Inventory Accuracy Comes Before Optimisation
Inventory Accuracy Comes Before Optimisation
Before I took on the ordering engine at Tesco, I led inventory management initiatives for our fresh and ambient distribution centres through the Warehouse Management System. The work started with a plain look at the current state, and the biggest issues were not exotic. They were stock discrepancies and inefficient tracking.
You cannot optimise what you cannot count
Every clever algorithm in supply chain depends on knowing how much stock is where. If the numbers in the system do not match what is on the shelf, forecasts and orders built on top of them will be wrong in ways that are hard to see. Fixing accuracy is often the highest-value work on the roadmap, even if it is the least exciting.
Fresh and ambient are different problems
Fresh products have short lives and move fast. Ambient products sit longer and in larger volumes. The same tracking process rarely suits both. Treating them as separate problems helps the team design solutions that fit how each part of the warehouse actually works.
Build the roadmap from the pain
When I defined the product vision for inventory, I started by analysing the current state and ranking issues by how much they cost the business. That made prioritisation easier to explain. Stakeholders could see why one fix came before another.
Automation needs more than engineering
The solutions that worked best were automated, but they were not only technical. Legal, UX and engineering all had a part to play. Compliance, the experience of warehouse staff and the system design all had to line up. Bringing those teams together early made the difference between a tool that was adopted and one that was worked around.
Measure the savings honestly
Inventory work is easy to justify in theory and harder to prove in practice. Agreeing up front on how savings will be measured keeps the team focused and keeps the business case credible when results come in.
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Sunil skipped presentations and built real AI products.
Sunil S Sakri was part of the August 2026 cohort at Curious PM, alongside 24 other talented participants.