When stock figures don't add up: quantities, locations and batches

Context

You've told a customer their order can go out. The system shows stock, but nobody can find it. Now you're waiting for someone to check the warehouse before you can give a straight answer.

When that becomes routine, stock figures stop being much use for buying or selling. Every decision needs another check. A separate spreadsheet gets you through the day, then becomes another record to reconcile tomorrow.

Here we work through a representative distribution business with conflicting quantities, goods located from memory and batch details buried in paperwork. This is a scenario, not an account of a named client project. We explain the work we would do and the checks we would use, without presenting expected benefits as measured results.

The challenge

1. "The stock figures are wrong again." You correct a quantity, only to find another discrepancy at the next count. Resetting stock and entering fresh quantities is one option discussed alongside individual adjustments in the original forum thread (readypro.it, 19 February 2015). Repeating it without investigation leaves the cause unresolved. We separate correcting the record from finding out what happened: damaged goods, an unrecorded pick, a missed return or a counting error.

2. Every department has a different answer. Sales checks the system; purchasing checks a spreadsheet; the warehouse checks the shelves. Your website may be showing an older update. We first establish what each figure means. Stock on hand, stock reserved for existing orders and stock due from suppliers serve different purposes. They need to remain distinct, drawing on the same underlying records.

3. The total is there. The useful detail isn't. An overall quantity won't tell you which depot, storage location or batch to pick from (odoo-community.org, 16 April 2019). If the goods are at another depot, that total is no help with today's despatch. We work backwards from the decision you need to make, checking whether you can get to the relevant detail and trust what it shows.

4. Errors can leave you short of goods or buying them twice. If the system overstates stock, you may accept an order you can't fulfil. If it understates stock, you may spend money replacing goods that are already on the shelf (ernesto.it, 27 November 2025). We follow each discrepancy through to its consequences. A wrong pick caught at the packing bench needs correcting. After despatch, it may also mean a return and a replacement delivery.

The numbers worth checking

You can begin by collecting answers over a month. We agree what counts and which records to use, so a later comparison measures the same thing. Where a figure is missing, we mark it as unknown, not zero.

• How many items differed from the system at the last stocktake? How many did you count altogether, and what were the shortages and surpluses worth when recorded separately?
• How many orders each month are held up or sent incomplete because recorded stock isn't there? How many orders did you handle over that period?
• How many picking lines have the wrong item, quantity or batch? Out of all the lines checked, how many errors were caught before despatch and how many caused a return?
• How many stock adjustments do you make each month, and what are they worth? Which have a verified explanation, which remain unexplained, and which items keep recurring?
• How long does an order take to reach the packing bench after its picking list is printed? What is the average, and how much time goes on waiting or searching?
• How much money is tied up in items with no movements for six months or a year? Are you using the same valuation basis each time you compare?
• How many items have a minimum stock level, and how many levels have you reviewed in the past twelve months? How often do proposed reorders need manual correction?
• How long does it take to trace a batch from its supplier through to customer deliveries? How many steps can you support with records, and where are the gaps?

The approach

1. Record the movement and keep the explanation. We follow goods through your operation, from receipt to despatch, including transfers, returns and write-offs. At each stage, we agree who records the movement, when they confirm it and how they handle exceptions. We also check for duplicate product codes and confusion between individual units and packs.

We agree who can adjust stock and what they must record. An unknown cause stays open for investigation, with someone responsible for checking it. Separate spreadsheets are retired once the system supports the work they were doing. Exchanges with your website and any external depot need checking too.

2. Give every storage location a clear identity. We label the places where goods are received, stored and picked, and record moves between them. An item can occupy several locations; the records need to reflect that.

We set up barcode checks for the item and location during picking, then test labels, pack sizes and quantities with the people preparing orders. A scan needs to help them catch a mistake. If they can simply confirm the screen without checking the goods, we've added a task without gaining a useful check.

3. Capture batch details when goods arrive. Where required, we record batches, serial numbers and expiry dates at goods-in, linking them to subsequent movements and returns. We also agree how to keep goods awaiting inspection separate from stock available for sale.

We test traceability both ways: from an incoming batch to customer deliveries, and from a delivery back to the supplier. Missing information means checking the available paperwork. A field you can fill in is no substitute for evidence that the entry is correct.

4. Review reorders and count throughout the year. We set minimum stock levels using actual demand, supplier delivery times and outstanding orders. The person buying still reviews the proposed order. We agree when to revisit the rules, particularly when demand or supply times change.

We organise regular counts of selected items, taking account of movement frequency, value and recurring discrepancies. Goods entering or leaving the area during a count must be accounted for. Frequent checks give you a chance to investigate while the paperwork is available and people still remember the transaction.

What changes

We want you to answer a stock enquiry without sending someone into the warehouse. You need to see what's on hand, what's reserved and what's free to sell. A delivery expected from a supplier still needs checking before you make a commitment to your customer.

When you're buying, existing purchase orders should be part of the picture. When you're picking, the list should tell you where to go and which batch to take. When you're checking an adjustment, its explanation should be there to inspect.

We use the questions above to see whether those changes are helping. If the same items keep coming up wrong, we investigate their transactions again. The real test comes after the adjustment: do the records stay reliable as goods move through the warehouse?

What people fear, and what we say

"We'll just import the wrong quantities." That is a real possibility. We prepare the opening count with your warehouse team, mark completed areas and investigate differences before confirming them. This takes staff time, either away from other duties or outside normal hours. We organise the method and checks, but need people who know the products and packaging. Importing first and counting later merely postpones the work.

"We can't stop receiving goods or sending orders out." We agree a changeover window with you, including any necessary pauses in the affected areas. We cannot promise uninterrupted operation before examining the flows. We prepare a fallback for recording movements and entering them into the system, with someone responsible for reconciling them. Initial workloads need room for training and support: picking may be slower while the team learns the new process.

"We could lose the batch history we already have." We first establish which links your current records can prove. Before switching, we test previously delivered batches in the new system, including returns, and preserve access to the history you need. Moving groups of items in stages may help, but doesn't remove the risk by itself. If a required link is missing, we resolve the gap or postpone switching that part of the operation.

How we approach it today

A recent discrepancy gives us a useful starting point. With you, we check the physical count against receipts, transfers, picks and adjustments. That shows us where to look next: the records themselves, the way work is done or the system supporting it.

For more on how we connect stock control with purchasing:

• Warehouse management: stock and movements
• Purchasing and suppliers: stock levels and reordering
• How we work with Odoo

Pick an item you keep having to check. Let's talk — 30 minutes, no obligation. We'll start by finding where the records lost track of the goods.