Practical guide
An operating playbook for optical inventory
Give the count a clear purpose
An inventory count is useful when it improves the practice’s understanding of what it actually holds and why the record differs from the physical stock. A count performed only to produce a reassuring total can hide the problem it was meant to reveal. Decide whether the current exercise is an opening count, a focused check of a product group, a location review or a broader reconciliation. Write that purpose on the count sheet.
The scope determines the work. A focused count of one frame collection may be practical during an ordinary operating period, while a full opening balance requires a broader plan. Identify the office, item categories, responsible people and cutoff. Decide how the team will record activity that occurs while the count is underway. Without that agreement, a sale or transfer during the count can look like an unexplained discrepancy.
Jelo distinguishes catalog information from quantities at an office. Its frame-variant workflow represents identifying details and quantities, and its multi-location functionality supports authorized transfers between configured offices. The downloadable sheet on this page is an operating aid for counting and investigating. It is not an automatic purchasing tool or a promise that a completed CSV can be imported as a stock adjustment.
Identify the exact variant before counting units
A product description needs enough detail for another person to identify the same item. For frames, that commonly means distinguishing the model, color and size used in the practice’s catalog. Two items can look similar while belonging to different variants. If the count combines them under one broad label, a correct total may still hide a shortage in the variant someone needs to sell or order.
Before counting, review the identifiers your staff actually use. Ask two employees to locate the same item from the catalog description and verify that they choose the same physical variant. If they disagree, resolve the naming or identification problem first. Counting a poorly defined item more carefully will not make the resulting record reliable.
Use the actual variant editor shown on Jelo’s inventory product page as a starting point for the demonstration. Ask how your intended products and variants will be represented, and identify any fields or processes that need confirmation. Avoid assuming barcode, supplier-feed or automatic replenishment functionality unless the exact workflow has been demonstrated for your configuration.
Set an office and a cutoff for the exercise
Every count should identify where and when it applies. The office tells the reviewer which physical stock is included. The cutoff tells the reviewer which movements must be considered when comparing the system record with the physical result. A practice-wide quantity is not an appropriate comparison for a count performed at only one location.
Decide whether normal selling, receiving and transfers will continue during the count. Either approach needs a procedure. If activity continues, record the relevant movements so they can be reconciled to the cutoff. If the practice temporarily limits activity in the counted area, communicate the arrangement to staff and identify who can authorize an exception. The guide does not prescribe one universal counting schedule for every practice.
Put the cutoff on the sheet before the team begins. A note added afterward from memory may not explain a transaction that occurred between two employees’ counts. Clear timing also helps when investigating a difference the following day. Another reviewer should be able to reconstruct the comparison without having to ask everyone when they think the count started.
Separate counting from correction
The first task is to observe the physical quantity. The second is to compare it with the record. The third is to investigate and approve any appropriate correction. Keeping these tasks distinct reduces the chance that a convenient adjustment conceals an unresolved cause. In a small practice, one person may perform more than one task, but the stages should still be visible in the record.
Use the sheet’s system quantity and physical quantity columns to preserve both observations. Calculate the variance as physical quantity minus system quantity. A negative variance means the physical count is lower than the recorded quantity; a positive variance means it is higher. These signs describe the comparison only. They do not establish theft, a receiving error or any other explanation without investigation.
For a fictional variant with a system quantity of eight and a physical count of six, the variance is minus two. Preserve those three numbers before changing anything. Then investigate the relevant orders, receipts or transfers under the practice’s approved process. The difference may require a correction, but the count alone does not tell you which action is appropriate.
Use the downloadable sheet as an investigation record
The CSV includes columns for office, count cutoff, item, variant, system quantity, physical quantity, variance, investigation, correction owner and reorder decision. Fill in the identifiers and scope first. Then enter the observed quantities and the arithmetic difference. Keep the investigation note focused on the evidence reviewed and the next action rather than an unsupported conclusion.
A useful fictional row might identify Office A, a specific model/color/size, a recorded quantity of four and a physical quantity of three. The investigation field might state that a recent transfer needs review. The correction owner is the person responsible for completing that review. The reorder decision can remain pending until the discrepancy is understood. This keeps the count from triggering a purchase based on an unexplained number.
