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Build an inventory control app
where every adjustment has a reason.

Tell Netiva’s agent how your team counts stock and it builds a web app for cycle count schedules, blind count sheets, variance review and adjustment approvals while you watch the live preview.

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Starter prompt

Build an inventory control web app for a 4,000-SKU distribution warehouse. Items have a SKU, primary bin, ABC class, on-hand quantity and unit cost; one sheet line per bin an item sits in. Count A items monthly at zero tolerance, B quarterly and C twice a year within 2% or $100 at cost, grouped into sheets by zone. Counters sign in and key quantities on a phone without seeing on-hand, captured at release. Send any line outside its tolerance for a recount, then to an approval queue where someone other than the counter approves or rejects it with a reason code. Add a monthly shrinkage report by reason and zone.

Build it in Netiva Paste the prompt into a new workspace and adjust it to your business.
Overview

Who this inventory control app is for

When the system says 40 and the bin holds 31, someone has to find out why before the record quietly changes. In many warehouses that work lives on printed count sheets, a variance spreadsheet and email threads about who signed off. An inventory control app built with Netiva gives the whole count program one place: items coming due by ABC class, blind count sheets on a phone, recounts for lines outside tolerance and adjustments that need a reason code and a second person’s decision before they reach the monthly shrinkage report.

Key features

What your inventory control app can do

  • Count schedules by ABC class

    Give each item an A, B or C class, and set each class its count interval and tolerance once on the class table. The app works out when items are next due and groups them into sheets by zone, so all your stock gets counted over the cycle.

    • A class table holding each class’s interval and tolerance
    • Next count date from the class interval and the last count
    • Daily count sheets built by zone, in walk order
    • A morning email to each counter with their sheets

  • Blind count sheets on a phone

    Counters sign in, open their sheet in the phone’s browser and record what they find, bin by bin. On-hand is captured when the sheet is released and kept off blind sheets, so nobody counts toward an expected number.

    • On-hand snapshot taken at release and hidden from the counter
    • Lines in walk order, each with its bin, SKU and description
    • Spot-check sheets a lead can raise for a single bin between cycles
    • Every sheet tied to the counter who signed in

  • Variance review against tolerances

    Each line compares the count with the snapshot in units, percent and value at cost. Lines inside your tolerance are adjusted and logged automatically; the rest go back for a recount before anyone touches on-hand.

    • Tolerances per ABC class, as a percentage and a value at cost
    • Recounts sent to a second counter when a line is out
    • A review list sorted by variance value, largest first
    • Saved views in the collections for each zone and count type

  • Adjustment approvals and shrinkage

    A confirmed variance becomes a pending adjustment with a reason code. A second person approves or rejects it, the decision is kept with their name and the time, and approved changes feed the shrinkage report.

    • Reason codes such as damaged, suspected theft and miscount
    • Your own counts left out of your approval queue
    • An email to the controller when a large adjustment is waiting
    • Losses, gains and net shrinkage at cost by month
Data model

The collections behind it

Netiva keeps your records in built-in collections. Here’s a starting structure — the agent adapts it to your prompt, and you can change it any time.

Items

Every stocked SKU with its pick face, count class and the on-hand figure you control.

  • SKU (required) Text
  • Description (required) Text
  • Primary bin (required) The pick face, such as 04-B-2; reserve locations are counted as extra lines Text
  • ABC class (required) A, B or C; the class sets the count interval and the tolerance for a variance Text
  • On-hand quantity (required) Changes only through approved adjustments or your ERP’s API Number
  • Unit cost (required) Used to value variances and shrinkage Number
  • Last counted Date
  • Next count due Last counted date plus the class interval Date

Count sheets

A batch of count lines in one zone, released to one counter for a given day.

  • Zone (required) Aisle, cage, yard or mezzanine Text
  • Count type (required) Cycle, Spot check or Full physical Text
  • Scheduled for (required) Date
  • Counter (required) The person assigned to count the sheet Text
  • Blind count (required) Yes or No; Yes keeps snapshot quantities off the sheet Text
  • Status (required) Scheduled, Counting, Submitted or Closed Text
  • Released at When the on-hand snapshot was taken for every line Date & time

Count lines

One item at one bin on a sheet: the snapshot, each count and the variance that results.

