James Q Wilson and George Keilling developed the "Broken Windows Theory" which states that "Crime is the result of disorder. If a window is broken and not repaired people will conclude that no one cares. Soon more windows will be broken and a sense of anarchy will move to the street upon which it faces." Replace "broken window" with "dirty shelves" and it becomes the very relevant "Dirty Shelves Theory".

An inaccurate inventory is the result of disorder. If an aisle is messy, a Coke can is left on a shelf, a box is not put away properly, or a light remains broken, people will conclude that no one cares. Soon more aisles will be messy, more cans will be left on shelves, and more product will not be put away. Pretty soon, an order will be picked incorrectly, and an item will be put in the wrong box at the packing station, and then we wonder why our inventory is so inaccurate.

Remember what I said earlier: "People do what you inspect and not what you expect." If your warehouse supervisor can't hold your people accountable for keeping the warehouse clean, it will not be realistic to expect an accurate inventory. Develop a simple aisle maintenance sheet that includes removing empty boxes, checking for broken lights, removing discarded shrink wrap, emptying the trash can etc. to prevent the warehouse from becoming a mess.

James Q Wilson and George Keilling developed the "Broken Windows Theory" which states that "Crime is the result of disorder. If a window is broken and not repaired people will conclude that no one cares. Soon more windows will be broken and a sense of anarchy will move to the street upon which it faces." Replace "broken window" with "dirty shelves" and it becomes the very relevant "Dirty Shelves Theory".

An inaccurate inventory is the result of disorder. If an aisle is messy, a Coke can is left on a shelf, a box is not put away properly, or a light remains broken, people will conclude that no one cares. Soon more aisles will be messy, more cans will be left on shelves, and more product will not be put away. Pretty soon, an order will be picked incorrectly, and an item will be put in the wrong box at the packing station, and then we wonder why our inventory is so inaccurate.

Remember what I said earlier: "People do what you inspect and not what you expect." If your warehouse supervisor can't hold your people accountable for keeping the warehouse clean, it will not be realistic to expect an accurate inventory. Develop a simple aisle maintenance sheet that includes removing empty boxes, checking for broken lights, removing discarded shrink wrap, emptying the trash can etc. to prevent the warehouse from becoming a mess.