Quick Summary: The Summary tab offers a high-level performance overview for selected locations by combining key inventory and service indicators with trend graphs. Assess current results and identify risk areas to determine where further investigation is required.
Why the Summary Tab Matters
The Summary tab is designed to help decision-makers review performance quickly and consistently, without needing to combine multiple reports or screens. It presents several inventory and service-related indicators along with supporting graphs that provide context over time. This allows users to recognise important movements, validate improvements or deterioration, and determine where additional analysis is required.
The Summary tab provides visibility into current results and recent patterns, which can support informed planning discussions and help ensure that attention is directed to the most relevant areas.
Key Performance Indicators
The following performance indicators appear on the Summary tab for the location or region that is selected:
Stock holding: The total value of inventory currently on hand.
Excess: The value of inventory that exceeds the order up to level.
Excess percent: The percentage of inventory value that is considered excess.
Excess count percent: The percentage of items in an excess state, with colour indication of severity.
Surplus orders: The value of open orders that will result in excess if they are received.
Surplus orders percent: The percentage of inventory value represented by surplus orders.
Surplus orders count percent: The percentage of items where open orders may create excess if they are received, with colour indication of severity.
Stocked out: The potential lost sales value due to items that currently have zero or negative availability.
Stocked out percent: The percentage of inventory value represented by stocked out items.
Stocked out count percent: The percentage of items with zero or negative availability, with colour indication of severity.
Colour Meanings and Thresholds
Colour is used with several count-based indicators to show severity at a glance. These colour bands correspond to fixed percentage ranges:
Green: Low risk, below 30 percent.
Olive: Medium risk, between 30 percent and 50 percent.
Red: High risk, above 50 percent.
These colours are used consistently for:
Excess count percent
Surplus orders count percent
Stocked out count percent
The colours do not replace numerical values but help users quickly see where risk is concentrated.
Location and Region Behaviour
The Summary tab can be viewed at individual location level or at consolidated region level. When viewing a region, the total excess and the total stockouts for all included locations are displayed. This differs from viewing regional information on the standard Dashboard, where excess at one location can be offset by stockouts at another. This distinction is important because the Summary tab shows actual exposure rather than netted results.
Understanding Trend Graphs
The Summary tab includes several trend graphs that provide additional context by showing how values and status indicators have changed over time. Gaps in graph history indicate that no data import was completed on those specific days. Users can scroll through the graphs to review changes and compare results against expectations or previous performance periods.
Inventory value: Displays the sum of the inventory value and the sum of the model value for the selected location or group of locations, averaged over a quarter.
Excess value: Displays the sum of the excess inventory value.
Excess percent of inventory value: Displays the excess value as a percentage of total stock holding and the percentage of items with excess stock.
Fill rate: Displays the sum of the weighted target fill rate and achieved fill rate. This information was not recorded prior to quarter four of 2022 and therefore will not be visible for earlier periods.
Surplus orders value: Displays the sum of the surplus orders.
Surplus orders percent of inventory value: Displays the surplus orders value as a percentage of total stock holding and the percentage of items with surplus orders.
Sales value: Displays the sum of sales.
Lost sales: Displays the sum of lost sales due to stockouts.
Lost sales percent of sales value: Displays lost sales value as a percentage of total sales and the percentage of items with lost sales.
Stock turns: Displays the average number of stock turns. This information was not recorded prior to quarter four of 2022 and therefore will not be visible for earlier periods.
SKULs: Displays the count of item codes or product codes by location.
Status breakdown: Displays the number of SKULs in each stocking status.
Understanding the Investment Graph
The Investment graph does not include every item in stock. Instead, it displays the sum of the stock being held in each constraint category. These categories can be viewed as stock that users do not necessarily want to keep, but have to keep, usually due to supply and service considerations.
The categories shown are:
Minimum stock: Stock only being held because of minimum stock levels.
Safety stock: An additional layer of stock that protects items from stocking out. Managing supply and demand risk can help to reduce the amount of safety stock required.
Cycle stock: Stock held based on the specified replenishment cycle. Shorter replenishment cycles mean less stock will be tied up in this category, although this may lead to higher levels of safety stock.
Effective replenishment cycle: Stock held because the replenishment cycle has been adjusted to incorporate minimum order quantities. This value indicates how much additional stock is required to accommodate supplier constraints.
Excess: The sum of stock over and above the order up to level.
Because the Investment graph focuses only on specific constraint categories, it does not always match total stock holding.
➜ For more on this topic, read: Executive Dashboard: Total Investment vs Stock Holding Explained
Executive Dashboard: Total Investment vs Stock Holding Explained
How To Use This Tab
Navigate to the Exec Dashboard from the main menu on the left.
Click the Summary tab.
Use the filters at the top-right to customize your view:
Location Dropdown: Select "All Locations," specific physical locations, or consolidated regions.
Group Dropdown: Filter by a specific item group, if this is enabled for your dashboard. This is only available if your standard dashboard is broken down by a group. If so, that group will be available for selection.
⚠️ Watchouts
Regional totals: Regional views display total values and do not offset excess in one location against stock outs in another.
Missing history: Missing dates in graphs indicate days where no data import occurred.
Investment interpretation: The Investment graph focuses only on selected constraint categories, so it will not add up to the full stock holding value.
💡 Tips
Start here: Use the Summary tab first when conducting routine performance checks, then move into the Inventory, Sales, Recommended Orders, or Orders tabs as needed.
Prioritise trends: Use graph trends to compare recent results with previous periods and to support discussions about improvement efforts.
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