Tutorial: Managing Inventory

This tutorial guides you through managing inventory items, including adding new items, updating stock levels, setting locations, and maintaining accurate inventory records.

Note

Who can access: Managers and System Admins only. Basic users have read-only access to inventory.

—

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to:

  • Add new items with all required details

  • Set up location and unit fields for tracking

  • Configure prices and VAT rates correctly

  • Update stock levels manually

  • Understand stock movements and audit trails

  • Set minimum stock thresholds for alerts

  • Use bulk import/export for efficiency

—

Prerequisites

Before You Start

Required:

  • Role: Manager or System Admin

  • Permissions: inventory.create, inventory.edit

Recommended Knowledge:

  • Understanding of VAT (Value Added Tax) rates

  • Your warehouse/storage layout

  • Standard units of measurement for your items

Estimated Time: 5 minutes per item

—

Step 1: Navigate to Inventory

Accessing Inventory Management

  1. Log into LUStores

  2. Click “Inventory” in the left sidebar

  3. You’ll see the inventory management interface

What You See:

  • List of all existing items

  • “Add Item” button (top right)

  • Search and filter options

  • Current stock levels with color coding

  • Category badges

—

Step 2: Adding a New Item

Starting the Process

  1. Click “Add Item” button (top right)

  2. The “New Item” form opens

Filling Out Required Fields

Step 2a: Basic Information

Item Name (Required):

  • Clear, descriptive name

  • Example: “Laboratory Microscope 40x-1000x”

  • Avoid abbreviations unless standard

  • Searchable, so be specific

SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) (Required):

  • Unique identifier for this item

  • Format: Your choice, but be consistent

  • Examples: * “LAB-MICRO-001” (prefix-category-number) * “CHEM-BEAKER-500ML” * “OFF-CHAIR-EXEC-001”

  • Must be unique across all items

Tip

SKU Best Practices:

  • Use consistent format (CATEGORY-TYPE-NUMBER)

  • Include size/capacity if relevant

  • Keep it short but meaningful

  • Avoid special characters except hyphen/underscore

Category (Required):

  • Select from dropdown

  • Categories help organize inventory

  • Used for reporting and filtering

  • If category doesn’t exist, contact admin to create it

Example:

Basic Information:
─────────────────
Item Name: Laboratory Microscope 40x-1000x
SKU: LAB-MICRO-001
Category: Laboratory Equipment ▼

Step 2b: Storage and Measurement

Location (Recommended):

  • Physical storage location

  • Format: Room/Area, Shelf/Rack, Bin/Position

  • Examples: * “Lab Store, Shelf 3A, Bin 05” * “Chemistry Building, Room 204, Cabinet B” * “Warehouse A, Aisle 12, Shelf 4”

Why Important:

  • Helps staff find items quickly

  • Shown on picking lists when processing sales

  • Reduces time wasted searching

  • Improves stock-take accuracy

Unit (Recommended):

  • How quantities are measured

  • Select from dropdown or type custom

Common Units:

  • Countable: pieces, units, items, boxes, packages

  • Weight: kg, grams, pounds, ounces

  • Length: meters, feet, centimeters, inches

  • Volume: liters, gallons, milliliters

  • Area: square meters, square feet

Why Important:

  • Clarifies quantity meaning (2.5 meters vs 2.5 pieces)

  • Prevents errors

  • Allows fractional quantities for measured items

Example:

Storage & Measurement:
──────────────────────
Location: Lab Store, Shelf 3A, Bin 05
Unit: pieces ▼

(For cable: meters, liquid: liters, etc.)