  • Count sheet (required) Relation to Count sheets
  • Item (required) Relation to Items
  • Bin counted (required) The location this line covers; an item held in several bins gets a line each Text
  • Snapshot quantity (required) On-hand for the item when the sheet was released Number
  • First count Number
  • Recount Entered by a second counter when the first count is out of tolerance Number
  • Variance Final count minus snapshot, in units; a multi-bin item sums its lines first Number
  • Line status (required) Open, Matched, Within tolerance, Recount or Adjustment raised Text

Adjustments

The approval log: every change to on-hand, with its reason and the decision on it.

  • Count line (required) Every adjustment is backed by a count, spot checks included Relation to Count lines
  • Quantity change (required) Negative for losses, positive for found stock Number
  • Value at cost (required) Kept at the cost on the day, even if unit cost changes later Number
  • Reason (required) Damaged, Suspected theft, Miscount, Receiving error, Unrecorded use or Found stock Text
  • Raised by (required) Filled in from the signed-in lead Text
  • Decision (required) Pending, Approved, Auto-approved or Rejected Text
  • Decided by Filled in from the signed-in reviewer; never the line’s counter Text
  • Decided at Date & time

Required field. Types are Netiva collection field types.

Screens

Pages and screens to start with

A typical first version. Ask the agent for more, or annotate the preview to change any of them.

  • Count schedule

    Sheets due this week by zone and counter, items past their next count date and an action to release today’s sheets.

    Signed-in users

  • Count sheet

    The counter’s phone view: lines in walk order with the bin, SKU and description, a quantity box per line and a submit button. Blind sheets show no on-hand figures.

    Signed-in users

  • Variance review

    Submitted lines outside tolerance, largest value first, with snapshot, first count and recount side by side, plus recount and raise-adjustment actions.

    Signed-in users

  • Approval queue

    Pending adjustments with reason, value at cost and count history, to approve or reject with a note. Lines you counted yourself are left out.

    Signed-in users

  • Shrinkage report

    Approved adjustments by month, reason and zone at cost, with gross losses and gains shown next to the net figure.

    Signed-in users

  • Count classes

    The class table: A, B and C with a count interval in months, a tolerance percent and a tolerance at cost. Change an interval and every next count date in that class moves with it.

    Your team
How it works

From prompt to a live inventory control app

  1. Describe your count program

    Tell the agent your zones, ABC classes, count intervals, tolerances and who reviews adjustments. It drafts collections for items, count sheets, count lines and adjustments to match.

  2. Load items and set classes

    Add SKUs, bins, on-hand quantities and unit costs in the collection grid. The collection assistant can fill in missing classes or fix inconsistent bin codes across many rows at once.

  3. Run a test count in the preview

    Release a sheet for one aisle, enter a few counts that miss on purpose and follow them through recount, approval and the shrinkage report. Annotate the preview wherever a rule needs to change.

  4. Publish and start the cycle

    Publish in one click, have counters sign in on their phones and switch on the morning sheet emails. Changes after launch are checkpointed, so a tolerance tweak can be rolled back.

Why Netiva

Netiva vs a traditional build

Building an inventory control app with Netiva compared with a traditional build
Criterion With Netiva Traditional build
Count sheets Blind sheets on a phone, with the on-hand snapshot taken at release and kept from the counter Printed sheets that show the book quantity, keyed into the system after the count
Adjustment sign-off Each adjustment carries a reason code and waits for a second person’s decision, kept with name and time Adjustments typed straight into the system, with the reason buried in an email thread
Getting started Describe what you need in chat and watch it take shape in a live preview Hire developers, or stitch together templates, plugins and a hosting plan
Content and data Built-in collections with nine field types, bound straight to your pages Set up and connect a separate database or CMS
Making changes Ask the agent; every change is checkpointed and reversible File a ticket, wait for a sprint, redeploy
Hosting and domain Global hosting and automatic SSL; connect a custom domain from the Starter plan Buy hosting, then install and renew SSL certificates yourself
Code ownership Clean production code you own and can export Locked into a template, plugin or agency setup
Examples

Ways teams use it

  • An industrial distributor moving to cycle counts

    A distributor with a few thousand SKUs counts A items monthly and the rest on a longer cycle, and the controller checks accuracy by zone before each close. The annual count stays until the auditors accept the program.

