The questions people actually ask in their first month.
Whenever units arrive on a shelf outside the normal purchase-order process, or you find units the system does not know about. Goods delivered without paperwork, returns put back on the shelf, or a part being placed on a new shelf for the first time. Use Stock Take, or Adjust → Add to Stock.
Whenever units physically leave a shelf and no order accounts for it — damaged, scrapped, lost, stolen, used internally, or given away as samples. Use Adjust → Deduct from Stock. Do not use it for ordinary sales; those are handled by the order process.
After you have physically counted a shelf and the system disagrees with what you found. Use Stock Change and type the number you counted. You do not need to work out the difference — WHIMS does that for you and records it as the change.
Stock Take adds to what is there. Stock Change replaces it. If a shelf holds 2 and you want 18: Stock Take needs 16, Stock Change needs 18. When you have counted a shelf, Stock Change is almost always the right tool.
No. Stock History is permanent and has no edit or delete buttons for anyone. You correct a mistake by making a second, opposite entry with a reason that explains it. Both entries stay visible — which is exactly what an auditor expects to see.
Nothing dramatic, as long as you fix it promptly. Work out the difference and correct it: add the shortfall with Adjust → Add to Stock, remove the excess with Deduct from Stock, or set the shelf to the right figure with Stock Change. Always say in the reason that you are correcting an earlier entry.
Three ways, in increasing detail. Read the green confirmation message — it states the new total. Go to Inventory → Stock Levels, search for the product and read the Quantity column. Or open Reports → Stock History and check the newest entry shows your name, your reason and the expected before/after figures.
Count the shelf first — do not adjust from memory. Then open the product's Stock History tab and read the recent movements; the cause is often obvious. If the difference is small and clearly explained, correct it with Stock Change and a full reason. If it is large, unexplained, or looks like it might be theft or a system fault, report it before changing anything.
You never need one. Quantities are always positive; the direction comes from the choice you make — Add to Stock or Deduct from Stock.
No. It simply means this part has never been held on that shelf. Continuing creates the first stock record for it, which is exactly right when you are putting a part somewhere new. Just make sure you meant that shelf.
No. If you leave it empty the shelf keeps its existing average price. Enter one when you know what this batch actually cost — WHIMS then blends it with the existing stock to produce a new weighted average, which keeps your inventory valuation honest.
Reserved units are already promised to orders. Available is quantity minus reserved. You cannot change reserved figures from these screens — they are managed by the order process.
Technically yes, but avoid it. Each save is applied to the figure as it stands at that moment, so two people adjusting the same shelf within minutes will produce a result neither expects. Agree who is handling which aisle before you start.
Check Stock History for two identical entries a few seconds apart. If there are two, deduct the extra quantity with the reason "Reversing duplicate entry". Note that duplicate Stock Change entries are harmless — setting a shelf to 18 twice still leaves 18.
No. That is why the wizard makes you confirm you have downloaded the CSV first. If you run it by mistake, use that spreadsheet with Bulk Stock Change to restore each product, and tell your supervisor.
A known display fault on the Stock Levels screen. It is not a button and it is not the real condition. Use the Condition filter in the filter panel instead. It has been reported.
Habits that keep stock figures trustworthy.
One page. Print it and keep it by the terminal.
Stock Take ADDS to what is there.
Stock Change REPLACES it.
Shelf has 2, you want 18 → Stock Take: 16 · Stock Change: 18.
Green = saved. Read the new total.
Red = refused, nothing saved.
"Insufficient Stock" → you tried to remove more than the shelf holds.
"The … field is required." → fill in the red boxes.
• Share a login.
• Delete a stock record to remove units.
• Re-submit when unsure — check Stock History first.
• Run Empty Location without exporting first.
• Count before adjusting.
• Write a reason a stranger could follow.
• Read the confirmation message.
• Report large differences the same day.
| Where to go | Address |
|---|---|
| Stock Levels | /admin/stocks — Inventory → Stock Levels |
| Products | /admin/products — Inventory → Products |
| Stock History | /admin/stock-histories — Reports → Stock History |
| Locations | /admin/locations — Settings → Locations |
Inventory Systems / IT Helpdesk — telephone [insert number] · email
[insert address] · hours [insert].
Have ready: the exact message, Product ID, warehouse and location, what you typed, and the time.
Where everything fits together, and the checks to run before every save.
| Notice a difference delivery, damage, count |
› | Count the shelf confirm what is really there |
› | Choose the tool add · remove · adjust |
| Fill the form product, shelf, quantity, reason |
› | Submit and read the confirmation message |
› | Verify Stock Levels · Stock History |
Three tools cover almost everything you will meet:
Two more handle volume and clear-outs: Bulk Stock Take and Bulk Stock Change apply a spreadsheet in one go, and Empty Location zeroes an entire shelf after you have exported it.
Behind all of them sits the same principle: every change is attributed, dated, explained, and permanent. Nothing in WHIMS quietly rewrites the past — which is what makes the numbers worth trusting in the first place.
If you are ever unsure which tool to use, stop and ask. A thirty-second question costs far less than a correction that has to be explained at the next stock audit.
Words used in WHIMS and in this guide.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Available Quantity | Quantity minus Reserved Quantity — what can still be sold. |
| Average Price | The average cost of one unit on a shelf. Recalculated when you add stock with a unit price. |
| Bulk | Doing something for many products at once by uploading a spreadsheet. |
| Condition | New, Used, Refurbished or Damaged. Filterable, though the Stock Levels column does not currently display it correctly. |
| CSV | A plain spreadsheet file. Excel can save one with File → Save As → CSV. |
| Location | A shelf, bin or rack position inside a warehouse. Stock is counted per location. |
| Partslink | An industry part-numbering scheme. Searchable in WHIMS. |
| Product ID | The code identifying a part in WHIMS. The equivalent of a SKU. |
| Reserved Quantity | Units already promised to orders. Not editable from the stock screens. |
| Stock Change | The tool that replaces a shelf's quantity with a figure you type. |
| Stock History | The permanent, read-only log of every movement. |
| Stock record | One product on one shelf, with its quantity, price and status. |
| Stock Take | In WHIMS, the tool that adds units to a shelf. |
| Sub-location | An optional finer position within a location. |
| Warehouse | A physical site. Contains locations. |
| Weighted average | A price averaged across quantities, so a large batch influences it more than a small one. |