Step 2c: Pricing and VAT

Price (Required):

  • Sale price in GBP (£)

  • Can be different from purchase cost

  • Example: £495.00

VAT Rate (Required):

  • Default: 20% (standard UK VAT)

  • Other options: * 20% - Standard rate (most goods) * 5% - Reduced rate (energy-saving materials, children’s car seats) * 0% - Zero-rated (books, newspapers, most food)

VAT Included (Important!):

  • Yes: Price INCLUDES VAT (price shown is final)

  • No: VAT ADDED to price (VAT calculated on top)

Understanding VAT Included:

Example 1: VAT Included = YES
─────────────────────────────
Display Price: £120.00 (what customer pays)
VAT Rate: 20%

Calculation:
- Net Price: £120.00 ÷ 1.20 = £100.00
- VAT Amount: £100.00 × 0.20 = £20.00
- Total: £120.00 ✓

Example 2: VAT Included = NO
────────────────────────────
Display Price: £100.00 (base price)
VAT Rate: 20%

Calculation:
- Net Price: £100.00
- VAT Amount: £100.00 × 0.20 = £20.00
- Total: £100.00 + £20.00 = £120.00

Important

Get This Right! VAT Included setting affects price calculations. If unsure, ask your finance department.

Example:

Pricing & VAT:
─────────────
Price: £495.00
VAT Rate: 20% ▼
VAT Included: ☑ Yes

(Customer pays £495.00 total, including £82.50 VAT)

Step 2d: Stock Information

Current Stock:

  • Starting quantity (can be 0)

  • Can use decimals (e.g., 2.5 meters)

  • Will be updated when orders received or sales made

Minimum Stock (Recommended):

  • Low-stock alert threshold

  • Example: If you want alert when below 5 units, set to 5

  • System shows yellow warning when stock below this

  • Red warning when stock hits 0

Example:

Stock Information:
─────────────────
Current Stock: 10 pieces
Minimum Stock: 5 pieces

(Alert shown when stock drops below 5)

Step 2e: Additional Details (Optional)

Description:

  • Detailed item description

  • Technical specifications

  • Manufacturer information

  • Notes for users

Notes:

  • Internal notes

  • Special handling instructions

  • Storage conditions

  • Safety information

Example:

Description:
High-quality laboratory microscope with
40x-1000x magnification. Includes LED
illumination and mechanical stage.

Notes:
- Store in dry environment
- Handle with care - fragile optics
- Annual calibration required

Step 2f: Submit the Item

  1. Review all fields

  2. Click “Create Item” button

  3. Item saved to database

  4. Confirmation message appears

—

Step 3: Editing Existing Items

Updating Item Details

  1. Find item in inventory list (search or scroll)

  2. Click “Edit” button next to item

  3. Edit form opens with current values

  4. Modify fields as needed

  5. Click “Save Changes”

What You Can Edit:

  • Name, description, notes

  • Price, VAT rate, VAT included setting

  • Location (move to new storage area)

  • Unit (if measurement system changes)

  • Minimum stock threshold

  • Cannot change: SKU (unique identifier)

Example Edit:

Updating: Laboratory Microscope

Changes:
- Location: Lab Store, Shelf 3A → Lab Store, Shelf 5B
- Price: £495.00 → £525.00 (price increase)
- Minimum Stock: 5 → 3 (threshold adjustment)

[Cancel]  [Save Changes]

Note

Price Changes: When you update price, existing quotes/sales are NOT affected. They use price snapshot from time of creation.

—

Step 4: Managing Stock Levels

When to Update Stock Manually

Stock updates automatically for:

  • ✓ Purchase orders received (stock increases)

  • ✓ Sales processed (stock decreases)

  • ✓ Refunds (stock returns)

Manual updates needed for:

  • Physical inventory corrections (stock take results)

  • Damaged/lost items (write-offs)

  • Found items (stock discoveries)

  • Transfers between locations

Manual Stock Adjustment

  1. Find item in inventory list

  2. Click “Adjust Stock” button

  3. Stock adjustment form opens

Fill in Details:

New Stock Level:

  • Enter the correct current stock

  • System calculates difference automatically

  • Can increase or decrease

Reason (Required):

  • Explain why adjustment is needed

  • Examples: * “Physical count found 8 units, not 10 (2 missing)” * “1 unit damaged in storage, written off” * “Found 3 units in secondary storage”

  • Detailed reasons help with audits

Type (Auto-selected):

  • ‘adjustment’ - Manual correction

Example:

Stock Adjustment: Laboratory Microscope

Current Stock: 10 pieces
New Stock Level: [8] ← Enter new amount

Difference: -2 pieces

Reason (Required):
Physical inventory count found 2 units missing.
Likely damaged during last semester's practicals.

