Order accuracy is the share of orders that arrive exactly as ordered. Order accuracy = orders delivered without an error ÷ orders delivered. An error is anything the customer has to fix or call about: the wrong item, the wrong quantity, the wrong lot or date, such as short-dated stock sent to a buyer with a shelf-life rule, or missing or wrong paperwork, like no packing slip or the wrong price on the invoice. Damage in transit is often counted separately, and late delivery is its own measure. For the packing table, line accuracy = order lines picked correctly ÷ lines picked is the more useful number, because it points at the item causing the trouble. One wrong line makes the whole order inaccurate, so order accuracy will always read lower than line accuracy. In the example below, a spice maker works out a month's accuracy and finds two look-alike jars behind most of its errors.
The short version
- Order accuracy = orders without an error ÷ orders delivered.
- Line accuracy = lines picked correctly ÷ lines picked.
- Errors: wrong item, wrong quantity, wrong lot or date, missing or wrong paperwork.
- Count damage and lateness separately, and say which you include.
- Write down each error's type and item: the pattern is the fix.
- Look-alike products and hand-counted cases cause the most trouble.
- TaroStack picks from one list, scanning each item's barcode. More below.
The formulas
| Measure | Formula | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Order accuracy | Orders without an error ÷ orders delivered | What customers experience |
| Line accuracy | Lines picked correctly ÷ lines picked | Finding which items go wrong |
| Errors by type | Count of each kind of error | Deciding what to fix first |
Order accuracy is one part of perfect order rate, with on time, complete and undamaged. The pick itself is in pick list template.
An example: a spice maker's month
Cerrillos Road Spice Co., a made-up spice blend maker in Santa Fe, New Mexico, shipped 60 orders to gift shops and a grocery chain in October, 240 lines in all. Four orders had a problem:
| Order | Error | Type | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-2207 | Green chile salt sent for taco seasoning | Wrong item | Same jar, same red lid |
| G-2215 | 10 jars sent, 12 ordered | Wrong quantity | Case counted by hand |
| G-2231 | Taco seasoning sent for green chile salt | Wrong item | Same jar, same red lid |
| G-2240 | No packing slip in the box | Paperwork | Printer out of paper |
| Measure | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Order accuracy | 56 ÷ 60 orders | 93.3% |
| Line accuracy | 237 ÷ 240 lines | 98.8% |
Line accuracy counts the three wrong lines; the missing slip was a paperwork error on an order whose lines were right. Two of the four errors were the same swap between two products in identical jars, so the green chile salt moved to a green lid and a different shelf. The hand-counted case now gets weighed. The labels on those jars are in spice labeling requirements.
Get the calculator
Download the order accuracy calculator. Two sheets: an error log, where you type each error's order, item, type and cause; and the month, where you type orders and lines delivered, and order accuracy, line accuracy and errors by type fill in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The log finds the pattern after the shop has the wrong jars. Catching the swap needs a check at the packing table, on every line, and a person reading lids at the end of a long day isn't that check.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack puts the day's picks on one list and the check on a barcode.
One picking list. The day's open orders pick from one list, with each line's item and quantity.
Barcode scanning. A phone's camera or a scanner reads each product's barcode at picking, so picking goes by the barcode on the jar instead of the color of the lid.
Lots on the delivery note. Each shipment takes the lots that expire first, and a customer's days-of-shelf-life rule is kept on their account, so the right dates go to the buyer who asked for them.
| The job | Paper pick sheet | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which jars go in the box | Read the lid | Scan the barcode |
| The day's picks | An order at a time | One picking list |
| Dates a buyer accepts | Remembered | Their shelf-life rule on the account |
| What went in the box | Written by hand | The delivery note, with lots |
Sales orders, picking lists and barcode scanning are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.