The first and most important step to achieving inventory accuracy in your store is to assign the role of Inventory Coordinator (IC). The IC is a role assigned to your assistant manager or another employee who is savvy with inventory operations. The IC is responsible for working with the store manager to goal-set, monitor and achieve its Operational Levels. Like the coxswain in the photo below, your Inventory Coordinator is responsible for deploying your accuracy processes and coaching those who come into contact with them (cashiers, counters, receivers, department heads). 

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  Accuracy is achieved through teamwork (above). The efforts of your inventory coordinator alone cannot overcome even one sloppy person or process. Your IC needs to work with their manager to ensure accuracy processes such as cashier testing and store flossing are being performed and that employees struggling with accuracy are identified and given the opportunity to improve. The IC is responsible for researching and finalizing variances in RPI and should be able to explain these variances to their manager.
  
  This guy (below) has no hope of delivering accuracy by himself, good luck driving that bus.

  

  Who makes a good IC? Usually someone without extensive product knowledge but is good on the computer, is detail-oriented, and is good at solving inventory mysteries. They need to have a passion for accuracy and tidiness and but not be overbearing about it. Again, accuracy is a team effort and an "accuracy grouch" is not going to be very effective. Rather, an IC needs to be able to work with the store manager to report any procedural or employee issues and it will be the store manager's responsibility to address these. 

• As an IC, your responsibility is set an Operational Level goal then monitor and achieve it! This will involve taking ownership of all QOH variances in your store (be responsible for finalizing PIP), deploying root accuracy processes, controlling counting (who and why), and making sure anyone who touches or impacts QOH accuracy (receivers, counters, department managers, cashiers) is adhering to a high standard.
  
  #1 - Set an Operational Level goal for your store with your manager.
  Make sure to set a reasonable level goal. For example, if your store is at Level 1 with an IRA of 50% then achieving Level 5 in four months is not reasonable. As a guideline, we recommend giving your store at least four months to get over each level. 
  
  #2 - Own variances 
  All QOH variances should be forced into PIP (no changing QOH from IMU) where they can be monitored and fully researched before being finalized. If PIP is automatically running each night then you will want to disable this behavior and take control and run RPI only when you are confident the counts are good. By performing variance research, you will quickly learn who in your store is good at counting and who it not. Your goal is to train your counters to make a great initial count, those employees who continually struggle at counting should be assigned a different task as it is very time consuming to correct bad initial counts.
  
  #3 - Direct and ensure counting processes are complete
  Be responsible for ensuring Mango's monthly Count Sheets are fully processed and that Outs are been shot every week. Count Sheet Completion is measured as the Operational Level 0 metric and shooting outs process can be monitored through Mango's Shooting Outs % metric.
  
  #4 - Apply Mango's monthly Accuracy Cadence procedure
  Mango's Accuracy Cadence helps stores with root accuracy so that IRA can be sustained and counting labor can be reduced.
  
  #5 - Employee Training
  It may be necessary from time to time to train and retrain employees on the importance of accuracy and some basic accuracy skills.