[Cancel]  [Confirm Adjustment]

What Happens:

  1. Stock Updated: - currentStock: 10 → 8

  2. Stock Movement Created (Audit Trail): - Type: ‘adjustment’ - Previous: 10 - New: 8 - Quantity: -2 - Reason: Your detailed explanation - Performed by: Your user ID - Timestamp: Current date/time

Understanding Stock Movements

Every stock change creates a stock movement record for audit compliance:

What’s Recorded:

  • Who: User ID who made the change

  • When: Exact timestamp

  • What: Item ID, previous stock, new stock

  • Why: Detailed reason

  • Type: ‘in’, ‘out’, or ‘adjustment’

Example Audit Trail:

Item: Laboratory Microscope (SKU: LAB-MICRO-001)

Stock Movement History:
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
2025-01-15 10:30  | IN         | 0 → 10   | +10
Reason: Received Order #O202501151230
By: admin@university.ac.uk

2025-01-20 14:45  | OUT        | 10 → 8   | -2
Reason: Sale #S202501201445
By: user@university.ac.uk

2025-01-25 09:00  | ADJUSTMENT | 8 → 7    | -1
Reason: Physical count - 1 unit damaged
By: manager@university.ac.uk

2025-01-28 16:20  | OUT        | 7 → 5    | -2
Reason: Sale #S202501281620
By: user@university.ac.uk

Current Stock: 5 pieces

Viewing Audit Trail:

  1. Click on item name or “View Details”

  2. Scroll to “Stock Movement History” section

  3. See complete chronological history

Tip

Compliance: This audit trail is essential for financial audits, regulatory compliance, and investigating discrepancies.

—

Step 5: Low Stock Alerts

Understanding Stock Status

Items are color-coded based on stock levels:

🟢 In Stock (Green):

  • Stock > Minimum Stock threshold

  • OR Stock > 5 (if minimum not set)

  • Sufficient availability

🟡 Low Stock (Yellow):

  • Stock ≤ Minimum Stock threshold

  • OR Stock between 1-5 (if minimum not set)

  • Action needed: Create purchase order soon

🔴 Out of Stock (Red):

  • Stock = 0

  • Urgent: Cannot sell, create purchase order immediately

Setting Up Low-Stock Alerts

When creating or editing an item:

  1. Set Minimum Stock field to desired threshold

  2. Example: Set to 5 if you want alert when stock drops to 5 or below

  3. System automatically shows yellow warning when threshold reached

Example:

Item: Safety Goggles
Current Stock: 6 pieces
Minimum Stock: 5 pieces

Status: 🟢 In Stock

(When stock drops to 5, status becomes 🟡 Low Stock)

Monitoring Low-Stock Items

In Inventory List:

  • Yellow/red status badges immediately visible

  • Sort by stock level to see low items first

  • Filter by “Low Stock” or “Out of Stock”

Dashboard:

  • Quick count of low-stock items

  • Alerts for items needing reorder

Best Practice:

  • Check low-stock weekly

  • Create purchase orders promptly

  • Adjust minimum stock thresholds based on demand

—

Step 6: Bulk Operations

Bulk Import (Creating Multiple Items)

When to Use: Adding many items at once (e.g., new product line)

  1. Click “Bulk Import” button

  2. Download CSV template

  3. Fill in template with item data:

Template Columns:

name,sku,category,location,unit,price,vatRate,vatIncluded,currentStock,minimumStock,description
"Lab Coat Size S","LAB-COAT-S","Clothing","Clothing Storage Rack 3","pieces",22.00,0.20,yes,15,5,"Standard lab coat small"
"Lab Coat Size M","LAB-COAT-M","Clothing","Clothing Storage Rack 3","pieces",24.00,0.20,yes,20,5,"Standard lab coat medium"
"Lab Coat Size L","LAB-COAT-L","Clothing","Clothing Storage Rack 3","pieces",24.00,0.20,yes,18,5,"Standard lab coat large"

  1. Upload filled CSV file

  2. System validates and imports

  3. Results shown (success/errors)

Validation:

