# Cycle Count Program Planning Worksheet

> Source: https://netray.co/tools/cycle-count-program-planning-worksheet
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Free Tools

## Short answer

An editable worksheet that turns SKU counts and count frequency by ABC class into daily counts and the labor hours your cycle count program needs.

## Category

supply-chain

## Industry

Warehousing

## Audience

- Warehouse manager
- Inventory control manager
- Materials manager

## Tool

**Kind:** worksheet

**Mode:** editable

**Columns:**

#### Class or group

**Key:** cls

**Type:** select

**Options:**

- A
- B
- C
- D (slow)
- Critical
- Other

#### Description

**Key:** note

**Type:** text

#### Active SKUs or locations

**Key:** skus

**Type:** number

#### Counts per year

**Key:** freq

**Type:** number

**Help:** A = 12 means monthly.

#### Minutes per count

**Key:** mins

**Type:** number

**Unit:** min

#### Counts per year

**Key:** counts_yr

**Type:** number

**Expr:** skus * freq

**Format:** integer

#### Counts per working day

**Key:** per_day

**Type:** number

**Expr:** skus * freq / 250

**Format:** decimal

**Help:** Assumes 250 working days.

#### Labor hours per year

**Key:** hours

**Type:** number

**Expr:** skus * freq * mins / 60

**Format:** hours

**Rows:**

**Cls:** A

**Note:** Top 20 percent of value, fast movers

**Skus:** 400

**Freq:** 12

**Mins:** 6

**Cls:** B

**Note:** Next 30 percent of value

**Skus:** 1200

**Freq:** 4

**Mins:** 5

**Cls:** C

**Note:** Bottom 50 percent of value

**Skus:** 3400

**Freq:** 1

**Mins:** 4

**Cls:** Critical

**Note:** Controlled, serialized or lot traced

**Skus:** 150

**Freq:** 12

**Mins:** 10

**Cls:** D (slow)

**Note:** No movement in 12 months

**Skus:** 600

**Freq:** 1

**Mins:** 3

**Totals:**

#### Total counts per year

**Key:** counts_yr

**Agg:** sum

**Format:** integer

#### Total counts per day

**Key:** per_day

**Agg:** sum

**Format:** decimal

#### Total labor hours per year

**Key:** hours

**Agg:** sum

**Format:** hours

**Summary:**

#### Counter FTE needed (1,800 productive hours each)

**Key:** fte

**Expr:** sum_hours / 1800

**Format:** decimal

**Primary:** true

#### Average counts per SKU per year

**Key:** avg_per_sku

**Expr:** sum_counts_yr / sum_skus

**Format:** decimal

**Notes:** Start with your own ABC split from annual usage value. Adjust frequency after reviewing error rates: classes with high variance earn more frequent counts.

## Content

**Intro:** A cycle count program works when the number of counts per day is realistic and the frequency reflects risk. This worksheet lets you set frequency by ABC class, then shows daily counts and the labor hours needed.

**Sections:**

#### How to use the worksheet

**Body:** Edit the example rows or replace them with your own classes. Enter the number of active SKUs or locations in each class, how many times per year each should be counted, and the average minutes per count including walking, counting, recounting and posting. The computed columns give counts per year, counts per working day and labor hours, and the summary translates hours into counter FTE. Use the export to share the plan with finance or an auditor.

**Bullets:**

- Build classes from annual usage value, not unit cost
- Add a separate row for controlled or regulated items
- Include zero-movement stock at a low frequency
- Count time includes recount and adjustment time

#### Choosing frequencies

**Body:** The classic ABC approach counts A items most often, such as monthly, B items quarterly and C items once or twice a year. Many plants add triggers on top, such as a count when a location reaches zero, after a large receipt, or after a mispick. Frequency should follow error history: if an area shows consistent variances, count it more until accuracy recovers. Match the program with your ERP's cycle count function, for example SAP physical inventory by cycle count indicator, Oracle cycle count classes or Infor and Epicor cycle count jobs.

#### Reading the output

**Body:** Counts per day is the number that makes or breaks a program. If the total is far more than your team can finish, counts will slip, and the plan becomes a paper exercise. The worksheet assumes 250 working days; adjust frequency or add trigger-based counts instead of changing that number. Labor hours tell you whether a dedicated counter is justified or whether counts can be folded into pickers' dwell time. A single counter FTE of around 1,800 productive hours is a planning figure, not a standard.

#### Common mistakes

**Body:** The usual failure is writing a perfect schedule and then not following it because counting competes with shipping. Protect the time. Another mistake is counting by location without blind counts, which lets counters repeat what the system says. Do not post adjustments without a root-cause note, because the point of cycle counting is fixing the process, not just the balance. Always keep the program documented for audit, including class definitions, tolerances and approval limits.

**Cta:** If you want cycle count lists, variance reports and root-cause tracking pulled straight from your ERP, Netray can build that on top of your existing system.

**Faq:**

#### How many items should be cycle counted per day?

**Answer:** Divide total counts per year by working days. The worksheet does this for you. A common range is from tens of counts per day for small sites to several hundred in large distribution centres, driven by SKU count and frequency.

#### What are typical ABC cycle count frequencies?

**Answer:** A items are often counted monthly or more, B items quarterly, and C items once or twice a year. These are starting points; adjust according to variance history, value and regulatory needs.

#### Can cycle counting replace the annual physical inventory?

**Answer:** In many companies it can, if the program covers all stock during the year, accuracy is high and auditors accept the method. Check with your auditor and keep records of counts and adjustments.

#### Should I count by SKU or by location?

**Answer:** Either works if consistent. Location-based counts are efficient in a WMS because a counter can verify one rack at a time, while SKU-based counts suit item-focused control. Use whichever matches how your system generates count tasks.

## Search terms

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