TAP TAP GO
Use the right demand signal
Review completed sales, firm orders and credible near-term requirements separately from broad pipeline. A sudden promotion or one large customer can distort the recent average. Explain any adjustment rather than allowing exceptional demand to become the permanent purchasing assumption.
Map the replenishment lead time
Include supplier preparation, production, transit and inspection before stock becomes available. Use observed variability where possible. The order date is not the availability date, and an optimistic lead-time assumption can create customer delays even when total inventory appears sufficient.
Define a review process
Set a regular stock review that combines demand changes, current commitments and supply updates. Avoid presenting one formula as a universal answer. The appropriate buffer depends on service goals, cash constraints and the consequences of excess or insufficient stock. Review supplier updates before converting the model into a purchase instruction. A mathematically correct reorder calculation can still be operationally wrong if production capacity, shipping timing or the approved product specification has changed since the last planning cycle. Record the date of the stock decision so later reviewers can distinguish a poor assumption from a change that occurred after the order was placed.
Illustrative operating example
At a hypothetical demand rate of 100 cards weekly and a six-week replenishment period, 600 cards cover average demand during that period before any buffer. A large corporate order or a supplier delay would require the team to revisit the assumption.
Make it practical.
Use this checklist as you read. Checks are not stored.Published by Tap Tap Go. Product availability and eligibility vary by programme and market. About our stories.
