Inventory
Stock that reflects the shelf is worth a lot. Stock that doesn't is worse than none, because you'll trust it.
Start with a real count
Before you rely on any of this, count what's actually on the shelf and enter those numbers. ShopFlow tracks changes from the point you tell it what you have — it can't know what was already wrong before it started counting.
On hand, allocated, available
| Figure | Means |
|---|---|
| On hand | What's physically on the shelf. |
| Allocated | Spoken for by open jobs, but not yet used. |
| Available | On hand minus allocated — what you can promise to the next customer. |
Adding a part to an open work order allocates it. Closing the job is what actually reduces on hand. Until then the part is reserved, not gone.
Stock comes off exactly once
When a job closes, the parts on it are deducted — once, permanently recorded. Reopen the job and close it again and it will not deduct twice.
- Declined jobs deduct nothing. No work was done and reserved parts go back.
- Flat-rate jobs still deduct. A part billed at $0 under a flat rate is still gone off your shelf.
- Parts added after closing aren't deducted. Adjust those by hand on the Inventory tab.
Reorder points
Set a reorder point per item and the Reorder tab lists anything at or below it. Set it to roughly what you'd use between orders, plus a little — the point is to reorder before you're out, not when you are.
Vendors
Attach a vendor to each item and the reorder list groups by supplier, so one order covers everything from one place instead of three part-orders in a week.
When the numbers drift
They will. Parts get grabbed off the shelf for a quick fix, or a job gets billed slightly differently to how it was done. Count your fastest-moving items every few months and correct them on the Inventory tab.
Don't try to reconstruct where the drift came from — it's rarely one cause and the history won't tell you. Set the number to the truth and move on.