Inventory Planning¶
Navigation: Analytics → Planning | Administrator → Settings → Inventory Planning
Inventory Planning in Knosc covers two related areas: the Planning screen (Analytics → Planning) which provides the operational view, and the Inventory Planning Settings (Administrator → Settings → Inventory Planning) where planning parameters are configured per item or item-location.
Planning Screen¶
Navigation: Analytics → Planning
The Planning screen aggregates the key supply and demand quantities for each item (or item-location) and provides an overview of the entire operation. It answers:
- When should I reorder? → Reorder Point, First/Last Reorder Date
- How much should I reorder? → Reorder Quantity
- When will I run out? → First/Last Run Out Date
- Which supplier should I use? → Procurement by Price modal
Running Inventory Planning¶
Click Run Inventory Planning in the toolbar. The algorithm recalculates all planning columns based on current data. Progress is shown in the job progress panel.
Columns¶
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Item Number | Item identifier |
| Item Description | Item name |
| Customer Item Number | External item number (if mapped) |
| In Stock | Current on-hand inventory quantity |
| In Stock Days | Days of demand coverage from current inventory |
| Expected | Quantity on open purchase orders |
| Expected Days | Days of coverage added by open POs |
| Manufacturing | Quantity on open manufacturing orders |
| Projected Days | Total projected days of supply (In Stock + Expected + Manufacturing vs Demand) |
| Demand | Total open sales order quantity in the planning horizon |
| Forecast | Total open forecast quantity in the planning horizon |
| Reorder Point | Inventory level at which a new order should be placed |
| Reorder Quantity | Recommended order quantity |
| Safety Stock | Buffer stock maintained to absorb demand or supply variability |
| First Reorder Date | Earliest date at which inventory reaches the reorder point |
| Last Reorder Date | Latest acceptable reorder date before stockout risk |
| First Run Out Date | Earliest projected stockout date |
| Last Run Out Date | Latest projected stockout date |
| Missing / Excess Demand | Demand quantity that cannot be fulfilled from current supply |
| Missing / Excess Forecast | Forecast quantity vs supply position |
| Avg Historic Daily Demand | Average daily demand calculated from historical sales |
| Status | Planning status colour code (see below) |
Planning Status¶
| Status | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| OK Level | Green | Inventory is sufficient - no action required |
| Reorder Level | Yellow | Inventory approaching reorder point - consider ordering |
| Procurement Required | Orange | Inventory below reorder point - order recommended |
| At Risk | Red | Stockout imminent or already occurring |
| Runout Level | Orange | Projected to run out within configured notify window |
| Overstocked | Yellow | Inventory significantly above safety stock |
| Not Assessed | Grey | Item has no planning parameters configured |
Modals Available from Planning¶
| Modal | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Demand Aggregated Quantity | Breakdown of demand by period for a selected item |
| Heat Map | Visual inventory projection over time - shows when items will go into risk |
| Procurement by Price | Compare supplier prices for the selected item |
| Statistical Analysis | View historical lead time, demand variability, and recommended parameters |
Inventory Planning Settings¶
Navigation: Administrator → Settings → Inventory Planning
Configure planning parameters for each item or item-location. Changes take effect on the next planning run.
Notification Settings¶
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Notify days before reorder date | Number of days advance notice before an item reaches Reorder Level status |
| Notify days before run out date | Number of days advance notice before an item reaches Runout Level status |
Fixed Column Setting¶
The planning equation must always hold: Reorder Point = Lead Time Demand + Safety Stock. One of the three values must be fixed when editing the others. Set which column is fixed via the Fixed column when editing option.
Per-Item Parameters¶
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Overwrite | Set to Qty or Days to override algorithm-calculated values |
| Rec ROP (Qty / Days) | Algorithm-recommended reorder point in quantity and days |
| Ovr ROP (Qty / Days) | User-defined reorder point override |
| Calc LT Demand (Qty) | Lead time demand calculated by the algorithm |
| Rec LT (Days) | Algorithm-recommended lead time |
| Ovr LT (Days) | User-defined lead time override |
| Rec ST (Qty / Days) | Algorithm-recommended safety stock |
| Ovr ST (Qty / Days) | User-defined safety stock override |
| Rec Reorder Quantity | Algorithm-recommended order quantity |
| Ovr Reorder Quantity | User-defined order quantity override |
| Order Cycle (Days) | If overwrite = Days, system calculates reorder quantity for this many days of demand |
| Fill Rate | Target service level (% of demand fulfilled from stock without shortages) |
| Lot Size | Reorder quantity is rounded up to the nearest multiple of this value |
Inventory Evolution¶
The Heat Map modal (accessible from the Planning screen row actions) shows the projected inventory position over time for a selected item. Days coloured in red indicate periods when the item is projected to be out of stock. Click any day to see the full transaction breakdown contributing to that inventory position.