When we ask the manager or owner of a company how much stocktaking costs,
- usually we get the answer like: "Er, well… I don’t know it exactly." or
- it is less common like: "In fact, it doesn’t cost anything." because
- we do it with our own employees (but the time of the stocktaking is given as a leave),
- we do it with our own devices and software (that we bought from parent company)
- etc.
The abovementioned answers should be inspected.
As we have experienced, the cost calculation of stocktaking is given little significance, and stays at the bottom of a priority order.
So You do not remain in a shortage of information, we would like to share some insights of ours.
You will need each of these six resources in order to get a precise, and quick stocktaking.

Without being exhaustive, we describe some tasks, and cost centers from the hexagons, if You are interested, click here!
Experienced project manager:
- prepares the stocktaking instructions and schedule, translates the expectations of the parent company
- prepares the training materials and footage
- chooses the project management team
- makes the project plan
- acknowledges the project plan with the management, feedback
- tells the instructions and schedule to the management team
- ensures the stock takers (quantity and quality)
- etc.
Acclaimed management team:
- prepares and updates the stocktaking map
- chooses the preparatory and stocktaking coordinators
- prepares the operative schedules (preceeding day, stocktaking day, next day), which are subject to change
- trains the coordinators (theory, practice, OSH)
- ensures supplies needed during stocktaking
- etc.
Well-defined processes:
- Should the stocktaking take place during opening hours or on close? How? Advantages? Disadvantages?
- Are we supposed to count once and record it in ERP software (e.g.: SAP, MS Dynamics etc.), or
- We are supposed to check the counts as well
- How should we do the checks?
- Randomly? Or
- Comparing with the records?
- Are we to use labels for counting?
- Are we to take the stock based on papers? Or digital data collectors? Which one?
- What should be done with foreign items and goods in consignment?
- How many breaks are allowed? How should we organize it?
- How should we move supplies to the site? What exactly is needed? Who is responsible for what?
- etc.
Responsible stock takers:
- How are we supposed to recuit the stock takers? (by application, reliability, are students allowed, etc.)
- What knowledge should we confer to them? Or it is enough for them to come 5 minutes before the stocktaking, they just need to COUNT…
- How do we know they are ready?
- How many stock takers are needed? Will everybody come? Whose responsibility is it?
- What kind of responsibilities do the stock takers have? How am I to know?
- etc.
Rugged data collecting devices:
- How much depreciation does a data collector suffer during one stocktaking?
- Should we form a reserve for development? How much does a data collector cost?
- Who does the maintenance? What warranties should they offer?
- Are the data collectors ergonomical? Or they just make matters worse…
- etc.
Reliable software:
- What should we do if the server goes down during stocktaking?
- Is software development necessary to these new products? They have other kind of bar codes…
- We need a different method. Can the software do it?
- Does it tell me the expected time of finish?
- We need to maintain a software. How much does it cost?
- etc.
A Stocktaking with own resources not only come along with these abovementioned costs, but other, less recognizable ones as well, for instance:
- Before and during stocktaking, Your salesmen and saleswomen cannot sell or replenish all the time, because they focus on the stocktaking preparations » customer satisfaction level drops » revenues plummet
- Your storekeepers focus on stocktaking preparations as well, rather than with order picking or other activities
- Your employees will be more stressed in the days and weeks before stocktaking, and it will show in their work
- those participating in the stocktaking should be held a couple of trainings (organizing), otherwise the stocktaking will be hindered by questions and mistakes
- the applicants fo the stocktaking should be registered (call-offs, constant rescheduling)
- colleagues coming from other departments or locations may have questionable interest in the result of the stocktaking (not to mention deliberate mistakes)
- etc.