Lots and reservations

A lot identifies the item and storage location with its on-hand quantity, receipt date and optional expiry date. Its state distinguishes Available stock from Quarantined, Expired, Consumed or Blocked stock. Inventory Clerk uses that context before requesting a reservation for the work needed at the dock.

A reservation links a lot to a stock request and records the held quantity, expiry and revision. Free eligible inventory is the lot’s on-hand quantity less active held reservations. This matters when incoming stock is needed by several requests during the same operating cycle: an existing hold must be considered before another quantity is committed.

• Lot eligibility. Item, location and lot state establish the stock being considered. Receipt and expiry dates help staff examine the lot under the eligibility policy agreed for the operation.
• Existing commitments. Held reservations show which requests already use part of the lot’s quantity. The clerk can trace a commitment before asking the supervisor how to handle competing work.
• Recorded outcomes. A successful reservation creates a recorded receipt. A rejected quantity creates a failed receipt with the shortfall, giving the team a specific issue to resolve.

Confirm the base unit for each pilot item and use it consistently in lot, request and reservation quantities. Agree how the operation treats quarantined, expired or blocked lots. The clerk needs to know who can resolve a restriction and what evidence supports that decision before committing stock.

Define the handling of reservation expiry and consumption in the operating sequence. When authorized request scope changes, use the correction or cancellation action to release held quantities as required. Agree who checks the resulting free stock before it is promised to another request. Keep channel policy decisions visible to the supervisor when the available quantity is insufficient for all requested work.

Use a rehearsal lot with 30 base units and an active hold for 12. The remaining free quantity is 18. Attempt a reservation for 20 and inspect the failed receipt and shortfall. Then request an amount within the free quantity and confirm the held reservation and recorded evidence. These are test quantities for checking the operating rule.

Repeat the successful reservation request using the same operation identity. It should return the existing result without adding another hold. Have the Inventory Supervisor correct or cancel the relevant request and inspect the released commitment. Compare free stock before and after the change. Finally, try a restricted lot so the team can distinguish an eligibility problem from an ordinary shortage during a busy dock shift.

• Available Lots — Lot quantities and dates by item and storage location for eligibility review.
• Held Reservations — Existing commitments with their request, lot, quantity and expiry.
• Failed Operation Receipts — Shortfalls and other rejected actions needing investigation.

Follow reserve eligible stock and use correct or reverse stock work when the authorized commitment changes.