Introduction

Every submitted count creates a variance: what was counted compared with what Descartes Peoplevox expected in the location. Until a supervisor approves or rejects it, or it is approved automatically, the location stays locked and cannot be picked from, moved into or emptied.

This page covers deciding variances on the web app and on the mobile app, and setting thresholds for each site so that small variances are approved automatically. Supervisors use it to decide variances, and administrators use it to set the thresholds. For how counts are made, see Counting Stock. For the whole process and the permissions, see Stock Take and Cycle Count.

Key Points

• Approving a variance changes inventory to match the count. Rejecting it changes nothing. Both unlock the location.

• You can decide several variances at once on either app. Variances that include containers are decided one at a time.

• Auto-approval is set per site and compares the totals for the whole variance with the thresholds. A variance with a missing or unexpected container always requires a manual review.

Before You Start

• Applies to: the web app and the mobile app. Auto-approval thresholds are set in the web app, separately for each site.

• Requires: a submitted count. Nothing else needs to be set up. Auto-approval is optional and is off until you switch it on for a site.

• Permissions: set on the user's role under Users > Roles in the web app, as in the table below.

• Doesn't cover: counting (see Counting Stock), the legacy Variance Report (Legacy) screen (see Legacy Stock Take Workflows on Stock Take and Cycle Count), and correcting a quantity outside a stock take (see Moving and Adjusting Inventory).

Preview beta. If the Stock take variances menu item in the web app still shows a Beta tag on your account, the role also needs Preview beta for that item. Once the item is marked stable, it does not.

Approve or Reject Variances

A variance compares what was counted with what Peoplevox expected in the location. Approving it changes the inventory to match the count; rejecting it leaves inventory as it was. Either way the location is unlocked. Supervisors can decide variances on the web app or on the mobile app; the rules are the same.

Find the Variances Waiting for a Decision

The Stock take variances page lists every variance and its status. Each open variance shows the size of the difference in both quantity and value, split into items that were missing and items that were not expected. A container check shows whether the containers found matched the containers expected.

1. Go to Inventory > Stock take variances.

2. Enter your search criteria.

3. Click Search.

You can search by these fields:

• Reference Number: the reference of the variance.

• Location Name, Location Barcode and Location Group: the location that was counted.

• Operator Name: the person who counted.

• Decision Maker: the person who approved or rejected the variance.

• Status: the state of the variance, for example pending approval.

• Date From and Date To: the date range.

You can also narrow the results to variances that involve containers or items with Container Variance? and Item Variance?.

Use the column settings above the results to choose which columns you see. The item name is shown by default. You can also set a default sort order, such as most recent first. The default applies every time you search, and changing the sort on the page overrides it for that page only.

Review One Variance

The Variance Summary shows the location, reference, stock take date and operator, the auto-approval status, the container check, the item variance and the variance in buy, wholesale and retail value. Below it, the Variance section lists every product counted in the location, with the expected quantity and the counted quantity side by side. Containers are listed separately below the items. Each one is marked as expected and found, expected but not found, or found but not expected.

1. Open the variance.

2. Review the Variance Summary and the Variance section.

3. Approve or reject each product line.

4. Approve or reject each container.

5. Use the arrows in the navigation bar to move to the next open variance.

If you searched before opening a variance, the arrows follow your search results. To keep a record, export the item and container grids to CSV from the detail page.

Approve or Reject Several at Once

You can decide more than one variance at a time from the search page.

1. Select the variances using the check boxes.

2. Click the tick icon above the results to approve, or the cross icon to reject.

Batch decisions are only allowed where they are safe:

• Variances for the same location must be handled one at a time.

• Variances that include containers must be handled one at a time.

• If your selection mixes eligible and ineligible variances, the eligible ones are processed and the rest are left for you to review individually.

On the Mobile App

Deciding variances on the device lets a count be closed off in the aisle. The mobile screen follows the same rules as the web app, including variances where both the expected and the counted quantity are zero.

1. Open Variance Report under Stock Control on the mobile menu.

2. Tap a variance report to review it.

3. Accept or reject each line. Items show the expected and counted quantities.

4. Tap Finish.

To clear several small variances at once:

1. Select the variance reports in the list. The header shows how many are selected.

2. Tap Accept All or Reject All.

3. Confirm when you are asked.

Your recent approvals appear in the device's activity history.

Auto-Approve Small Variances

Applies to: Web app. Needs the Manage variance approval automation permission on Sites.

Auto-approval lets you set thresholds for each site. A variance that stays within every threshold you switch on is approved the moment it is submitted, and inventory is updated without anyone reviewing it. Anything outside the thresholds waits in the approval list as normal, and the variance detail page shows its Auto-approval status.

Enable Auto-Approval for a Site

1. Go to Warehouse > Manage sites.

2. Open the site.

3. Open the Stock Take Configuration section.

4. Turn on Enable variance auto-approval.

5. Switch on each threshold you want to use.

6. Enter a value for each threshold you switched on.

7. Save the site.

The thresholds are Number of items variance, Percentage variance from expected total and Variance in item value. For Variance in item value, you also choose the price to use. The thresholds apply to every variance submitted for the site from then on. For what each threshold means, see How the Thresholds Are Applied below.

How the Thresholds Are Applied

• Thresholds are set per site. You can switch on one, two or all three, and a variance must be within every threshold that is on to be approved automatically. A variance exactly at a threshold counts as within it.

• Thresholds are compared with the totals for the whole variance, not item by item: the differences for every item counted in the location are added together, and missing and extra units both count. Three items that are each one unit out make a variance of 3 units.

• Number of items variance is that total number of units. Percentage variance from expected total is the same number as a percentage of the total quantity expected in the location. Variance in item value is the total value of the differences, at the buy, wholesale or retail price you choose for the site.

• A variance where a container was expected but not found, or found but not expected, is never approved automatically.

• A threshold of zero means the count must match exactly. When you first switch auto-approval on, all three thresholds are switched on at zero, so only perfect counts are approved until you change them.

The flowchart below shows the decision Peoplevox makes for every submitted variance.

Totals are added up across every item in the variance. A variance exactly at a threshold counts as within it, and a threshold of 0 means the count must match exactly.

Worked Example

A site has Number of items variance set to 2 and Variance in item value set to 10, using the buy price. Percentage variance from expected total is switched off. Values are in your account's currency.

Settings like these approve small differences on low-value items while any difference on a high-value item requires a manual review.

If Something Goes Wrong

Before You Contact Descartes Customer Support

Note these details so Customer Support can find the count quickly:

• The site, and the location or container barcode

• The variance Reference Number from Stock take variances, if a variance was created

• Who did the count (the Operator Name on the variance) and on which device

• The date and time it happened, with your time zone

• The exact message shown on screen, if there was one

Keeping Track

The Stock take approval report lists every approval and rejection, with the result of the count and of the review. See Reports. You can also export the item and container grids of any variance to CSV from its detail page.

Related Articles

• Stock Take and Cycle Count, for how the process fits together, the full permissions table and what changed recently.

• Counting Stock, for the count that creates a variance.

• Reports, for the Stock take approval report.

• Moving and Adjusting Inventory, for correcting a quantity outside a stock take.

• Using Roles and Permissions to Manage Users, for the permissions in the table above.

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