How to Cycle Count in Infoplus

Learn how to run a cycle count to keep track of your inventory. Get a count of all inventory that is not yet allocated, as well as what's on order.

How to Perform Cycle Counts in Infoplus

A Cycle Count is a physical count of inventory in your warehouse at a specified time. You may count only a portion of your warehouse's inventory or the entire inventory. A common cycle count occurs on a warehouse's entire inventory once a month. As a regular practice, it is important to count your inventory. A discrepancy between your physical warehouse inventory and the inventory within Infoplus is bound to occur due to human error within the warehouse over time.

Cycle counts are repeatable, and it is common practice to have a standard cycle in which inventory is counted. Fast-moving items may be counted every month, or high-value items may be counted every week. Different parts of your warehouse may be subject to different cycle counts.

Note: At this time, the Cycle Counts process is not available via an Infoplus API call. 

Step 1: Run a Cycle Count for a Location

Cycle Counts can be initiated via the location table.  You'll want to navigate to the location table, select the locations that you wish to cycle count, then run the "Create Cycle Count Work" process from the actions menu.

 

Pro Tip: The cycle count work tickets will be created in the same order as the locations are presented in the Location table. Users may want to filter or organize the location table prior to initiating the cycle count process.

Upon initiating this process, you'll be asked to specify an auto adjustment tolerance and a max work batch size.

  • Auto Adjustment Tolerance: Entered as a percentage for the 'acceptable' variance from the expected count for an item in a location.
    • If the actual count is outside the thresholds when you find the work in the mobile app, a few things might occur:
      • Inventory adjustments cannot be performed
      • The cycle count status will be set to "Outside Threshold"
      • A manual adjustment will need to be performed by a supervisor to adjust the location inventory level

    • Auto Adjustment Tolerance is an optional field. If not entered, you will be able to adjust, edit count, or skip adjustment if the entered quantity is off from the expected count.

  • Max Work Batch Size: The number of cycle count tickets that appear in a work batch
    • This allows splitting up the work batches into numbers that allow utilizing multiple personnel to complete them.

Pro Tip: If SKUs have Product ID Tags in the Location, a Cycle Count work ticket will be created for each individual PIT.

Step 2: Count Items in Locations via the Find Work Table in the Mobile Apps

Once you complete the cycle count work batch go to the 'Find Work' table in the Mobile Floor Apps to enter the cycle count data that will complete the process.

Pro Tip: If not scanning, type in the location, click 'Enter' to continue to the next step.

 

When Finding Work in the Mobile Floor Apps:

Step 1: Select Work>Find Work>Select the correct warehouse for the cycle count location ran>Click "Select Batch"


Step 2:
Click Start Work


Step 3: Scan or type in the Location and then physically go to that location and count all the inventory and enter in that quantity exactly. 

Pro Tip: Infoplus automatically takes into account any items in this location that are on-order in the Outstanding Pick Quantity

Pro Tip: For inventory with Product ID Tags, you will be prompted to enter the quantity of each PIT in the Location.

Step 4: If the count is off from what Infoplus expected, a few things can happen: 

  • If it's within the threshold (i.e. Auto. Adjustment Tolerance), you will have the option to adjust the inventory to match the number Infoplus has on record.
  • If it's not within the threshold, you can NOT adjust.
    • Example: Infoplus records 100 items in Location A. User counts 90 items in Location A. If the threshold is 10% or greater, you will have the option to adjust the inventory to reflect the 100 Infoplus has recorded and accept the loss. If a user counts something outside of the threshold, such as 75, you will not be offered the option to adjust the inventory

  • If you did not set a threshold percentage on the location table and the count is off, you have three options: Adjust Inventory, Skip Adjustment, and Manually Edit the Count 

Outstanding Pick Quantity

What is Outstanding Pick Quantity

If you have orders in fulfillment that will impact the count of a SKU in a location when you perform the work to verify the Cycle Counts in the Mobile Apps, it will show this number as the Outstanding Pick Quantity. See Screenshot Below:

Where Can You See Outstanding Pick Quantity?

The numerical Outstanding Pick Quantity data is available in a few places throughout Infoplus, in addition to when you perform a cycle count. In the desktop app, you can see Outstanding Pick Quantity in:

  • Location > Outstanding Picks Tab in Details
  • Inventory Detail > Outstanding Pick Quantity Column in Table View
  • Inventory Detail > Outstanding Pick Quantity Tab in Details
  • Perpetual Inventory Log > Outstanding Pick Quantity Column in Table View

In the Mobile Apps, you can see Outstanding Pick Quantity in: 

  • Warehouse > Location Inquiry
  • Inventory > Inventory Relocation
  • Inventory > Inventory Adjustment
  • Inventory > Change Inventory Status

Pro Tip: When running a Cycle Count, be sure to enter the exact quantity on hand but after it runs, go check the location to verify the quantity is still the same as what was entered in the cycle count. If it is not, inventory needs to be adjusted. 

Follow Up

Once you have completed your cycle counts, if you have any manual adjustments that you need to make, one approach is to enter the information for those adjustments into an Excel spreadsheet, then quickly create and execute inventory adjustments in Infoplus. Use the Bulk Load Quick Adjustments tool to do this.

Please Note: If you are doing your cycle counts at a time you have open pick work, there is a chance you will subject yourself to additional inventory discrepancies. Keep this in mind.