Inventory Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Inventory Managers, Supply Chain Planners and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-WI-031

Before you join: Participants should understand basic supply chain flows, purchase orders, warehouse transactions and common inventory terms such as lead time, stockout and supplier delivery.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Inventory is often treated as a warehouse quantity problem, yet its causes and consequences extend across forecasting, purchasing, production, distribution and customer service. Too little stock creates shortages, expediting costs and lost sales. Too much stock ties up working capital, conceals planning errors and increases obsolescence risk. Managers need clear inventory policies that distinguish critical items from routine items, match replenishment rules to demand behaviour and maintain accurate records.

This course develops the practical methods used to plan, control and improve inventory. Participants classify stock using ABC, XYZ and FSN methods; analyse demand patterns and forecast error; set reorder points, safety stock and order quantities; and select periodic or continuous review policies. They also examine MRP, DRP, multi-echelon positioning, warehouse controls, cycle counting, inventory KPIs and supplier-managed arrangements. Attention is given to the trade-offs between availability, service levels, carrying cost and working capital.

Teaching combines focused instructor briefings with worked calculations, sector-based cases, group analysis and inventory-control simulations. Cases reflect common challenges in manufacturing, retail, distribution, public services and project-based operations, including excess stock, unreliable lead times, poor record accuracy and shortage allocation. Participants leave with an inventory control toolkit containing policy templates, parameter calculations, KPI definitions, cycle-counting controls and a 90-day improvement plan. A certificate of completion is issued to participants who complete the course.

The course suits professionals responsible for stock decisions, warehouse control, materials planning, procurement coordination or supply planning. It is particularly relevant where inventory levels are high, stock availability is unreliable, replenishment settings have not been reviewed, or leaders need better evidence for inventory investment decisions.

What you will be able to do

  • Classify inventory using ABC, XYZ, FSN and criticality-based segmentation methods
  • Calculate reorder points, safety stock, economic order quantities and min-max parameters
  • Evaluate demand forecasts using MAD, MAPE, bias and tracking signal measures
  • Set differentiated service-level targets and inventory policies by item segment
  • Apply MRP, DRP and multi-echelon inventory principles to replenishment decisions
  • Design cycle-counting controls and analyse inventory record accuracy variances
  • Measure inventory performance using turns, days on hand, fill rate and GMROI
  • Prepare an inventory improvement charter and 90-day implementation plan

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make defensible stock decisions using service, cost and risk evidence
  • Diagnose excess, obsolete and slow-moving inventory by underlying cause
  • Set replenishment parameters rather than relying on inherited system settings
  • Improve credibility when challenging forecast, lead-time and supplier assumptions
  • Lead a structured inventory improvement initiative with measurable targets

For your organisation

  • Lower avoidable working capital tied up in excess and obsolete stock
  • Fewer stockouts, expedites and production disruptions from poorly set parameters
  • Higher inventory record accuracy through controlled receiving, counting and adjustments
  • More reliable customer service through differentiated service-level and replenishment policies
  • Clearer accountability for inventory data, review routines and improvement actions

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can explain inventory’s operational and financial roles and define appropriate stock categories.

  • Inventory’s service, cash and risk trade-offs across the supply network
  • Cycle stock, safety stock, pipeline stock and anticipatory stock functions
  • Decoupling points and push-pull boundaries in multi-echelon supply chains
  • Inventory policy choices for make-to-stock, make-to-order and assemble-to-order operations
  • Service-level definitions: cycle service level, fill rate and OTIF
  • Inventory records, physical stock and available-to-promise quantity distinctions

Participants can segment inventory and assign differentiated control policies to each item class.

  • ABC analysis using annual usage value, consumption value and item criticality
  • XYZ classification from demand variability and forecast-error patterns
  • FSN analysis distinguishing fast-moving, slow-moving and non-moving inventory
  • Criticality matrices combining operational consequence, lead time and substitutability
  • Segmentation rules linking item classes to counting and replenishment policies
  • Portfolio review identifies exceptions hidden by aggregate inventory values

Participants can select forecasting methods and assess forecast quality for inventory planning.

  • Demand history cleansing: returns, stockouts, promotions and one-off orders
  • Moving averages and exponential smoothing for stable demand patterns
  • Trend and seasonality decomposition using monthly or weekly demand series
  • Forecast error measures: MAD, MAPE, bias and tracking signal
  • Collaborative forecasting inputs from sales, operations, customers and market intelligence
  • Forecastability assessment determines suitable planning methods by item class

Participants can calculate and select replenishment parameters suited to demand and supply conditions.

  • Economic order quantity assumptions, calculation and limitations under variable demand
  • Reorder point calculation from average demand, lead time and safety stock
  • Min-max policies, order-up-to levels and review-period design choices
  • Periodic review versus continuous review replenishment control systems
  • Lot-sizing rules: fixed order quantity, periodic order quantity and lot-for-lot
  • MOQ, pack-size and transport constraints in parameter setting

Participants can set safety stock and service targets using demand and lead-time variability.

  • Cycle service level, fill rate and backorder measures compared
  • Safety-stock calculation using demand variability, lead-time variability and target service
  • Normal distribution assumptions and z-values in buffer-stock calculations
  • Lead-time reduction, supplier reliability and safety-stock alternatives assessment
  • Risk pooling and postponement strategies for common-component inventory
  • Service-cost curves support differentiated stocking decisions by segment

Participants can connect inventory decisions with production, distribution and network planning logic.

