P101.11 - Office Supply Rooms / Inventory
One of the biggest mistakes I see organizationally in offices of those who prefer form over function is the distribution of office supplies in cabinets, drawers, nooks and crannies throughout the office.
In such situations neither the Sole Proprietor nor any hired help can't tell you exactly where anything is, and there are duplicates of lots of stuff as extra items were bought when the back stock could not be found.
ALL back-stock items and supply items should be stored in plain view so you can use your "eyes" to find items and so you can use your "eyes" to do quick inventories each time you need to buy something.
The same concept of visual inventory holds true for salable goods as well (examples of that below too).
In such situations neither the Sole Proprietor nor any hired help can't tell you exactly where anything is, and there are duplicates of lots of stuff as extra items were bought when the back stock could not be found.
ALL back-stock items and supply items should be stored in plain view so you can use your "eyes" to find items and so you can use your "eyes" to do quick inventories each time you need to buy something.
The same concept of visual inventory holds true for salable goods as well (examples of that below too).
Example #1 -- Walk in Storage Closet
These items were spread across 5-10 cabinets/drawers before we consolidated here.
We added some wall rails on both left and right walls and then added more adjustable shelving to accommodate all items.
It is more organized than it looks in this picture.
These items were spread across 5-10 cabinets/drawers before we consolidated here.
We added some wall rails on both left and right walls and then added more adjustable shelving to accommodate all items.
It is more organized than it looks in this picture.
Example #2 -- Walk in Storage Area/Kitchen
Like example #1, most of this was spread across the office in cabinets, filing cabinets and drawers. There were duplicate piles of envelops stored in multiple places, etc.
Keep ALL spare items and stock in one place and do not put behind closed doors.
Like example #1, most of this was spread across the office in cabinets, filing cabinets and drawers. There were duplicate piles of envelops stored in multiple places, etc.
Keep ALL spare items and stock in one place and do not put behind closed doors.
Example #3 -- Inventory Room
About 60% of this inventory was all squished into the storage closet in example 1 and there was no workstation for unpacking and stocking inventory nor for packing items for shipping (when necessary).
A room was designated for inventory, 5 IKEA shelving units were purchased and installed, a packing table was setup and a visual inventory management and replenishment system was created.
About 60% of this inventory was all squished into the storage closet in example 1 and there was no workstation for unpacking and stocking inventory nor for packing items for shipping (when necessary).
A room was designated for inventory, 5 IKEA shelving units were purchased and installed, a packing table was setup and a visual inventory management and replenishment system was created.