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Material Shortage and Expedite Log Worksheet (Excel Export)

A shortage log is the planner's working list of everything that is late or about to be late. This worksheet keeps the part, the affected job, the money at stake and the agreed action in one table, and exports to Excel for the daily meeting.

Download:

Part number	Supplier	Affected job / order	Short qty	Unit cost	Shortage value	Impact	Action	Days late	Supplier promise date
					$740
					$1,735
					$1,860
					$496

Total shortage value

$4,831

Worst days late

6 days

Lines short

Average shortage value per line

$1,208

Average days late

3 days

Edit any cell, add rows for each short line and delete closed ones. Sort the list by impact before the daily shortage meeting.

Automate the daily shortage list

Optional: a short review of how to feed this log from your ERP shortage data without manual copying.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the log

Add one row per short part per job, not per part overall. A part short on two jobs needs two rows because the impact and the action may differ. Enter the short quantity and unit cost and the sheet computes the shortage value. Pick the impact from the list so the meeting can sort real line-down items to the top. Record the supplier promise date every time it changes, and delete the row only when the receipt is posted in the ERP.

One row per part per affected job
Update promise dates the day you hear them
Close rows only after receipt and put-away

What the totals tell you

Total shortage value shows how much work in process is exposed. Worst days late shows the single biggest slip, and the average days late shows whether the whole list is ageing or only one item is. If the average is rising week after week, the cause is usually systemic: reorder points set too low, lead times in the item master that no longer match reality, or a supplier that has quietly slipped.

Pulling the data from your ERP

Most ERPs can produce a shortage list. In SAP it comes from the MRP stock requirements list and MD07 or a missing parts report on the production order; in Epicor and SyteLine it comes from job material shortage inquiries; in NetSuite a saved search on work orders with unfulfilled components does the job. Paste the output here, then add the columns your ERP does not hold: impact, action and the promise date you negotiated by phone.

Common mistakes

Planners often keep shortages in a private spreadsheet that nobody else sees, so buyers duplicate calls and production hears of problems late. Another mistake is logging the action but never the owner or the date. Treat this log as shared: one version, reviewed daily, and every row with an action and a date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a replacement for the ERP shortage report?

No. The ERP report is the source of truth for what is short. This log adds the human layer: impact, the action taken, the promise date and who owns it. Use the ERP list as input and keep this worksheet as the meeting record.

How often should the log be updated?

Daily for plants with short lead times and high mix, at minimum before every shortage meeting. Stale promise dates are the most common reason planners lose trust in the list.

Can I add my own columns?

The browser worksheet has fixed columns, but after export to Excel you can add anything: buyer name, PO number, carrier or tracking number. Keep the exported layout so you can re-import the data later.

What counts as line down?

Use line down only when production has stopped or will stop within the current shift for lack of the part. Using it too freely makes everything look urgent and the meeting loses its ability to prioritise.

If your shortage list is rebuilt by hand every morning, we can wire it to your ERP data so it refreshes itself. Ask for a short review.

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