LEGO inventory count checklist: from shelf to recheck

01 · define the snapshot

Freeze or record what the count covers.

Write down the date, time, locations, part or lot boundaries, and the person doing the count. If activity cannot pause, record the count time and keep receipts, picks, moves, and returns separate until the snapshot is reviewed. A count is only comparable when its scope is clear.

• Record the count date and time.
• List the shelves, bins, and lots included.
• Note any location that is excluded or still moving.
• Separate uncounted locations from the counted route.

02 · prepare the route

Make the physical count easy to repeat.

Use stable location labels and count in a fixed order. Keep mixed containers, loose overflow, returns, and pieces waiting for identification visible as separate exceptions. Do not move a piece between locations during the count without recording the move and the time.

1. Print or write the location route before opening the first bin.
2. Gather a pen, a temporary exception tray, and the record for each lot.
3. Mark a location as counted only after every included lot has been checked.
4. Keep uncounted containers closed or clearly labelled so they cannot be counted twice.

A wanted list can help you plan a later purchase. It must not be used as evidence that a piece is present. Likewise, a listing can describe an offer without proving that the stock is on the shelf you are counting.

03 · count what is there

Record the physical quantity before explaining it.

For each lot, write the part, color, condition, location, recorded quantity, and counted quantity. Count the pieces physically present in the defined location; do not silently add reservations, wanted quantities, or a second location.

04 · synthetic example

Keep recorded, counted, committed, and available quantities distinct.

This synthetic example uses one lot so the arithmetic stays visible. The record says 40 pieces. The physical count finds 38, so the variance is counted − recorded = 38 − 40 = −2. Two pieces are reserved for an order and four are on a separate build hold. If those holds are non-overlapping and apply to the counted stock, the teaching calculation is38 − 2 − 4 = 32 available.

The available figure is illustrative, not a universal accounting rule or a claim about the released product. Confirm whether a system's reservation total already includes a build hold before subtracting anything. Never subtract the same commitment twice.

05 · investigate before editing

Explain a variance before you correct the record.

A negative or positive difference is a prompt to investigate, not permission to overwrite history. Compare the physical lot with the record, then look for a move, receipt, build, pick, return, duplicate count, or part-identification mistake. Keep open reservations and build holds in their own fields while you investigate.

• Check that the location and part variant match the record.
• Ask whether a piece is in an adjacent, overflow, return, or uncounted location.
• Review recent movement or build notes for the same lot.
• Write the suspected cause and what evidence would confirm it.

06 · preserve the trail

Record the correction as a new event.

If the count is confirmed, preserve the original recorded quantity, the counted quantity, the variance, the reason, the date and time, and who reviewed it. A correction should make the next count easier to understand. It should not erase the earlier state or imply that an explanation was measured when it was only suspected.

If the cause is uncertain, leave the uncertainty in the note and route the item for review. Do not claim automatic reconciliation, guaranteed accuracy, audit status, or certification based on a checklist.

07 · verify a sample

Recheck a few rows before closing the count.

Select a small sample that includes at least one unchanged row, one corrected row, and one row with a commitment if those exist. Count the sample again from the physical location. If it disagrees, reopen the relevant scope instead of treating the first pass as settled.

• Choose sample rows without changing their labels.
• Count the sample again at the physical location.
• Compare the second count with the first and note any new difference.
• Close the scope only when exceptions have an owner or a next review.

08 · related reading

Connect the count to a location and a commitment.

Organize parts and keep an inventoryexplains stable locations and lot records. Available vs on-hand inventory separates commitments from physical stock. The inventory feature describes the private-preview product context. These links do not promise measured speed, guaranteed accuracy, automatic reconciliation, audit or certification status, public availability, or live provider writes.