Capability template for supply chain and inventory
Inbound receiving exception trace
When what arrived does not match the advance shipment notice, the receiving supervisor or inventory controller gets the notice, the packing list and the scans side by side by item and lot, with missing references and questions to investigate. Nothing is adjusted and nobody is contacted.
Listed under
Add it to a workflow in the Fully Powered Planner, beside the teams and roles that will run it. Book a fit call
The outcome
A truck is unloaded, the scans are in, and the counts do not agree with the advance shipment notice. Without a comparison, the first hour goes on working out which record to believe. This capability does that work in one pass. Every item and lot gets a line showing what the notice said to expect, what the supplier's packing list says was packed and what the scanners recorded, all in the item's own unit.
Each difference is read against the three records. Each line that differs says which records agree and which do not, so the supervisor sees at once whether the scans, the packing list or the notice stands apart. Where a shortage in one lot is matched by an unexpected quantity in another lot of the same item, the comparison says so.
The work is honest about what it cannot settle. A scan number used twice, a pallet carrying two lots, a unit the item master does not recognize and an item that is not in the item master are each listed and left open. Then the missing references are listed, and each open point is written as a question for the supervisor and the inventory controller.
It records no stock correction, assigns no fault and writes to no supplier. The supervisor counts what is on the dock and decides what follows.
Who starts the work, and when
The receiving supervisor or the inventory controller starts it once a delivery has been scanned and the counts look wrong, before any correction is entered or any supplier is asked about it. A receiving clerk can run it for either. It covers one advance shipment notice at a time.
The receiving supervisor verifies the counts on the dock and decides whether to correct inventory records or follow up with the supplier. The inventory controller makes any correction in the stock system after that decision.
What they supply
- The advance shipment notice: what the supplier said was coming, by line, item, lot and quantity.
- The packing list that came with the goods, by item, lot and quantity.
- The receiving scan export for this delivery only: each scan with its pallet, item, lot, quantity and unit.
- The item master: each item's base unit, how many units are in a carton or on a pallet, and whether the item is tracked by lot.
- Settings: the business, the receiving date, the two people who receive the result, and the quantity tolerance if you allow one.
Each file's column headers are checked first. If one does not match, the work stops and asks which column is which. It works from the files you supply and needs no connection to your systems.
What comes out
One page in a fixed order: a summary, data checks, a comparison with one line for each item and lot, the missing references, and numbered questions for the receiving supervisor and the inventory controller. A section with nothing in it says "None."
Every figure can be traced to a row in a file you supplied, and each conversion from cartons or pallets is shown. See the worked example below.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The business, the supplier, the item codes, the lot numbers, the pallets, the quantities and every date below are invented. The business is an invented small distributor of garden and hardware goods, called the Depot here. On the morning of Tuesday 10 November 2026 a delivery from Supplier A has been unloaded and scanned, and the receiving supervisor sees that the counts do not match the advance shipment notice. People are referred to by role.
The inputs come first, in full, so the template can be run on them. The trace follows.
The inputs
1. Settings (typed by the receiving clerk)
Business: the Depot
Receiving date: 2026-11-10
Receiving supervisor: the receiving supervisor
Inventory controller: the inventory controller
All other settings: use the defaults
2. Advance shipment notice
asn_number,line,sku,lot,qty_expected,unit
ASN-4410,1,HT-100,,240,each
ASN-4410,2,GL-210,,500,pair
