Inventory Management Guide

The Inventory module is your central hub for managing all products, tracking stock levels, performing stock adjustments, and monitoring alerts. This guide covers everything you need to know to effectively manage inventory in the LGO ERP system.

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Overview

The Inventory module allows you to:

• View, add, edit, and delete products
• Track current stock quantities and values
• Perform stock adjustments with reason codes
• Monitor stock alerts (expired, low stock, expiring soon)
• Export inventory data to CSV

Role access: The Inventory module is accessible to Admin and Production roles only.

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Viewing Inventory

When you navigate to Inventory in the sidebar, you will see a comprehensive table of all products in the system.

DataTable Features

The inventory table is a fully interactive DataTable component with the following capabilities:

Sorting

1. Click any column header (e.g., Product Name, SKU, Stock Qty, Unit Cost) to sort the table by that column.
2. Click the same header again to toggle between ascending and descending order.
3. A small arrow indicator shows the current sort direction.

Searching

1. Locate the SearchBar at the top of the table.
2. Type a search term — you can search by product name, SKU, or category.
3. The table filters in real time as you type.
4. Clear the search field to restore the full list.

Pagination

1. At the bottom of the table, use the pagination controls to navigate between pages.
2. Use the rows per page dropdown to change how many products are displayed at once (e.g., 10, 25, 50, 100).
3. Page numbers and navigation arrows (Previous / Next) are shown.

Row Selection

1. Click the checkbox next to any row to select it.
2. Use the Select All checkbox in the table header to select all visible rows.
3. Selected rows enable Bulk Actions (see below).

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Adding a New Product

1. Navigate to Inventory in the sidebar.
2. Click the + New Product button (top-right of the inventory table).
3. A form will appear with the following fields:

Required Fields

Field	Description	Example
Item Name	The display name of the product	"Golden Palm Cooking Oil 5L"
SKU	A unique stock-keeping unit code	"GPO-5L-001"
Category	Select from the dropdown	Edible Oil, Packaging, Raw Material, Equipment, Supplies
Unit of Measure	Select from the dropdown	Litres, Kg, Cartons, Pieces, Rolls, Sachets
Current Stock Quantity	The starting stock count	500
Unit Cost	The cost per unit of the product	12.50
Selling Price	The price you sell this product for	18.75

Optional Fields

Field	Description	Example
Minimum Stock Level	The threshold below which a low-stock alert triggers	50
Description	Additional notes about the product	"Premium refined palm oil, 5 litre bottle"
Status	Active (tracked) or Inactive (not tracked)	Active

4. Fill in all required fields.
5. Optionally set the Minimum Stock Level — this determines when the system flags the product as low stock.
6. Select the Status (Active is recommended for new products).
7. Click Save to create the product.

Tip: Use consistent SKU naming conventions (e.g., category prefix + size + sequence) to make products easier to find and manage.

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Editing a Product

1. Navigate to Inventory in the sidebar.
2. Locate the product you want to edit using the search bar or by scrolling.
3. Click the Edit icon (pencil) in the Actions column of that product's row.
4. Modify the fields you need to change.
5. Click Save to apply your changes.

Changes take effect immediately. If you update the unit cost, the stock value will be recalculated automatically.

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Deleting a Product

1. Navigate to Inventory in the sidebar.
2. Locate the product you want to delete.
3. Click the Delete icon (trash can) in the Actions column.
4. A ConfirmDialog will appear asking you to confirm the deletion.
5. Click Confirm to proceed.

Note: Deletion is a soft delete — the product record is retained in the database but marked as deleted. It will no longer appear in active inventory views, but historical data (sales, production runs, purchases) referencing this product will still be accessible.

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Understanding Stock Status

Each product displays a color-coded stock status indicator:

Status	Color	Condition
Active	Green	Stock is above the minimum threshold
Low	Yellow	Stock has fallen below the minimum stock level
Out of Stock	Red	Current stock quantity is zero
Inactive	Gray	Product has been set to Inactive status

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Bulk Actions

You can perform actions on multiple products at once:

1. Select products by clicking the checkboxes next to each row.
2. A BulkActions bar will appear at the top of the table.
3. Choose from available bulk actions:
   • Delete — soft-deletes all selected products (a ConfirmDialog will appear).
4. Click Confirm in the dialog to proceed with the bulk action.

