Validations and Counts can be completed using the Validate Unit transaction on the mobile app.
An audit schedule can be setup to define facility and to select all or specific areas to count. The audit schedule also has enhanced reconciliation grids and exception reporting. Currently the audit schedule is for validations-counts against facilities and areas. You will determine with the validate-count is closed.
An audit schedule is not required to complete a count against an area or a custodian. When selecting an area or custodian outside of the audit schedule, the expected items are returned with the area or custodian is selected. (For custodian – items checked out to the custodian.) The log entries are set with an expire date in 24 hours. Validations and counts can be worked against the logged expected items up to that point. After the log entries hit the expire date, if the area or custodian is selected again, a new log will be generated.
For validations and counts against for AREAS, expected items and quantities are returned when the area is selected on the Validate Unit transaction. Items and units with the status of Received, Available, Out-of-Service, and Deployed will be returned. Items that are picked, reserved, checked out, our missing are not included. When a CUSTODIAN is selected, units checked out to the custodian will be returned.
Criteria for Areas
Be sure the areas you would like to include for validation-counts has the template rule ‘Enable Area for Validate Unit.’ If the rule is not enabled on the corresponding template, those areas will not be returned as a selection for audit schedules or available to select. This rule allows the ability to segregate your items for those that have been moved to staging area or areas designated for other on-hold restrictions. Typically organizations that manage reserved and picked items will move those items to staging type areas.
Creating an Audit Schedule
[A] Under the Validate-Count section, select Scheduled Audits.
- The list of current audits will be displayed in the grid view.
- Create a new audit by selecting [Create New]
[B] Enter the audit criteria:
- Audit ID can be manually entered or created automatically by the system. Note that if creating your own audit ID, it must be unique.
- Audit Description is optional to enter additional information about the audit.
- Owning Team. If tracking ownership, then select the owner. There will also be the option to validate/count all units where the organization is assigned the owner. This is an optional field. If owner is not selected, then all items will be returned for the validate/count.
- Select Facility for the validation. This is a required field.
[Create Audit] will return the corresponding areas for the facility to selection. The status of the audit will be set to new and if a audit ID is automatically created, it will be displayed.
Select Areas
Use the checkbox in the header to select all areas; otherwise, check which areas to include. You may add additional areas until the validation has started for the audit schedule.
Validate-Count Transaction
On the mobile app, select Validate Unit from the menu. Based on the logged in team and facility, new and in-progress audit schedules will be available to select from on the drop down menu.
The expected items will be returned in the log and the reconcile at the point of the first user selecting the area.
The Handle field supports scanning (recommended) or look up of expected items.
- When a serial-tracked item is scanned or selected, it is marked as ‘validated’ on the log and reconcile
- When a quantity-tracked item is scanned or selected, the user will enter a count. Any variance to the expected quantity will be displayed to the user prior to submit.
- Any variance will immediately be executed. An adjustment for a decrease variance and a create for an increase variance.
- Quantity-tracked items remain in the look up list with the current count (dropped to the bottom of the list). A recount can be completed.
- Note: The system currently does not support building a count. The count for the item is entered only once.
The Find Unit tab supports accessing items that were not returned as expected items for the area.
- For existing serial tracked units, the unit can be selected to transfer or move to the current area being validated. Note that the unit must match any ownership criteria for the audit to be available to select and cannot be checked out or missing.
- For quantity-tracked items, the item can be added (created) for the area.
- Any moved or created items are added to the logging and reconcile and will be available to review under Exceptions.
- The Find Unit is not available for custodian validations.
Reconcile Grid
On the Reconcile tab on the Audit Schedule, all unit records will be displayed. For quantity-tracked items, the ORIGINAL expected quantity will be documented. The LAST validated quantity will be displayed as the Validated Quantity. The Variance will reflect the variance between the Original expected quantity and the last validated quantity. The validation logging will provide the detailed transaction records for additional audit purposes.
For example, if the expected quantity returned when the area is selected is 20 EACH and a count of 22 EACH was entered, an adjustment of +2 would have been made. The log would reflect 20 EACH with a variance of +2. If the SAME item in the same area is selected again for a recount, and the count entered is 19, then an adjustment of -1 (20 – 19) would be logged. On the reconcile grid the Expected Quantity will display as the original 20 EACH and the Validated Quantity as the last quantity entered of 19. The variance will display as a quantity of -1.
Close Audit
The Audit will be available to work against until it is closed. The Reconcile grid can be filtered and exported to excel for further evaluation. Once all items and units have been validated and counted for all areas selected for the audit schedule, the Audit Schedule can be marked as closed.
The details of the audit will remain available to review.