> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherecast.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Shortage

> Unmet demand in the period — the stockout gap you need to close

## What it tells you

Shortage is the **unmet demand** in the period — the demand that your projected available inventory plus incoming supply cannot cover. It is the size of the stockout gap: how much you are expected to fall short. It appears as a row for each product on the [Supply planning](/guide/supply-planning/overview) grid, one value per time bucket.

This is your highest-priority signal. A shortage means customers or production will go unserved unless you act.

## How to read it

Any shortage above zero is highlighted **red**, so gaps stand out immediately.

| Highlight    | What it means                                        |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Red cell     | Unmet demand — a projected stockout of that quantity |
| No highlight | Demand is fully covered that period                  |

Per warehouse, a shortage is expressed as a **shortage window**: a quantity plus a start and end date (or **"full period"** when it lasts the whole bucket). This tells you not just how much you are short, but exactly *when* within the period the stockout hits, so you can time your response.

Hovering a shortage lists the warehouses contributing to it, each with:

* its demand for the period
* its starting inventory
* how far it is **below safety stock**
* incoming and outgoing transfers
* the shortage quantity and its window

That breakdown shows you which locations are driving the gap and whether a transfer might already be part of the picture.

## What to do about it

Close the gap before the shortage date:

* **Expedite** an existing order to arrive sooner.
* **Place new supply** to cover the unmet quantity.
* **Transfer** stock in from a location that has surplus.

Use the shortage window to make sure your fix lands before the stockout begins, not after.

## Example

A warehouse shows a Shortage of 800 highlighted red, with a window starting mid-period rather than "full period." Hovering shows the location is well below safety stock with no incoming transfers. You expedite an open order to arrive before the window's start date, and the red cell clears.

> **Note:** In an exported file, this column may be labeled **"deficiency"** — it is the same thing. Act on shortages using the [Supply](/supply) and [Transfers](/transfers) rows, and review the [Exceptions](/guide/home/exceptions) view to catch shortages across your whole plan.