Handing over a warehouse: a count that leaves no loose ends

A warehouse manager is about to leave and a new one has just arrived. The riskiest thing to do now is to shake hands, pass over the keys and call it a handover. The newcomer inherits a gap between books and stock that nobody can explain, and the person who left may be asked years later where a particular batch went. A formal handover count protects both sides.

Why a handover needs a count

A handover means writing down, for one moment in time, what is in the warehouse, what is owed and what is still unresolved, and having both the person leaving and the person arriving accept it. Where head office is not on site and managers alternate between expatriates and locals, a written record is far more reliable than a verbal briefing. Without a count, the figures are only spoken promises. With one, problems from before the handover stay with the period before it, problems after it belong to the period after, and the line of responsibility is clear.

What to prepare

Before counting, assemble a handover pack:

• a stock report from the system (1C, Excel or ERP) at the handover moment;
• open orders, goods in transit and returns waiting to be processed;
• a list of unsigned or unposted documents;
• pending claims and known differences;
• a list of keys, system accounts, permissions and door access, showing who holds what and what must be withdrawn or changed.

Ask the outgoing manager to add a short note of "things only I know": verbal agreements with suppliers, goods with special storage needs, customers who always collect late. None of this is in any system, and it is the first thing lost in a handover.

Also agree how movements are handled during the count, for example stopping receipts and issues on the morning of the handover, or counting zone by zone. Schedule the handover at least a week before the outgoing manager's last day, so there is still time for a recount.

How to count

If possible, have three people present: the outgoing manager, the incoming manager and a neutral person. The neutral person can be a finance representative, a colleague from head office or an outside party. They need not know the warehouse in detail; their role is to confirm that the count was done properly and the figures are real.

• Use the exact handover moment as the cut-off and count every storage point, including goods lent out, goods at subcontractors and goods kept elsewhere.
• Count valuable and easily lost items first, in a locked area.
• Work in pairs, one counting and one recording, write the numbers on the count sheet as you go, and have both sides sign.
• Have a different pair recount any location that does not match.
• Photograph every zone before and after the count, including locked cages.

Recording and signing

Write the result as one signed document. It should state the scope and moment of the count, the result, the list of differences against the books, the differences already explained and why, and the "open items" that cannot be explained yet. Each open item needs a named person to follow it up and a date by which an answer is due. Attach the full count sheets and photographs as annexes. If the incoming manager disputes a figure, record the objection and the result of the recount rather than overwriting the original number. Each side keeps a copy.

An invented example: book stock is 860 million UZS. The count finds shortages of 14 million and surpluses of 5 million, a net shortage of 9 million. Six million turns out to be goods shipped but not invoiced, and the document is raised on the spot. The remaining net 3 million goes on the open-items list, to be cleared within 30 days. Nothing in the handover document is left vague.

Common mistakes

• Remembering the count only after the outgoing manager has left, when nobody can explain the differences.
• The new manager counting alone, so the old manager does not accept the result afterwards.
• Counting the goods but not handing over documents and open matters.
• Changing keys and system permissions at a different time from the handover.
• Treating the handover as a favour between two people instead of a record left for the company.

In short

The aim is for both sides to sign the same figures. UzWarehouse runs neutral handover counts when a warehouse manager or general manager changes, or when a partner leaves.