Scanning items to a manifest, but being available
Is it possible to set up a project element (a manifest, in this instance) to allow items to be scanned to it, but not have them be removed from availability?
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Hey Colin,
This is an unusual request obviously, so upfront I'll say that this needs testing in your instance to ensure you get the desired result. If you're trying to put gear on a "manifest" but want that equipment to show as available, then there are 3 parts to it that come to mind: Conflict settings, location of serialized units, and changes to non-serialized quantities.
For the Availability engine to not negatively count the items (basically ignore) on the document for the time period, we need to have the document not cause Conflicts. Really it's about the Status applied to the document. For the applicable Status, the Status's setting "Creates Conflicts" needs to be set to "No".
Serialized Location is also important, because if you scan items through the Prep Screen, it changes its location, which in turn affects it's availability since it's moving it out of the local warehouse and adjusting the On-Hand . Likewise, scanning non-serialized items through the Prep Screen changes their On-Hand quantities and therefore affects availability. To bypass both of these processes, scan directly to the document instead of the Prep Screen. In other words, just open the document and scan directly onto it.
As I said, this is a fringe use and would need to be tested well. There are a lot of settings in Flex and each Flex instance is different. There may be unintended consequences or unexpected results. Also, since I'm unclear of what your end goal is, it's difficult for me to be sure that this method solves your specific need. You're welcome to respond back with specifics or reach out directly with what you're trying to accomplish. Also, hearing back on your testing results helps the community.
You can always reach out directly if you want direct assistance.
Aaron Horn
Consultant (endorsed by Flex)
aaronjhorn@gmail.com
615.335.1225 -
I'm trying to adjust for the fact that Flex doesn't give me direct control over availability. I have a standard procedure that a show has 3 (business) day turnaround time for the shop to deprep a show. Flex doesn't have a good automatic way to handle this. I can manually adjust dates for every pullsheet/manifest as it returns, have my return automatically scan everything back in without checking it, or deal with the fact that equipment shows as not available forever until the shop has a chance to check up.
I'm really not satisfied with any of these options. I am attempting to tie my "returned to warehouse but not deprepped status" still hold the inventory as scanned out, but not affect availability. When it goes to my "fully scanned in" status, it would then go back to showing on availability, for items that were not returned correctly.
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Colin Brandt, without going into much detail, are you aware of the double scan option? You can have a separate "Return" and "Deprep" scan processes on the back end of a job. It's not turned on by default.
You may want to also consider changing the captioning of your Start and End Dates to "Prep" and "Deprep" and use those date fields accordingly. This way the availability engine is covering the true reservation of the equipment for the shop process. Then you can utilize a couple custom fields to provide the "Ship" and "Return" dates for human reference. I have a few clients who do it this way. It has some drawbacks, but it's a better option for them.
I was still a bit unclear from the process you described, but maybe these thoughts will gain some traction towards a solution.
- Aaron Horn
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My current understanding of using deprep, is that it still has the gear in reservation, and thus takes it out of availability. That doesn't solve my problem, it just adds extra scanning to the process.
I really don't want to adjust our dating standard. We frequently have fast turnarounds on equipment, and pushing the dates out further just muddles that issue. It also invites confusion or extra work to ensure accurate shipping dates and times.
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Colin,
I like Aaron's idea about changing your start/end dates to be Prep/Deprep. That seems the most straightforward solution to me.
If that won't work for you, I have worked with a client who wanted something similar and we worked out a system using virtual 'Deprep' containers.
So when gear arrives back in the warehouse, it gets return scanned directly into a Deprep container - either 'Deprep Available' or 'Deprep Unavailable'. The 'Contents Available' settings on those virtual containers are set accordingly. Then when they are finished deprepping the gear they can just scan it back into the warehouse in content builder or via free scan in (I think).
I developed a custom report to show all items which are in the Deprep Container and which manifests they were returned from - this helps the shop staff keep tabs on which items still need to be processed.
Shoot me an email if you're interested in any further information on this solution.
Cheers,
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