Inventory Planning Capability Self-Assessment
This ten question assessment shows where your inventory planning practice stands, from reactive firefighting to a governed, data driven process. It takes about five minutes and gives specific next steps for your band.
1. How are safety stock levels set for most items?
2. How accurate are lead times in the ERP?
3. How is inventory record accuracy maintained?
4. How do you classify items for planning?
5. How are exceptions handled each day?
6. How is slow moving and obsolete stock managed?
7. How do sales, operations and finance align on inventory?
8. How are planning parameter changes controlled?
9. Which KPIs are reviewed regularly?
10. How do you handle supplier performance in planning?
How to use it
Answer for the typical situation across your main plant, not for your best item group. Where answers differ between teams, choose the lower one. The score is shown as a percentage of the maximum, and each band comes with three actions. Retake it after six months to see change, and ask a colleague to answer independently to compare.
- Be honest about the current state
- Use evidence such as reports and logs
- Share the export with your team lead
What the questions cover
The ten questions follow the chain from data to decisions: how safety stock and lead times are set, how accurate records are, how items are classified, how exceptions are managed, how slow stock is handled, how functions align, how changes are controlled, which KPIs are watched and how suppliers feed back into planning. A low score in one area often explains symptoms in another.
Reading the bands
A Reactive score is common in plants that grew quickly or changed ERP recently and is fixable with a few basics. Developing is the largest group. Managed teams usually gain most from segmentation by demand pattern. Optimized teams should be sure the discipline survives staff change, which means documentation and audits as much as tools.
Common mistakes
Scoring on intentions rather than practice, averaging away a serious gap, and treating the band as a verdict instead of a starting point. A single weak area such as record accuracy can undo the benefit of excellent calculation, so look at the lowest answers as well as the total.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the assessment tied to a particular ERP?
No. The questions describe practices, not software. They apply whether you plan in SAP, Oracle, Infor, Epicor, Dynamics, NetSuite or spreadsheets.
How is the score calculated?
Each answer is worth zero to three points. The total is converted to a percentage of the maximum, and the percentage selects one of four bands with suggested actions.
Who should take it?
A supply chain manager or lead planner, ideally with one other person from planning or purchasing. Different people often rate the same practice differently, which is useful information in itself.
What should I do first after a low score?
Fix record accuracy and lead times before refining safety stock formulas. Calculation quality depends on the inputs, so correct inputs give the fastest improvement.
Netray can help you act on the result with read-only analysis of your ERP data, such as lead time accuracy and aged stock by class.
Related Tools
Inventory Planning Parameter Governance Checklist
A checklist for keeping safety stock, reorder point, lot size and lead time parameters controlled, reviewed and traceable.
Supply Chain & InventoryDemand Pattern Classification Reference (ADI and CV2)
Look up the four demand classes from ADI and CV2, with the usual forecasting method and stocking approach for each.
Supply Chain & InventoryInventory Planning Glossary with Formulas and SAP Fields
A searchable glossary of inventory planning terms with the working formula and the matching SAP MARC material master field where one exists.
Costing & FinanceInventory Write-Down Approval Memo Template
A memo for requesting approval to write down or dispose of excess and obsolete inventory, with the evidence finance and auditors expect.
More Supply Chain & Inventory tools
See all- Oracle Fusion Inventory Turns and Carrying Cost Calculator
- Distribution ERP Fill Rate Calculator
- Distributor Rebate Tracking Worksheet
- Branch Transfer Planning Worksheet
- Distributor Slow-Moving Inventory Review Worksheet
- Distributor Vendor Performance Scorecard Worksheet
- Distributor GMROI Calculator
- Distributor Backorder Cost and Fill Rate Calculator
- EOQ with Vendor Minimum Order Calculator