ASN-4410,3,PT-330,B2611,576,each
ASN-4410,4,SD-450,,400,each
ASN-4410,5,WH-520,,80,each
ASN-4410,6,TP-640,,150,each
3. Packing list
packing_list_number,sku,lot,qty_packed,unit
PL-8830,HT-100,,240,each
PL-8830,GL-210,,500,pair
PL-8830,PT-330,B2611,576,each
PL-8830,SD-450,,420,each
PL-8830,WH-520,W-77,80,each
PL-8830,TP-640,,150,each
4. Receiving scan export (this delivery only)
scan_id,scan_time,pallet_id,sku,lot,qty_scanned,unit
S-001,2026-11-10 08:05,PAL-01,HT-100,,19,carton
S-002,2026-11-10 08:12,PAL-02,GL-210,,250,pair
S-002,2026-11-10 08:12,PAL-02,GL-210,,250,pair
S-003,2026-11-10 08:20,PAL-03,GL-210,,250,pair
S-004,2026-11-10 08:31,PAL-04,PT-330,B2611,288,each
S-005,2026-11-10 08:40,PAL-05,PT-330,B2611,144,each
S-006,2026-11-10 08:41,PAL-05,PT-330,B2612,144,each
S-007,2026-11-10 08:55,PAL-06,SD-450,,420,each
S-008,2026-11-10 09:02,PAL-07,WH-520,W-77,80,each
S-009,2026-11-10 09:10,PAL-08,TP-640,,10,bundle
S-010,2026-11-10 09:15,PAL-09,XK-999,,12,each
5. Item master
sku,description,base_unit,units_per_carton,units_per_pallet,lot_controlled
HT-100,Hand trowel,each,12,,no
GL-210,Work gloves,pair,10,,no
PT-330,Plant food 1 kg,each,6,288,yes
SD-450,Seed tray,each,20,,no
WH-520,Garden hose 15 m,each,4,,yes
TP-640,Tomato cage,each,,,no
The trace
INBOUND RECEIVING EXCEPTION TRACE: the Depot, notice ASN-4410, Tuesday 2026-11-10
For: the receiving supervisor and the inventory controller. Prepared from: notice (6 rows), packing list (6 rows), scan export (11 rows), item master (6 rows), settings.
Column check: all headers matched.
Settings: quantity tolerance 0 base units. Defaults used: quantity tolerance, unit words.
Summary: 8 comparison lines: agree 1, differ 4, not on the notice 2, not scanned 0, not compared 1. Missing references 3. Data checks 3. Questions 7, on 7 items.
Data checks
1. Scan id S-002 appears twice (PAL-02, GL-210, 250 pair, 2026-11-10 08:12). Both rows are counted in the scanned total; line 2 also shows the total with the repeated row set aside. Nothing was removed.
2. Scan S-009 (PAL-08, TP-640) is in "bundle". The item master gives no bundle size and "bundle" is not a unit word. The row was not converted and line 6 is not compared.
3. Pallet PAL-05 shows two lots of PT-330: B2611, 144 (S-005) and B2612, 144 (S-006). The lots are used as scanned.
Comparison (quantities in base units)
1. HT-100 Hand trowel (notice line 1): notice 240; packing list 240; scanned 228 (S-001, 19 cartons × 12 = 228). Differs: scanned 12 fewer than the notice; packing list agrees with the notice. Notice and packing list agree; the difference is on the receiving side. See question 1.
2. GL-210 Work gloves (notice line 2): notice 500; packing list 500; scanned 750 (S-002 twice, S-003). Differs: scanned 250 more than the notice; packing list agrees with the notice. Notice and packing list agree; the difference is on the receiving side. Scanned 500 with the repeated S-002 row set aside. See question 2.
3. PT-330 Plant food 1 kg, lot B2611 (notice line 3): notice 576; packing list 576; scanned 432 (S-004 288, S-005 144). Differs: scanned 144 fewer than the notice; packing list agrees with the notice. Notice and packing list agree; the difference is on the receiving side. Pairs with line 7: the same quantity under another lot. See question 3.
4. SD-450 Seed tray (notice line 4): notice 400; packing list 420; scanned 420 (S-007). Differs: scanned 20 more than the notice; packing list 20 more than the notice. Scans match the packing list, not the notice. See question 4.
5. WH-520 Garden hose 15 m, compared as a whole item because the notice has no lot (notice line 5): notice 80; packing list 80; scanned 80 (S-008). Agrees. See question 5.
6. TP-640 Tomato cage (notice line 6): notice 150; packing list 150; scanned not converted (S-009, 10 bundle). Not compared, unit unknown. See question 6.
7. PT-330 Plant food 1 kg, lot B2612 (not on the notice): notice none; packing list none; scanned 144 (S-006). Not on the notice. Pairs with line 3: the same quantity under another lot. See question 3.
8. XK-999 (not in the item master) (not on the notice): notice none; packing list none; scanned 12 (S-010, "each" as written). Not on the notice. See question 7.
Missing references
1. WH-520, notice line 5: no lot on the notice, and the item master marks the item as lot-controlled. The packing list and the scan S-008 show lot W-77.
