add a count of a Stock Item in the Stocktake, even if they do not have the ‘Manage Stocktakes’ permission. Once all Stock Items have had a count added to the Stocktake, the Stocktake’s Count Status will be updated to ‘Fully Counted’.
Scan by Barcode
A user may search by any Barcodes that have been added to the Stock Item in PurchasePlus to accelerate the counting process, subverting the need to scroll through a (potentially long) list of Stock Items in a Stock Location.
Variance Management
Variances between the Expected Count and the Actual Count for any Stock Items must be accounted for by completing a [Quick Transfer]. This will create a Stock Variance Transfer from the Stock Location to an Expense Location (or another Stock Location, if you know where the Stock Item was moved to), and update the Stock Item Quantity in the original Stock Location to reflect the actual count. To create Quick Transfer, a user must have the Manage Transfers permission.
Closing a Stocktake
To Close a Stocktake, click the [Close Stocktake] button in the header of the Stocktake. This ability is controlled by the ‘Close Stocktakes’ permission.
A Stocktake cannot be Closed until any Variances between the Expected Count and the Actual Count are accounted for (by completing a Quick Transfer, as outlined above).
Clearing Expense Locations
The [Clear Expense Locations] action zeros out the quantity of all Stock Items in all Expense Locations. This action will automatically create an Accounting Transfer for each Expense Location, and transfer the balances of the Stock Items from the Expense Location to the Period-End Cost of Goods Used System Location. Typically, Expense Locations are Cleared just prior to closing all of your Stocktakes, for a given period.
Any variance transfers that were required to transfer variance quantities to an Expense Location should already be completed prior to Clearing Expense Locations.
How do I start using the Inventory Module?
If your Organization would like to begin using the PurchasePlus Inventory module, please contact your Account Manager or our friendly Customer Success Team for assistance with enabling the module, and to organize training for your users.
Note for Purchasers using Legacy PurchasePlus
The Inventory module in New PurchasePlus has been redesigned, and is materially different to the Legacy PurchasePlus Inventory module. Organizations migrating from our Legacy PurchasePlus platform to our New PurchasePlus platform will be given additional migration support.