How to speed up the year-end inventory count

Before getting started, make sure you have the following in place:

1. Specific locations for your assets - When building your inventory, be as precise as possible with each asset’s location. Use layers like country, state, city, building, floor, office, and room to organize and manage your inventory more efficiently.
2. QR codes for all your assets - As part of your Asset Management strategy, we recommend generating QR codes for every asset to simplify tracking and audits.
3. The InvGate Asset Management app - Use the mobile app to scan QR codes and streamline the verification process on the go.

Step 1: Create a custom field for your assets

Creating a custom field for your assets helps track the status of each item during inventory checks. This field will be updated during every year-end inventory count.

1. Go to Settings > CIs > Fields.
2. Click Add to create a new asset field and fill in the following details:
   • Name: Inventory status (YEIC).
   • Description (optional): This field allows the IT team to perform their end-of-year inventory count.
   • CI type: Assets
   • Asset types: All assets
   • Field type: List
   • Values: Add “Accounted for” and “Unaccounted for”.
3. Click Save.

Step 2: Scan each asset by location

To begin your annual inventory check, go to the location where you want to start. For example, suppose you're in the first office and come across a laptop labeled NBK-001 with its corresponding QR code. Follow these steps:

1. Scan the asset’s QR code. Detailed information about the asset will appear.
2. Scroll down to locate the field labeled "Inventory status (YEIC)".
3. Update the status to “Accounted for”.
4. Save your changes.

Note: Repeat this process for every asset in your organization. Staying methodical is essential. To stay organized, consider using a printed asset list by location to track which assets to expect in each area.

Step 3: Identify unchecked assets by location

1. Go to Assets.
2. Click the “+” button to create a new view.
3. Open the Filters panel.
4. Apply the following filters:
   • Assets > Location > 1st. Floor.
   • Assets > Inventory status > is > None.

Note: Add as many specific offices as you have. This level of location granularity is essential for conducting an organized year-end inventory count. Filtering by “None” helps identify assets that should be in that office but were not checked during the walkthrough.

5. Return to the unsaved view (you can optionally save this view with a name for future use).
6. Select all the assets shown in the view and click Edit.
7. Scroll down to the Inventory status (YEIC) field and update the value from “None” to “Unaccounted for”.

Now you’ll be able to clearly see which assets at the selected location were found during the walkthrough and which were missing.

Tip: If you prefer not to repeat this process for each location, you can instead filter your entire inventory by Inventory status (YEIC) and update all assets marked as “None” to “Unaccounted for.”Tip: Si prefieres no repetir este proceso para cada ubicación, puedes filtrar todo tu inventario por Estado de inventario (CAI) y actualizar todos los activos marcados como “Ninguno” a “No contabilizado”.

Step 4: Create a custom dashboard to view your checked assets

The fastest way to monitor the status of your year-end inventory count is by creating a custom dashboard. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Dashboard.
2. Click the “+” icon to create a new dashboard.
3. Apply the relevant filters:
   • Owner: Filter by the person responsible for the assets (you can update this later).
   • Location: Leave as is for now.
   • Tags: Leave as is for now.
4. Fill in the following fields:
   • Name: End of Year Inventory Count
   • Description: A visual overview of key metrics to support the year-end inventory process.

Note: From here, you can add as many charts as needed to build a complete and insightful dashboard for your year-end count. Let’s walk through an example.

Example chart: Asset by Inventory Status

1. Click Chart.
2. Set the following options:
   • Visualization: Columns
   • Metric: Assets – Total.
   • Dimension: Inventory status – None
   • Drilldown: None
3. Apply this filter:
   • Assets > Location > is > 1st. Floor
4. Name the chart: Assets by Inventory Status (1st. Floor)

Note: You can create as many charts as needed. This example focuses on a specific office, but you can adjust the location to view inventory results across different areas.