# Plan an inventory count and book the count adjustments

Sets up count procedures, then analyzes book-to-physical differences and proposes adjustment entries with explanations.

- Topic: Finance & Accounting
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Finance, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/plan-an-inventory-count-and-book-the-count-adjustments

## Prompt

```text
Help me plan a physical inventory count and handle the results.

**Business and inventory type:** [e.g. "distributor, 1,200 SKUs, one warehouse", "restaurant food and beverage"]
**Locations:** [warehouses, stores, consigned or in-transit stock]
**Costing method:** [FIFO / weighted average / standard cost]
**Count date and staff available:** [DETAILS]
**Count results vs. book (if done):** [PASTE - SKU, book qty, counted qty, unit cost]

Part 1 - Count plan:
- Cut-off procedures for receiving and shipping on count day.
- Count teams, tagging or sheet controls, blind counts, and recount rules (e.g. recount any variance over [X] units or $[Y]).
- How to handle damaged, obsolete, consigned, and in-transit items.

Part 2 - Results (if I've pasted them):
1. Calculate quantity and dollar variances per SKU and in total.
2. Rank the largest variances and suggest likely causes (cut-off errors, unit-of-measure mix-ups, mis-picks, unrecorded receipts, shrinkage).
3. Identify slow-moving or obsolete stock that may need a write-down.
4. Draft the adjustment journal entry and a variance summary for management.

Return the count plan as a checklist, and results as a table: SKU | Book | Count | Variance qty | Variance $ | Likely cause | Action.

Recount large variances before booking adjustments. Write-downs follow your framework's rules (lower of cost and net realizable value) - mark estimates [CONFIRM].
```

## What to fill in

- warehouses, stores, consigned or in-transit stock
- FIFO / weighted average / standard cost
- DETAILS
- PASTE - SKU, book qty, counted qty, unit cost
- CONFIRM

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