Lots and reservations

Stock lots show the item, storage location, on-hand quantity, receipt date and current state. A lot marked available can be considered for a reservation. Lots marked quarantined, expired, consumed or blocked require a different decision. The Inventory Clerk should check the lot and location before placing a hold for a request, especially when several requests compete for the same returned item.

A reservation links a stock request to one lot and records the reserved units and expiry date. The free amount is the lot’s on-hand quantity less active held reservations. The reserve workflow checks that amount when the hold is created. A request for more than the eligible free amount is refused, and a failed operation receipt records the shortfall. That failure is a useful work item for the supervisor; it is not a hidden reservation or a negative inventory balance.

Held reservations can be released or consumed as work progresses. When the authorized quantity on a request is corrected or the request is cancelled, the correction workflow releases any held reservations so free stock is restored. This keeps an abandoned request from blocking later cases. The team should use the reservation register and lot view together: on-hand stock alone can overstate what is still available for a new request.

• Lot eligibility. Inspect the lot state, item and location before holding stock.
• Free quantity. Subtract held units from on-hand balance for the reservation decision.
• Release path. Remove holds when the authorized request scope changes or is cancelled.

Set clear operational rules for which lots may be returned to available stock after inspection. Confirm the location directory and tracking mode for each item. Decide who resolves a failed reservation and whether the request should wait for a new lot, a corrected quantity or a different disposition. Establish how the team reviews holds that have reached their expiry date and how a cancelled request is checked for released stock.

An available lot holds twenty units, with twelve already held for earlier requests. A new request for ten cannot reserve all ten; the free quantity is eight. The action refuses the shortfall and writes a failed receipt. The supervisor reviews the case and either finds another eligible lot or changes the authorized scope. If a held request is cancelled, its reservation is released and the free amount can be used by a later return or issue request.

• Available Lots — Compare eligible lots, item, location and current on-hand quantity.
• Held Reservations — See which requests already claim units and when those holds expire.

Use reserve eligible stock and reconcile and correct.