# Design a cycle counting program to fix inventory accuracy

A risk-based cycle count schedule, variance investigation steps, and accuracy targets that make system stock match the shelf.

- Topic: Projects & Operations
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Analyze, Code, Fill-in Template, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/design-a-cycle-counting-program-to-fix-inventory-accuracy

## Prompt

```text
Help me design a cycle counting program to improve inventory record accuracy.

**Site and inventory size:** [NUMBER OF LOCATIONS, SKUS, BINS]
**Current accuracy:** [e.g. "last full count found 88% of locations correct" - and how measured]
**Counting capacity:** [STAFF HOURS PER DAY OR WEEK AVAILABLE]
**SKU data:** [VALUE, PICK FREQUENCY, HISTORY OF VARIANCES - or classes like A/B/C]
**Known problem areas:** [e.g. "returns not put away", "unit of measure errors", "mixed bins"]
**Systems:** [WMS OR ERP, RF SCANNERS OR PAPER]
**Audit or finance requirement:** [e.g. "want to eliminate the annual wall-to-wall count"]

Design:
1. Count frequency by class (e.g. A items monthly, B quarterly, C twice yearly) sized to my capacity; show the daily count load.
2. Trigger-based counts: zero or negative balances, after a pick shortage, at low stock points, after adjustments.
3. Count rules: blind counts, counting when the location is inactive, recount thresholds.
4. Tolerances by class (units and value) and what accuracy means (location-level hit rate, not net value).
5. A variance investigation routine: check open transactions, unit of measure, nearby locations, recent receipts and picks, before adjusting.
6. Root cause tracking so the same errors are fixed at the source.

Whether counts can replace a full physical inventory should be confirmed with finance and auditors.

Return: the count schedule table, a counter's step-by-step procedure, the investigation checklist, a root cause code list, and a weekly accuracy report format.
```

## What to fill in

- NUMBER OF LOCATIONS, SKUS, BINS
- STAFF HOURS PER DAY OR WEEK AVAILABLE
- WMS OR ERP, RF SCANNERS OR PAPER
- e.g. "want to eliminate the annual wall-to-wall count"

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