Inventory lists are used for physical inventory. You distribute the lists to your employees or inventory assistants, who use the documents to record the actual stock in your company. The list is divided into columns:
- Article description: Enter the exact description for each article.
- Item number: In your company, each item has its own inventory number. It may be useful to sort the list by item number and move this column more to the left, depending on how your warehouse is sorted.
- Quantity: In this column, the employee enters the result of their counting or measuring.
- Unit of measurement: This column indicates whether you’re measuring in quantity, weight, length, or another unit of measurement.
- Value: You divide the value of the items into two columns. First, you enter the value of the individual item and then the total value resulting from the count.
At the end of each sheet, you calculate the sum of the total values of each product group so there is no carryover onto other sheets. Then start over and over again with a new sheet. Only at the end, on a separate sheet, do you add all the totals together.
In addition to the actual table, the physical inventory list also contains additional information that is used to ensure that the documentation is as accurate as possible. Each sheet is given a number so that you can keep track of it and it can be better understood at a later date (not only by you, but also by an auditor). In addition, each sheet must be dated and signed.
You can create a neat and helpful inventory list with almost any spreadsheet program (like Excel), but this also works with modern word processing software. When you create your template, pay particular attention to the requirements of the employees who actually perform the count. For example, it is important to leave enough space for entries. Try not to place too many items on one page. Remember that your employees fill out the lists by hand. The columns must not be too small so that the entries can still be read properly.
If you carry out your inventory with one of these templates, you can electronically record and evaluate the data at a later date – you simply insert the values into a digital table afterwards. This also allows you to make better use of Excel's capacities: For example, use the totals function to relieve you of the computing work. Nevertheless, you must print out the lists afterwards and handwrite the date and signature.
In Excel, you should use the top rows to create a consistent header. Here is where all the information about the document should be. Only then build up your table and do not forget to work with frames so that the table fields are still visible when the list is printed out.