Identify the location, SKU, and lot or serial number (if tracked) where the discrepancy was found during cycle counting; note the system-on-hand quantity and the physically counted quantity.
Submit an inventory adjustment request to the WMS API: provide the warehouse ID, location ID, item ID, unit of measure, quantity variance (positive for gain, negative for loss), and an adjustment reason code (e.g., count discrepancy, damage, theft, receiving error).
The WMS applies the adjustment, debits or credits the location's on-hand balance, and generates an audit trail record associating the adjustment with the cycle count task or user who initiated it.
If the variance exceeds a configurable threshold, the WMS may require supervisor approval before the adjustment posts; implement an approval workflow or poll the adjustment record for a pending-approval status.
Reconcile high-frequency adjustment locations by reviewing adjustment history in the WMS and triggering a recount or slotting review if the same location has repeated variances.
Known gotchas
Inventory adjustments affect financial inventory valuation in addition to physical counts; adjustments above a material threshold typically require ERP synchronization to update the G/L inventory account — ensure the WMS-to-ERP integration processes adjustment transactions in near real time.
WMS adjustment APIs may distinguish between quantity adjustments (changing count) and status adjustments (moving from available to damaged or hold); using the wrong adjustment type can remove inventory from available-to-promise without reducing the count, causing phantom allocations.
Adjustments made while active picks are in progress for the affected SKU/location can cause conflicts; check for active task locks on a location before submitting an adjustment to avoid race conditions.
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp