Stock numbers look wrong
Trace unexpected on-hand, committed, or uncommitted quantities to their cause.
Updated August 25, 20261 min read
Most “my stock is wrong” reports turn out to be a misread number rather than a missing one. Confirm what each figure means, then trace the movement that surprised you.
Confirm which number you’re reading
Fiddle tracks five useful quantities, and uncommitted is not the same as on hand:
| Quantity | Meaning |
|---|---|
| On hand | Physically in stock now |
| Committed | On hand currently covering demand |
| Incoming | On open purchase orders, not yet received |
| Uncommitted | On hand minus committed |
| Short | Demand not covered by committed on-hand or incoming supply |
If uncommitted looks low but on hand is fine, stock is committed to current demand.
Check the usual causes
- Wrong location — each location has its own counts. Confirm you’re viewing the right one, or the total across all locations.
- A pending transfer — stock in transit between locations isn’t fully counted at either end yet.
- A PO received into the wrong location — the units exist, just not where you expected.
- An unposted count or adjustment — a stock count in progress can mask the live figure.
Trace the exact change
- Open the item and go to its activity log (inventory history).
- Read the entries newest-first to find the movement that changed the number.
- Each entry shows the order, transfer, count, or adjustment responsible.
Reconciling a count? Run a stock count for that location so adjustments are recorded with a clear reason, instead of editing quantities by hand.
For definitions in depth, see Inventory.
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