  • A plant maintenance storeroom

    Spare parts in a locked cage are few but costly. The storeroom lead runs weekly spot checks on critical spares, and every missing bearing or motor becomes an adjustment that the maintenance manager approves or rejects.

  • A 3PL sharing accuracy with its clients

    A third-party warehouse counts each client’s SKUs on its own schedule. Client contacts sign in to a page that shows only their own record accuracy and approved adjustments for the month.

Good to know

Before you build

  • Your ERP stays the book of record

    The app records counts and approved adjustments; it doesn’t post journal entries. Your controller posts adjustments in the accounting system, or the app sends them through that system’s REST API if the vendor offers one.

  • Agree on the count program with your auditors

    When perpetual records are well kept and checked regularly against physical counts, auditors can usually observe your counts during or after the period instead of at year-end (PCAOB AS 2510; AICPA AU-C 501 for private audits). Whether they replace the annual count is their call.

  • Approval rules aren’t access control

    Netiva doesn’t add per-user roles or an audit log to the app. It records who decided each adjustment, but records can still be edited in the collections in your Netiva workspace, so keep workspace access to a small group.

  • Freeze the zone and count every location

    Variances are measured against the snapshot taken at release. Picks, put-away or receipts before the sheet is submitted read as false variances, so hold movement or count on a quiet shift. A SKU split across a pick face and reserve bins needs every location counted in one pass.

FAQ

Questions about building an inventory control app

What’s the difference between cycle counting and a full physical inventory?

A full physical inventory, often called a wall-to-wall count, counts everything at one point in time, usually at year-end. Cycle counting covers part of the stock each day or week until every item has been counted over the cycle, without stopping work for a full count. The app handles both: a count sheet’s type is Cycle, Spot check or Full physical, and the reports filter by type.

How often should each ABC class be counted?

There’s no fixed rule. Many teams rank items by annual usage value, then count A items most often and C items least — for example monthly, quarterly and twice a year. Criticality and theft risk matter too. In the app each class has its own interval and the next count date follows from the last count, so you can adjust intervals as accuracy improves.

Why shouldn’t counters see the system quantity?

A counter who knows the expected number may glance at the bin, assume it matches and write that number down, or be nudged into counting the wrong unit, such as boxes instead of each. Blind counts remove that bias, so a match means both the count and the record are right. The app takes the snapshot at release, keeps it off blind sheets and shows it on the variance review screen after submission.

What happens when a count is outside tolerance?

You set tolerances on the class table, as a percentage and a value at cost, tight or zero for A items and wider for C items. A line inside tolerance is adjusted to the count and logged as auto-approved. A line outside goes to a second counter for a recount. If the gap holds, the lead raises an adjustment with a reason code, and it waits until someone other than the counter decides.

How does the shrinkage report work out losses?

It totals approved adjustments at the cost stored on each one, by month, reason and zone. Losses and gains appear separately as well as net, because found stock can hide missing stock inside a single net number. Retailers often quote shrink as a percentage of sales; to see that, ask the agent to divide by a monthly sales figure you enter or pull from your ERP.

Can the inventory control app sync on-hand with our ERP?

Yes, if your ERP or accounting system has a REST API. Netiva apps can call any REST API with keys stored securely, so you can ask the agent to refresh on-hand before a sheet is released and send approved adjustments back. Check your vendor’s API documentation for what it allows. Without an API, keep on-hand in the app and post approved adjustments by hand at month-end.

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Drafted with AI assistance from Netiva’s product pages and reviewed by the Netiva team. Example data models, screens and prompts are illustrative starting points, not customer projects.

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