Store the completed sheet according to your practice’s operating procedures. It should contain inventory information needed for the exercise, not unnecessary patient details. Link any order-specific investigation through the approved system rather than copying sensitive information into an unrestricted spreadsheet. The sheet is most useful when it preserves a concise reference to the work and the person responsible for resolving it.
Investigate negative variances methodically
When physical stock is lower than the record, begin by confirming the item and location. A variant mismatch or an item counted at another office can produce an apparent shortage. Review the recent activity relevant to the cutoff and identify whether a sale, transfer, return or other movement has been recorded as expected. Use the actual practice records rather than choosing the most familiar explanation.
Ask whether the physical item may be in another legitimate place within the office’s process. The practice may have its own arrangements for display, preparation, customer collection or supplier return. Those arrangements need clear definitions so the team knows whether the item belongs in the count. This guide recommends checking the operating context; it does not assert that Jelo automatically tracks every physical storage state.
If the discrepancy remains unexplained, preserve it as an unresolved item with an owner. An adjustment may eventually be appropriate, but the reason should be recorded through the approved process. Repeated unexplained corrections make it difficult to learn whether the underlying problem is identification, transaction timing, receiving or staff procedure.
Investigate positive variances with the same care
A physical count higher than the record deserves investigation too. It may reflect a variant identification problem, an unrecorded receipt, a transfer or another issue in the practice’s process. Extra physical stock should not automatically be treated as available inventory without understanding what it is and why the record differs. The item’s status and ownership may matter to the next decision.
Verify the exact variant and office, then review activity around the cutoff. Ask whether another employee already investigated the same item so the team does not make two corrections for one discrepancy. Preserve the original system quantity and the observed count even if the eventual action is straightforward. Those observations help explain why the record was changed.
Use positive and negative differences together when looking for patterns. One variant showing an apparent excess and a similar variant showing a shortage may indicate a classification problem. That is a reason to investigate, not proof of the cause. Review the actual items and records before deciding whether a catalog correction, stock correction or training change is needed.
Reconcile receipts against what actually arrived
Receiving should connect the expected item with the physical delivery. Review the model, color, size and quantity against the relevant order or supplier information. Record shortages, substitutions and damaged items through the practice’s procedure rather than treating an order confirmation as evidence that every expected unit arrived in usable condition.
Assign a person to resolve differences with the supplier and identify when the stock record should be updated under the supported workflow. The person entering the quantity needs the observed result, not only the expected quantity from an earlier order. A clear receiving handoff helps prevent a future count from becoming the first time anyone notices an unresolved delivery issue.
Keep the supplier order, receiving observation and stock record distinguishable. They describe expectation, physical arrival and recorded quantity. A practice may use several tools or manual steps to connect them, depending on its setup. Demonstrate the workflow you intend to use in Jelo and document any outside step. Do not assume an automatic purchase-order or receiving integration from the presence of a product catalog.
Treat transfers as a two-office responsibility
Jelo’s available multi-location workflow includes authorized stock transfers between configured offices. A transfer affects the understanding of stock at both the sending and receiving locations. Verify the exact variant, quantity and office context before recording the movement, and agree on who checks the physical arrival. A practice-wide total alone cannot show whether the right office holds the item.
Consider a fictional transfer of three units from Office A to Office B. The team should know which record identifies the movement and who at Office B confirms the items received. If the physical result differs, preserve the discrepancy and investigate it before applying an unrelated stock correction. The example illustrates a coordinated operating process; it does not promise a particular shipping or receiving automation.
Include transfers in the count-cutoff procedure. An item moving between offices during a count can create a shortage at one office and an excess at the other if timing is not understood. Review both sides of the movement and the intended cutoff before drawing a conclusion. The multi-location guide explains how office context and permissions fit into the wider workflow.
Make reorder decisions after reviewing usable stock
A reorder decision should consider more than a raw quantity. Review whether the recorded units are physically available, already associated with an order under the practice’s process, damaged or part of an unresolved discrepancy. The person making the decision should understand which definition of available stock is being used. Otherwise, an apparently sufficient quantity may not meet the immediate need.
