Count Stock App

Count stock and Manage Stock Counting are two apps that can be used to count stock at stores/plant/warehouse etc.

Idea behind these apps is to get rid of the paperwork and delays associated with counting stock. But please note that these apps are NOT designed to be the only stock counting process you will have. These apps are best used in a Cycle Counting process, where some high value items are counted regularly or different type of items are counted at different time of the year.

The standard process where these apps can be used “almost” out of the box  is outlined below.

Standard stock counting process that will work out of box is as follows

1. Back office creates a list of items to be counted (Physical inventory document) in ECC using standard SAP functionality MI01. This is not part of FIORI-MIM and is a prerequisite to count in this App.
2. Physical inventory documents are shown in count stock app for the respective stores.
3. Store associate counts stock through app and submits the count.
4. Store Manager reviews through manage stock counting app.
5. Store Manager can request for re-count (or) submit to back office.
6. Back office reviews and posts the differences.

If you have a SAP MM/IM specialist they will be able to shed more light on it. Steps which have been automated in these apps and thus can be used for a business case for these apps are…

1. Automatic communication of items to be counted to store/plant/warehouse etc via Physical Inventory documents
2. When counting stock, different people can work on same list without affecting anybody else
3. Review, approval or recount (of item count) by a supervisor/manager at store/plant/warehouse etc
4. Second review and approval by back office before being posted in SAP.

In our implementation, we faced following limitations and made changes to overcome these changes

1. Use of handheld third party scanner to scan and count
2. Updating zero count (ZC) flag automatically

Step wise walkthrough

Step 1: Create a count document using Mi01 in ECC

Step 2: Physical inventory documents show up in both apps of respective store.

 

Step 3: Store associate counts stock at 2 locations through app and submits the count.

Count Stock app

Manage count stock app

Step 4: Store manager/supervisor can accept the counts or send it for recount. After the document is submitted, the ABAP code we have written for updating ZC will change “blank” counts to zeros.

Step 5: Back office reviews and submits through transactions Mi07/8/10/20