Live progress: how much has been counted

On counting day the manager usually asks the same question: "How much is left?" And the answer is often "we'll be done soon" or "half is done". That is a guess, not a calculation. By evening it turns out that half a zone has not been counted, so the shift is extended, people are called in and the work runs into the night. Live progress exposes such surprises during the day, while the work can still be put right.

What progress shows

A good dashboard gives you the following at a glance:

• how many positions of the full list have been counted (as a number and a percentage);
• the state of each zone separately;
• the speed of each counter, meaning positions per hour;
• when the last entry was made;
• how many differences have appeared during the count.

The manager follows this from a phone or computer without setting foot in the warehouse. The owner or the accountant does not phone every hour, because everything is visible.

Not everyone needs to see the same data. A counter needs only the state of their own zone, a zone supervisor needs their team, and the manager needs the whole warehouse. Extra numbers are a distraction.

Estimating the finish time

The forecast is simple: divide the number of positions remaining by the current speed. Suppose the list holds 6,000 positions. At 12:00, four hours after the start, 2,400 are counted and five counters are working. The total speed is 600 positions an hour. There are 3,600 left, so six more hours are needed. If the work must be finished by 18:00, the time fits exactly. But if the finish falls after 20:00, it is cheaper to call in two more counters now, because a decision in the evening comes too late.

One warning: speed usually falls toward the end of the day because the easy places get counted first. Add a margin of 15 to 20 percent to the forecast.

Finding a stalled zone

The most useful thing progress does is show which zone is behind. Typical signs:

1. No new entries in the zone for 20 to 30 minutes. The counter may be on a break, the phone may be out of charge or the internet may have dropped.
2. The zone's speed is clearly lower than the rest. The cause is often goods stacked in a mess or codes that will not read.
3. The zone is stuck at 90 percent. Usually these are items missing from the list or items that cannot be found.

Once a sign appears, the manager asks for the reason and, if needed, sends in a helper or splits the zone in two.

For example, at 15:30 zone B has had no entries for 40 minutes. The manager phones and learns that the counter is working without a signal in a cold room: that is normal and nothing to worry about. If the counter went on a break and lingered, another person is sent. The decision is made only once the cause is clear.

Where progress cannot be trusted

The progress percentage is reassuring but sometimes misleading:

• The result of a zone working offline is invisible until the connection returns, so it may look "stalled".
• "Counted" means that an entry has been made, not that it is correct. The main quality control comes later, when differences are reviewed.
• Entries with a zero quantity also count as counted. Review them separately.
• Pushing people for speed increases errors. Watch the number of positions sent for recount alongside speed.

The rhythm of control

Three checkpoints are enough for a big day: check the speed an hour after the start, draw up the finish forecast at midday, and pay attention to zones stuck at 80 percent. When the final percentage is reached, the reports are prepared.

After the count, keep the progress data: next time you will plan the time from exact figures. For example, if this time 6,000 positions were counted in ten hours, the right number of people can be set for the next count on that basis.

Conclusion

Live progress turns a count from "we'll see when it's over" into "we manage it right now". When the remaining quantity, the state of each zone and the speed are known, help reaches the lagging place in time. If you cannot set up such control yourself, order a count from StockCheck: the team runs the count zone by zone and hands over the result with a finished report.