Quick start
Inventory Intelligence works in Microsoft Excel (Windows, Mac and Excel on the web) and in a normal web browser at inventory.leanexcel.com. Data → Analyze is free and needs no account. Policy, Validate, Execute and Govern are part of Inventory Pro.
Sample files (download to see the expected columns):
Data checklist: “Workbook data is not ready”
If you see this message, check these points. Analyze, Policy and Validate need clean tables.
- Product Master lists every item, with Item IDs that match your stock and sales tables.
- Sales Data covers the period you want to analyse, with a date and quantity sold on each row.
- Inventory Stock has the on-hand quantity for each Item ID.
- Transit Stock table exists. It can be empty, but the table must be there.
- Item IDs are the same in every table (no stock or sales rows for items missing from Product Master).
- Column headers match the template. If your headers are different, use Match columns on the Data page.
Current stock = on-hand stock + stock in transit, added up by Item ID.
How it works
Analyze: movement and cover
Analyze gives you two separate facts for each item: how recently it sold (movement, using the FSN method: fast, slow, non-moving) and how long your stock will last (cover). Read them side by side, not as one score.
Default: last sale within 3 months.
Default: last sale between 3 and 12 months ago.
Default: no sales, or last sale more than 12 months ago.
You can change the last-sale limits in Analyze, and choose whether average daily demand uses calendar days or working days.
Analyze and Policy
“When did it last sell, and how long will the stock last?” It describes what has happened.
“Should we stock it, how should we replenish it, and at what levels?” It uses sales history and the planning fields in Product Master.
Policy works in three stages: (1) stock or no stock, (2) periodic or continuous review, (3) reorder point, order quantity and maximum level. Analyze results are a useful cross-check but you don’t need to run Analyze first.
Validate, Execute and Govern
- Validate: replays your policy levels against past sales so you can see how they would have performed before you use them.
- Execute: turns the results into action lists, such as items to reorder and excess stock to reduce, which you can export to Excel.
- Govern: a regular review of stock health, movement against policy, and how well plans are being followed.
Free and Pro
Dashboard, Data and Analyze: fast, slow and non-moving items, sales trends and months of stock cover.
Adds Policy, Validate, Execute and Govern. Sign in from Account with Microsoft, Google or email.
- Payments are handled by Paddle, our reseller (Merchant of Record), so your receipt and invoice come from Paddle.
- To change your payment details, see invoices or cancel, go to Account → Manage billing. You can cancel at any time.
- Your workbook data stays in Excel or, in the web version, in your browser. In the web version your file is read in the browser and not sent to our servers, and it stays in that browser until you clear it.
Troubleshooting
Open Data and fix the errors it lists. Transit Stock must exist even if it is empty. See the data checklist.
Use the template headers, or use Match columns on the Data page to link your own column names. Check the sheet or table names match the four tables above.
Stock or sales rows for Item IDs that are not in Product Master skew the results. Add the missing items to Product Master, or correct the IDs.
Close and reopen Excel. Then look under Home → Add-ins → My add-ins. If add-ins are blocked at your company, ask your IT admin to allow Inventory Intelligence.
Check your internet connection. If you are on a company network, ask your IT team to allow inventory.leanexcel.com through the firewall. Then close and reopen the task pane.
Open Account and sign in with the same Microsoft, Google or email account you used to subscribe. If your subscription has ended, use Manage billing to restart it.
Allow pop-ups for Excel or your browser, then try again. If your company blocks Microsoft sign-in to other apps, try Google or email, or ask your IT admin.
Use Account → Manage billing for invoices, payment details and cancelling. For anything else, email us.
Analyze uses your chosen basis (calendar or working days) for cover. Policy uses daily sales over calendar days. Both are correct for their purpose.
Your file is kept only in the browser you used. Clearing browser data, using a private window or another device means opening the file again.
Contact
Email: hello@leanexcel.com
We read every message and reply as soon as we can.
Support page: www.leanexcel.com/support/inventory-intelligence
Inventory Intelligence 1.0.0
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