2. PT-330, lot B2612: scanned (S-006) with no notice line and no packing list line.
3. XK-999: scanned (S-010) with no notice line, no packing list line and no entry in the item master.
Questions for the receiving supervisor and the inventory controller
1. HT-100 Hand trowel. The notice and the packing list both say 240; the scan S-001 on PAL-01 gives 19 cartons of 12, which is 228, 12 fewer than 240 and one carton fewer. Does a count on the dock show 19 or 20 cartons on PAL-01? Is a carton of this item still elsewhere, unscanned?
2. GL-210 Work gloves. The notice and the packing list both say 500 pair; the export holds 750, because scan id S-002 (PAL-02, 250 pair) appears twice. With one S-002 row the total is 500. Was PAL-02 scanned twice, or do two different pallets share the scan id? Does a count on the dock of PAL-02 and PAL-03 show 500 pair?
3. PT-330 Plant food 1 kg. The notice and the packing list say 576 of lot B2611; the scans give 432 of B2611 and 144 of lot B2612, which is on neither document. PAL-05 shows both lots (S-005, S-006). What lot does the label on PAL-05 show, and does the pallet physically hold both? Which lot is printed on the units scanned in S-006?
4. SD-450 Seed tray. The notice says 400; the packing list says 420; the scan S-007 on PAL-06 says 420. Is there a revised notice? Does a count on the dock of PAL-06 show 420?
5. WH-520 Garden hose 15 m. The notice has no lot, the item is lot-controlled, and the packing list and the scan show W-77; the quantities all agree at 80. Is W-77 the lot the supplier meant for notice line 5?
6. TP-640 Tomato cage. The notice and the packing list say 150; the scan S-009 on PAL-08 gives 10 bundle. How many of this item are in a bundle, and does the count on the dock of PAL-08 agree with the notice and the packing list? Is "bundle" a unit the item master should hold?
7. XK-999. The scan S-010 on PAL-09 shows 12 of a code that is on no notice line, no packing list line and not in the item master. What code is printed on the carton labels of PAL-09? Is it a mistyped code for an item on the notice?
Draft for the receiving supervisor and the inventory controller. Nothing has been adjusted, corrected, sent or changed, no supplier has been contacted and no fault has been assigned. Counts are taken from the files supplied on 2026-11-10.
Where it fits
- Supply chain and inventory: the point where the stock system first meets what physically arrived.
- Procurement and suppliers: the facts a buyer needs before anyone raises a difference with a supplier.
- Logistics and trade: warehouses and distribution centres that receive many deliveries a day against notices.
- E-commerce and retail: stores and online sellers whose stock for sale depends on receiving being right.
- Manufacturing: inbound parts and materials, many tracked by lot.
- Consumer brands: brands receiving finished goods from contract manufacturers into their own or a partner's warehouse.
- Established businesses: when receiving differences are sorted out from memory and a shared spreadsheet.
- Growth and scaling: when more deliveries a day make the habit of eyeballing the dock stop working.
It compares one delivery against its notice. Comparing a physical count of stock against the books is stock count reconciliation. Checking the papers on a finished outgoing order is shipment documentation check. Comparing supplier promised dates is supplier delivery date check.
What has to change for your company
- Your export headers, set once so the column check passes without a question.
- Your quantity tolerance, if your suppliers may ship a few units over or under.
- Your unit words, if you receive in something other than the item's base unit, cartons or pallets.
- Who decides whether a count is verified, whether a correction is made and whether a supplier is approached, and who makes the entry in the stock system.
- Your scan export, limited to one delivery, with the pallet, item, lot, quantity and unit on each row.
- Your AI product. It is written to run in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini from the files you supply. It changes nothing in your systems and never asks for a password.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template in its own words from its own map of the work, with no third-party text. It was editorially reviewed on 10 November 2026. It was tried once on its invented example in Claude on 10 November 2026, and the record of that run is published with the template. The run found a few unclear points in the instructions, and the template was corrected for them afterwards. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.
Testing in your environment means running it on a few past deliveries your receiving supervisor remembers well, with hard cases written in advance: a renamed column, a pallet scanned twice, a delivery in cartons where the notice is in single units, a lot on the packing list that the notice leaves blank, a shortage in one lot and a surplus in another, and an item that is not in the item master. The supervisor checks every line against the files and the dock before anyone relies on it. Pilot acceptance-test preparation sets those cases up, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.
The full capability template
Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
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Next step
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