A variance report after an audit is not an accusation, it is a to-do list. Handled systematically, most variances turn out to be process errors rather than theft, and each investigation makes the next audit cleaner. Here is the method we recommend.
First, understand the two lists
- Missing: items your records expected in the warehouse that the C-72 handheld did not find.
- Excess: tags found on the floor that the system did not expect, often un-received inward stock or items returned informally.
The investigation sequence for missing items
- Re-scan the zone. Dense racks and metal shelving can shadow a tag. A slow, close sweep finds many so-called missing items immediately.
- Check neighbouring zones. Misplaced stock is the single most common cause. The item exists, just not where records say.
- Check the gate event log. If the UDM9R gate read the tag leaving, the log shows the date, time and whether an outward document authorised it. An unauthorised exit with a cleared alarm points to a process breach worth reviewing on CCTV.
- Check for damaged tags. Torn or wet labels stop reading. Physically locate the item, re-tag it at the UDR102 and note the cause.
- Only then treat it as shrinkage. Record the write-off with manager approval so the accounting side stays honest.
For excess items
- Match the tag against recent inward documents that were started but never closed.
- Check for customer returns accepted at the gate without paperwork.
- Adopt orphaned items into stock formally through an adjustment entry, never silently.
Close the loop
Assign each variance line to a person in TrueStock, set a resolution note, and review patterns monthly. If the same zone, shift or SKU keeps appearing, the process, not the people, usually needs fixing. Your Tech Guru IT Solutions support plan includes guidance on recurring variance patterns, so raise a ticket if a trend puzzles you.
