Asset Audits Overview
Asset audits let you verify, update, and reconcile your asset records against what physically exists. This chapter covers the full audit lifecycle -- from creation through scanning to reviewing and accepting results.
What Can Audits Do?
Audits support a range of activities, including:
- Existence verification -- confirm that assets are present and accounted for
- Stock quantity counts -- verify quantities of inventory items
- Location / Department / Custodian verification -- confirm assets are where (or with whom) they should be
- Receiving and deployment -- record assets arriving at a location or being issued to a custodian
- Spare parts allocation -- assign spare parts to equipment
- Storage movements -- track assets moving into or out of storage
- Disposal or salvage -- record assets being retired
The specific workflow depends on the audit type, the Audit Form attached to it, and whether you use a Keywedge or intelligent scanner. In all cases, the process begins with creating a new audit.
Audit Types
An Audit Type defines the purpose of an audit and determines which form is presented during scanning. xAssets ships with several default audit types, and you can create new ones or modify existing ones to match your workflows.
Each audit type is linked to an Audit Type Form that controls what data is collected during the audit. For example, an "Asset Move" audit type might use a form with a New Location field, while a "Stock Count" type might include a Quantity field.
To manage audit types, navigate to Barcoding > Configured Audit Types. See Configured Audit Types for configuration details.
The Audit Lifecycle
Every audit follows these steps:
- Create the audit -- select an audit type, choose which assets to include, and optionally send data to an intelligent scanner.
- Perform the audit -- scan barcodes to record findings, either online with a Keywedge scanner or offline with an intelligent scanner.
- Review the results -- compare scanned data against expected records, resolve discrepancies, and accept the results to update the database.
See also Asset Audit Forms for details on the forms used to collect data during scanning.
Related Articles
- Creating a New Audit — How to create and configure a new asset audit
- Performing an Audit — Step-by-step guide to performing a barcode audit
- Reviewing the Results of an Audit — Analysing audit results and handling discrepancies
- Asset Audit Forms — Forms used during the audit process
- Configuring Barcode Scanners and Audit Types — Setting up scanners and configuring audit types