  • Dependent versus independent demand and bill-of-material structure logic
  • MRP explosion, netting, offsetting and planned-order releases timing
  • Master production schedule stability, time fences and available-to-promise
  • DRP logic for distribution centres, regional warehouses and replenishment flows
  • Multi-echelon inventory positioning across plants, hubs and field locations
  • Planning parameter governance: lead times, lot sizes and safety stocks

Participants can establish warehouse controls that protect stock accuracy, traceability and availability.

  • Receiving controls: purchase-order matching, quantity checks and discrepancy recording
  • Put-away rules using velocity, cube, weight and handling constraints
  • Slotting analysis reduces travel distance, congestion and replenishment effort
  • FIFO, FEFO and batch traceability for controlled inventory
  • Cycle-counting programmes based on ABC classes, variance thresholds and root causes
  • Inventory adjustments, quarantine stock and disposition approval controls

Participants can measure inventory performance and identify the causes of stock-control failures.

  • Inventory record accuracy measurement through location and SKU variance analysis
  • Key performance indicators: turns, days on hand, fill rate
  • GMROI calculation connects inventory investment to gross margin return
  • Obsolescence, excess and slow-moving stock ageing reports design
  • Root-cause analysis separates planning, master-data, supplier and warehouse failures
  • Control-tower exception reports prioritise material shortages and excess exposure

Participants can align inventory decisions with suppliers, customers and cross-functional planning processes.

  • S&OP consensus demand converts commercial assumptions into inventory actions
  • Supplier lead-time agreements, OTIF measures and escalation triggers
  • Vendor-managed inventory roles, data requirements and governance boundaries
  • Consignment stock accounting, ownership transfer and replenishment responsibilities
  • Allocation rules during shortage: fairness, profitability and contractual commitments
  • Working-capital targets reconciled with customer service and availability commitments

Participants can prepare a structured plan to improve inventory policy, data quality and control routines.

  • Inventory policy document defines segmentation, service targets and replenishment rules
  • Master-data governance assigns ownership for lead times and planning parameters
  • Exception-management routines set review cadence, thresholds and decision rights
  • Inventory improvement charter frames baseline, targets, milestones and accountable owners
  • Implementation risks assessed through process, data, systems and people controls
  • 90-day action plan sequences quick wins and longer-term parameter changes

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. ABC-XYZ-FSN inventory segmentation template
  2. Reorder point and safety-stock calculation model
  3. Inventory policy and service-level matrix
  4. Cycle-counting programme checklist
  5. Inventory KPI dashboard specification
  6. 90-day inventory improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Inventory Managers — responsible for stock policies, availability and working-capital performance
  • Supply Chain Planners — need defensible replenishment parameters and exception-management routines
  • Materials Managers — manage component availability for production and maintenance operations
  • Warehouse Managers — require stronger stock accuracy, cycle-counting and location-control methods
  • Procurement Managers — influence supplier lead times, order quantities and replenishment reliability
  • Operations Managers — need to balance customer service, production continuity and inventory investment

Skills and tools covered

Inventory segmentationReplenishment parameter settingDemand forecastingSafety stock planningWarehouse inventory controlInventory performance analysis

Tools and standards

ABC-XYZ Analysis, Economic Order Quantity, Material Requirements Planning, Distribution Requirements Planning

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce each method, followed by worked calculations, case analysis and facilitated group discussions. Participants interpret demand histories, review stock reports, set replenishment parameters and investigate inventory variances using realistic operational scenarios. Simulations show the effect of lead-time changes, forecast error and service targets on stock levels and availability. Facilitated application planning helps participants transfer the methods to their own item portfolios, warehouses, suppliers and planning systems.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic supply chain flows, purchase orders, warehouse transactions and common inventory terms such as lead time, stockout and supplier delivery. Experience in procurement, warehousing, planning, operations or finance is useful because the course uses realistic stock-control decisions and operational data. Participants should be comfortable working with percentages, averages and simple spreadsheet calculations. Prior knowledge of MRP systems, statistical forecasting, ERP configuration or advanced mathematics is not required. The course explains each planning method before applying it to operational cases.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should understand basic supply chain, purchasing and warehouse processes and be comfortable with simple calculations. Prior experience with MRP, ERP configuration or statistical forecasting is not required.

Participants should bring a laptop if attending classroom delivery, as calculations and planning templates may be completed electronically. Useful optional materials include anonymised stock reports, current KPIs or examples of recurring shortage and excess-stock issues.

The course is suited to inventory managers, planners, materials managers, warehouse managers, procurement professionals and operations managers. It is designed for professionals who influence stock levels, replenishment settings or inventory accuracy.

Warehouse management courses focus mainly on storage operations, labour, layout, receiving, picking and dispatch. This course includes warehouse inventory controls but places greater emphasis on forecasting, replenishment parameters, safety stock, service levels and working capital.

Participants can review item segmentation, test reorder-point and safety-stock settings, strengthen cycle-counting controls and improve inventory reporting. The course materials support a focused improvement plan for an existing product range, warehouse or supply network.

The five days contain approximately 32.5 contact hours, normally delivered from 08:30 to 16:30. Time is divided among ten linked modules, worked calculations, cases, group analysis, simulations and action planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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