Warehouse paperwork: who signs what, and when

Even if goods move correctly through a warehouse, once the paperwork falls behind, the balance in the system and the balance on the shelf drift apart. At month end, the accountant and the warehouse manager, busy "closing" documents, ask each other plenty of questions: when did this stock arrive, who received it, why is there no signature, why does the number not match? The problem is not the people but that the path of a document is not defined. When the path is clear, most of the questions vanish and month-end closing becomes ordinary work.

The main documents

The names and forms of documents depend on the contract and on accounting rules, so agree the exact forms with your accountant. A warehouse usually deals with these types:

• a receipt document: goods accepted into the warehouse;
• a dispatch document: goods shipped or handed over;
• an internal transfer: goods moved from one place to another;
• a return: from a customer or to a supplier;
• a report: when damage, a shortage or a surplus is found;
• a stocktaking sheet;
• a shift log with brief entries.

The path of a document

For each process write down the path on a single sheet and put it on the wall or in a shared folder.

For receiving: the delivery note, then the receiving sheet (completed by the storekeeper), then entry into the system the same day, then handover to accounts.

For dispatch: the order, the picking sheet, the checker's signature, the dispatch document (with the driver's or customer's signature), closing in the system, handover to accounts.

At every step three things must be clear: who does it, with which document and by when. No step should be left to "whoever happens to be there".

If the document and the goods disagree, do not close the document "approximately". Write the difference in a report, set the goods apart and tell the document's owner the same day. The real quantity goes into the system, and the difference is explained by the report.

The one-day rule

A document is completed on the same day as the physical movement, at the latest by the start of the next shift. This rule keeps the list of open documents short. Every day at the end of the shift the list is reviewed: what remained open and why. If one person both writes and checks, there is no control: even in a small warehouse, let another employee or the manager check the entered document.

A conditional example. If 60 open documents pile up by month end, putting them right takes two days, and the reasons for differences are forgotten. Three or four open documents a day are closed in fifteen minutes while the reason is still fresh.

Signature, copies and corrections

The person signing must have seen what is on the document: who hands over and who receives, and both sign with their name and the date. Do not hand out pre-signed blank forms: they are the easiest route to abuse. An error is not written over; it is struck through with one line, the correct entry is written beside it and confirmed with a signature. Document numbers run in sequence and no number is skipped; a spoiled form is not destroyed but marked "cancelled" and kept. The number of copies is also fixed in advance: what stays with the giver, the receiver, accounts and the warehouse.

Paper, electronic copies and the archive

Paper documents can work together with an electronic system. Scan important papers and keep them as files named by date and number, with a backup copy too: then finding one document takes minutes. A phone photo helps for a while but does not replace the original. Paper documents sit in folders by type and date, on a labelled shelf. The retention period depends on the type of document and on accounting rules: confirm it with your accountant or lawyer, write the destruction date on the folder and do not discard anything early.

Common mistakes

• Documents are written "all at once" at month end.
• Pre-signed blank forms are handed out.
• An error is overwritten and it is unclear which version is right.
• One document sits in several places and nobody knows where the original is.

Conclusion

Paperwork is the memory of a warehouse: it keeps every movement of goods with an explanation. During a warehouse audit, SkladKontrol checks how closely documents and physical movement agree, while a stock count compares the book balance with the real one.