CPG Ops Gap Assessment Worksheet

How to Use This Worksheet

This assessment helps you identify where your operational infrastructure is costing you the most time, money, or risk. Work through each section honestly — the goal isn't to fix everything at once, but to figure out what to build first.

Section 1: Inventory & Stock Management

Current State Questions

Rate each question from 1 (major problem) to 5 (working well):

• □ Inventory visibility: Can you see all your inventory (raw materials + finished goods) in one place right now?
• □ Stock accuracy: When you check physical vs. system counts, how often do they match?
• □ Reorder timing: Do you know when to reorder each SKU, or do you discover stockouts reactively?
• □ Multi-location tracking: If you store inventory in multiple locations, can you see what's where without manual checking?
• □ Cost of goods tracking: Can you calculate landed COGS per SKU including freight, storage, and waste?

Pain Point Severity: How much does this cost you per month?

• □ Lost sales from stockouts: $______
• □ Excess inventory holding costs: $______
• □ Time spent on manual counts/updates: ______ hours
• □ Waste from expired or damaged inventory: $______

Section 2: Supplier & Formula Management

Current State Questions

Rate each question from 1 (major problem) to 5 (working well):

• □ Supplier documentation: Can you instantly pull up the current COA, allergen statement, and spec sheet for every raw material?
• □ Formula accuracy: Are your formulas stored in a way that prevents version errors (e.g., using the old formula by mistake)?
• □ Change tracking: When a supplier changes or a formula updates, can you identify every affected batch, document, and SKU?
• □ Supplier performance: Can you see lead times, quality issues, and pricing history per supplier?
• □ Compliance readiness: If asked to trace an ingredient from lot to finished product, how fast can you do it?

Pain Point Severity:

• □ Time to trace a lot during a recall or audit: ______ hours
• □ Frequency of formula errors in production: ______ per month
• □ Cost of outdated or missing supplier documents: $______
• □ Delay in new product launches due to supplier coordination: ______ weeks

Section 3: Compliance & Traceability

Current State Questions

Rate each question from 1 (major problem) to 5 (working well):

• □ Lot traceability: Can you trace forward (ingredient → finished product) and backward (product → ingredient) in under an hour?
• □ Document centralization: Are COAs, specs, allergen statements, and test results stored in one searchable location?
• □ FSMA 204 readiness: Are you tracking Key Data Elements (KDEs) for FTL foods as required by the traceability rule?
• □ Hold/release workflow: Do you have a system to prevent unapproved batches from shipping?
• □ Recall readiness: Could you identify and contact every customer who received a specific lot within 24 hours?

Pain Point Severity:

• □ Time spent preparing for audits: ______ hours per audit
• □ Cost of non-compliance or audit findings: $______
• □ Estimated cost if a recall happened today: $______
• □ Batches held or scrapped due to paperwork issues: ______ per year

Section 4: Wholesale Operations

Current State Questions

Rate each question from 1 (major problem) to 5 (working well):

• □ Account management: Can you see all wholesale accounts, their terms, pricing, and open orders in one view?
• □ Order workflow: From PO received to shipment, is there a clear system or is it managed ad-hoc?
• □ Inventory allocation: Can you reserve inventory for wholesale orders vs. DTC without manual tracking?
• □ Payment tracking: Do you know which invoices are outstanding and which accounts are past due?
• □ Profitability per account: Can you see which wholesale accounts are actually profitable after discounts, freight, and returns?

Pain Point Severity:

• □ Time spent manually processing wholesale orders: ______ hours per week
• □ Revenue lost from fulfillment errors or missed orders: $______
• □ Cost of carrying unprofitable wholesale accounts: $______
• □ Cash flow issues from late payments: $______

Section 5: Production & Batch Management

Current State Questions

Rate each question from 1 (major problem) to 5 (working well):

• □ Batch records: Are batch production records stored digitally and linked to inventory, formulas, and lot numbers?
• □ Yield tracking: Do you track actual yield vs. expected yield to identify waste or formula issues?
• □ QC integration: Is QC data (testing, hold/release) tied directly to batch records?
• □ Co-packer coordination: If using a co-packer, can you track their inventory, batches, and shipments in your system?
• □ Production planning: Do you have a system to plan production runs based on demand, inventory, and capacity?

Pain Point Severity:

• □ Batch errors or rework per month: ______ batches
• □ Waste from overproduction or spoilage: $______
• □ Time spent coordinating with co-packers: ______ hours per week
• □ Cost of rush production due to poor planning: $______

Scoring & Prioritization

Step 1: Calculate Your Section Scores

For each section, add up your ratings from the "Current State Questions" (1-5 scale). Lower scores = higher gaps.

Step 2: Identify Your Top 3 Gaps

My Top 3 Operational Gaps:

1. __________________ (Section) — Monthly cost: $______ — Risk level: ______
2. __________________ (Section) — Monthly cost: $______ — Risk level: ______
3. __________________ (Section) — Monthly cost: $______ — Risk level: ______

What to Do Next

Next steps:

• Book a FoundationSprint — We'll use this assessment as a starting point to map your entire operation and tell you exactly what to build first.
• Read related resources — Check out the "CPG Ops Stack Audit" to see what existing tools cover (and where the gaps are).
• Talk to us — Book a free discovery call to discuss your specific situation.

About This Framework

This assessment is the same framework we use in every FoundationSprint. We've tested it with 20+ CPG brands from $300K to $5M in revenue across food, supplements, and beauty. It takes 20-30 minutes to complete honestly, and the output gives you a clear prioritization of where to start.

If you complete this and want to discuss your results, book a free discovery call. We'll tell you honestly whether custom software makes sense for your specific gaps.