  • SKUs must be unique

  • Categories must exist

  • Prices must be valid numbers

  • Error report shown for failed rows

Bulk Export (Backing Up Inventory Data)

  1. Click “Export Inventory” button

  2. CSV file downloads with all items

  3. Filename: inventory-export-20250129.csv

Uses:

  • Backup before major changes

  • Analysis in Excel/spreadsheet

  • Migration to other systems

  • Printing inventory lists

—

Step 7: Best Practices

Location Management

Consistent Format:

  • Use standard format: “Building/Room, Area, Specific Location”

  • Example: “Chemistry Lab 204, Cabinet B, Shelf 3”

Specific Enough:

  • Staff should be able to find item in <2 minutes

  • Include landmark if helpful: “Near fume hood”

Update When Moving:

  • Always update location when relocating items

  • Prevents wasted time searching wrong location

SKU Conventions

Develop a System:

  • Prefix by category: LAB-, CHEM-, OFF-, IT-

  • Include item type: MICRO (microscope), BEAKER, CHAIR

  • Add size/capacity: 500ML, 40X, SIZE-M

  • Sequential number: 001, 002, 003

Example SKU System:

Category Prefixes:
LAB-    Laboratory equipment
CHEM-   Chemical supplies
OFF-    Office supplies
IT-     IT equipment
SAFE-   Safety equipment

Examples:
LAB-MICRO-001    (Lab microscope #1)
CHEM-BEAKER-500ML (500ml beaker)
OFF-CHAIR-EXEC-001 (Executive office chair #1)
IT-LAPTOP-DELL-001 (Dell laptop #1)
SAFE-GOGG-001    (Safety goggles #1)

Price Management

Regular Reviews:

  • Review prices quarterly

  • Adjust for supplier price changes

  • Update before new academic year

VAT Changes:

  • When VAT rates change, update affected items

  • Historical sales unaffected (use snapshot)

Stock Management

Regular Stock Takes:

  • Physical count monthly or quarterly

  • Compare with system stock

  • Investigate and document discrepancies

  • Adjust stock to match physical count

Document Everything:

  • Always provide detailed reasons for adjustments

  • Helps with audits and investigations

  • Builds accountability

—

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Received Wrong Quantity

Problem: Ordered 10, received 8

Solution:

  1. In order receiving, enter actual received: 8

  2. Stock increases by 8 (not 10)

  3. Add receiving note: “2 units on backorder”

  4. Create new order for remaining 2 units (or wait)

Scenario 2: Found Extra Stock

Problem: Physical count found 15 units, system shows 10

Solution:

  1. Click “Adjust Stock”

  2. New Stock Level: 15

  3. Reason: “Physical stock take found 5 additional units in secondary storage”

  4. Confirm adjustment

Scenario 3: Damaged Items

Problem: 3 items damaged beyond use

Solution:

  1. Click “Adjust Stock”

  2. New Stock Level: Current - 3

  3. Reason: “3 units damaged during storage - water leak in storage area 12/01/2025”

  4. Confirm adjustment

  5. Report damage to facilities

Scenario 4: Changing Item Location

Problem: Moving items to new storage area

Solution:

  1. Click “Edit” on item

  2. Update Location field

  3. Save changes

  4. Optionally add note: “Relocated from Lab Store to Chemistry Building 204”

—

Troubleshooting

“Cannot create item - SKU already exists”

  • SKU must be unique

  • Check if item already in system

  • Use different SKU or edit existing item

“VAT calculation seems wrong”

  • Check “VAT Included” setting

  • See Step 2c for calculation examples

  • Consult finance if unsure

“Stock didn’t update after receiving order”

  • Check order status is “Received”

  • Verify received quantities were entered

  • View stock movement history

  • Contact admin if issue persists

“Cannot find item in list”

  • Check if item is marked inactive

  • Try searching by SKU instead of name

  • Clear filters (may be filtered out)

—

Next Steps

You now know:

  • ✓ How to add new items with all details

  • ✓ Location and unit field importance

  • ✓ Price and VAT configuration

  • ✓ Manual stock adjustments

  • ✓ Stock movement audit trails

  • ✓ Low-stock alert setup

  • ✓ Bulk import/export

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