Use the practice’s own experience and supplier information to decide when and how much to reorder. Relevant considerations can include recent demand, existing commitments, expected delivery and the work involved in moving stock between offices. This guide does not provide universal reorder thresholds or claim that Jelo automatically predicts demand. The practice should choose a method it can explain and review.
Record the decision in the count sheet when it helps connect an investigation to the next action. “Reorder after confirming the unresolved receipt” is different from “no reorder needed.” A clear note prevents another employee from interpreting a blank field as an intentional decision. It also creates a useful record for reviewing whether the practice’s assumptions were accurate later.
Keep lab orders separate from stock on hand
An optical lab order and a frame-stock quantity describe different parts of the workflow. Jelo’s VisionWeb integration connects to the practice’s account and the labs and catalog options available there. The integration’s availability does not mean that every lab order is equivalent to a change in the office’s physical inventory, or that a lab catalog represents stock held on the frame board.
When evaluating the optical workflow, ask staff to identify the retail order, selected frame variant, lab submission and payment status separately. Each record answers a different question. A supplier response may establish something about the order, while the physical count establishes what the office currently holds. Keeping those distinctions clear helps avoid using the wrong record to answer an availability question.
Test an ordinary order and a change with fictional information. Ask which actions affect the internal order, which require a lab response and which affect stock through the supported workflow. Record the answer for your configuration. This gives the team a practical reference when an item appears in a catalog but the intended physical unit is not available where expected.
Review count quality with transparent measures
Choose a measure that reflects the purpose of the count. One option is the proportion of counted variants whose differences have been investigated and resolved according to the practice’s definition. Another is the number of unresolved variances by office or product group. Define the event being counted before reporting a percentage, and keep the underlying counts visible.
For a fictional review of forty counted variants, suppose thirty-two have completed the defined reconciliation process. The completion rate is 80%. That does not mean the inventory was 80% accurate, that the remaining eight items are missing or that stock value changed by a particular amount. The measure describes the chosen process. Use a separate, clearly defined calculation if the practice wants to examine another question.
The practice operations worksheet can hold aggregate eligible and completed counts. It does not calculate inventory valuation, profitability or an industry benchmark. Compare periods only when the scope and definitions are consistent, and explain a change in product mix or counting method. A useful result leads to an investigation or process improvement rather than an unsupported performance claim.
Use recurring differences to improve the workflow
After several counts, review the reasons recorded for resolved variances. Look for repeated identification problems, timing issues, incomplete receiving handoffs or unclear transfer responsibilities. Choose a specific improvement that addresses the observed pattern. Adding another count may reveal the same problem again without changing the step that creates it.
For example, a practice might revise its receiving check so a staff member verifies the exact variant before another person enters a quantity. That is an operating change the practice can test. Record what changed and inspect later examples to see whether the intended handoff improved. Do not promise a numerical reduction in shrinkage or an increase in sales before measuring an actual result.
Keep the process teachable. A new employee should be able to understand how to identify an item, record a count, preserve a variance and find the person who approves a correction. A clear procedure reduces dependence on one person’s memory. It also makes the software demonstration more useful because the team can ask to see the specific actions their procedure requires.
Finish the count with decisions people can follow
Close the exercise by separating resolved items from unresolved work. For each remaining variance, record the responsible person, next action and review date. Confirm that any approved corrections were made through the supported process and that the recorded reason remains understandable. Then record the reorder decisions that depend on the reconciled result.
Review the experience with the staff who performed the count. Ask which labels were confusing, which records were difficult to locate and which handoffs required an unexpected conversation. Those observations can improve catalog consistency, training and the next count. Keep them separate from claims about the product’s automatic capabilities; a worksheet and an operating procedure are tools for the practice’s own work.
If you are evaluating Jelo, bring a small fictional catalog, a count discrepancy and a transfer example to a demo with Joel or Loreli. Ask the team to show the actual variant and quantity workflow, relevant permissions and office context. Leave with demonstrated scope and a short list of any account-specific questions. That gives the practice a practical basis for deciding how the inventory system will support its operations.