Lots and reservations

A lot records the item, storage location and quantity on hand, with its received date, optional expiry date and current state. Available, Quarantined, Expired, Consumed and Blocked give the warehouse team a way to distinguish stock requiring different treatment. The item defines the base unit and whether tracking uses lots, serials or neither.

A reservation connects a lot to a stock request and holds a quantity until it is released, consumed or expires. The reservation action checks free eligible inventory by subtracting active held quantities from the lot’s on-hand balance. This keeps a request from committing stock that is already held for other work.

• Lot context. Item and storage location references show what is held and where. Received and expiry dates help staff examine the lot alongside its current availability state.
• Held quantities. Reservations retain their request, lot, quantity, expiry and revision. Staff can trace an existing commitment before asking for another reservation against the same stock.
• Shortfall evidence. A successful reservation writes a recorded receipt. A rejected reservation writes a failed receipt with the shortfall so the Inventory Clerk can investigate the actual quantity problem.

Confirm the base unit for each pilot item and preserve it when entering lot and request quantities. Agree the eligibility rules for Available stock and how quarantine, expiry and blocking are handled. Decide who investigates a lot that appears usable physically but remains restricted in the records.

Establish how reservation expiry is handled and which stock action consumes a held quantity in your operating sequence. A date alone needs an agreed follow-up process. When the supervisor corrects or cancels authorized request scope, held reservations are released through the correction action. Reconcile the resulting free quantity before staff commit it to other work.

For a rehearsal, use a lot holding 20 base units with an existing reservation for 6. The free quantity is 14. Request 15 units and inspect the failed receipt and shortfall. Then request a quantity within the available amount and confirm the held reservation and recorded operation evidence. These quantities are test inputs for checking the behavior.

Repeat the successful request using the same operation identity. The team should find the existing outcome without another hold on the lot. Next, have the Inventory Supervisor cancel or correct the authorized request and inspect the release of held stock. Compare free quantity before and after the action. Rehearse a reservation against a restricted lot so staff recognize an eligibility rejection as well as a quantity shortfall.

• Available Lots — Lots marked Available, with location, on-hand quantity and dates to check before a reservation.
• Held Reservations — Existing commitments to inspect before another request uses the same lot.
• Failed Operation Receipts — Shortfalls and other rejected actions that need a specific response.

Use reserve eligible stock and correction and reversal when authorized scope changes.