User guide

• Plan Your Audit - Plan your audit date and time well in advance.

This is especially important if you have m ultiple sites, warehouses

that contain inventory, for example, that will be involved in the audit.

Since all sites work from the same database, every PC running

InventoryControl will need to be in Audit Mode when the counts are

being done. This ensures that while inventory is being counted in

one location, transactions aren’t being performed in another

location that will change the count in the database. Setting your

date and time in advance allows each site to adequately prepare for

the audit.

Plan your audit on a weekend, after hours or plan to stop shipping

and receiving while the audit is being conducted. Be aware that

you cannot stop and restart the audit. Once the system is in Audit

mode, it must remain in Audit mode until all the counting is done

and the counts are reconciled. If your audit will take several days

tocomplete,makesureyouplantheauditatatimewhenthe

impact to your business will be at a minimum.

• Prepare for Auditing – Devise a method for counting rather than

sending your employees to a location to randomly count. Organize

the audit by dividing the work using item number, geographic areas

or location lists. You can divide up areas to be counted however it

best suits your needs. Often, location lists are used. Each

employee is then given a location or locations in which to count. By

giving each employee a set area in which to count, or a subset of

items to count, you prevent the same item from being counted

twice. If you will not be using handheld devices for counting, print

lists of the locations and/or items the employee should count. For

example, you could print the Items by Location report.

Another part of your preparation should be to select a visual

identifier to m ark locations as counted when an employee finishes

counting that area. You should purchase or produce enough of

these to mark all locations and they should be able to be written on

so the employee can initial them.

• Train Your Employees –Trainthepeopleinvolvedaheadoftime

on the methods you want used and on how to use the mobile

devices for counting. A well-trained staff performing the audit

means counts will be more accurate and that the entire process will

be quicker, resulting in less down time for your business.

You should have a practice session with the employees using the

handhelds so you are sure they understand the device. You can

even have practice counting sessions to make sure everyone

understands what area they are assigned to and what the counting