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CSV Export

You can export your inventory data to a CSV file for external analysis or record-keeping.

1. Navigate to Inventory in the sidebar.
2. If you want to export only specific products, use the search bar or filters to narrow the list first.
3. Click the Export CSV button.
4. A CSV file will be downloaded containing all visible (or filtered) inventory records, including columns for product name, SKU, category, stock quantity, unit cost, selling price, status, and more.

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Stock Adjustments

Stock adjustments allow you to manually increase or decrease stock quantities outside of normal purchase or sales flows. This is essential for tracking damaged goods, expired items, count corrections, and other inventory movements.

Navigating to Stock Adjustments

1. Navigate to Inventory in the sidebar.
2. Click the Stock Adjustments tab (located alongside the main inventory table).

Creating a New Adjustment

1. Click the + New Adjustment button.
2. A form will appear with the following fields:

Field	Description
Product	Select the product to adjust from the dropdown
Quantity	Enter the adjustment quantity (positive to add, negative to subtract)
Reason	Select from: Damaged, Expired, Count Correction, Theft/Loss, Return, Other
Notes	Optional — add context for the adjustment

3. Select the product you want to adjust from the dropdown.
4. Enter the quantity:
   • Positive number (e.g., 50) — adds stock (e.g., found unrecorded inventory)
   • Negative number (e.g., -20) — reduces stock (e.g., damaged items removed)
5. Select a reason from the dropdown:
   • Damaged — product was physically damaged
   • Expired — product passed its expiry date
   • Count Correction — physical count revealed a discrepancy
   • Theft/Loss — inventory lost due to theft or unexplained reasons
   • Return — product returned from a customer
   • Other — any other reason (specify in Notes)
6. Optionally add Notes to provide additional context.
7. Click Save to apply the adjustment.

The stock quantity of the affected product will be updated immediately. The adjustment will be recorded in the adjustment history and the audit log.

Viewing Adjustment History

1. Navigate to Inventory → Stock Adjustments tab.
2. The table displays all past adjustments with:
   • Product name
   • Adjustment quantity (+ or -)
   • Reason
   • Date and time
   • User who performed the adjustment
   • Notes (if any)
3. Use the search bar to find adjustments by product name or reason.
4. Sort by any column using the column headers.

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Stock Alerts

The stock alerts system monitors your inventory and flags items that require attention.

Types of Alerts

Alert Type	Color	Trigger Condition
Expired	Red	Product expiry date has passed
Low Stock	Yellow	Current stock is below the minimum stock level
Expiring Soon	Orange	Product will expire within 2 weeks (14 days)

Viewing Stock Alerts

1. Navigate to Inventory in the sidebar.
2. Stock alerts are displayed in a dedicated section or tab within the Inventory page.
3. Alerts are listed with the product name, current stock level, and the specific issue.

Using Alerts to Trigger Actions

• Expired items: Create a stock adjustment (reason: Expired) to remove them from active inventory.
• Low stock: Create a new purchase order in the Purchases module to replenish.
• Expiring soon: Prioritize these items in production runs or sales orders.

Configuring Low Stock Thresholds

The low stock threshold is set per product via the Minimum Stock Level field:

1. Navigate to Inventory.
2. Click Edit on the product.
3. Set the Minimum Stock Level to the desired threshold.
4. Click Save.

When the product's stock quantity drops below this level, a low-stock alert will automatically appear on the Dashboard and in the Inventory alerts section.

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Best Practices

1. Conduct regular stock counts — Perform physical inventory counts at least monthly and use stock adjustments (reason: Count Correction) to reconcile discrepancies.
2. Set meaningful minimum stock levels — Base thresholds on lead times and average consumption. Products with longer supplier lead times should have higher minimum levels.
3. Review adjustment history regularly — Monitor patterns in adjustments. Frequent "Theft/Loss" or "Damaged" adjustments may indicate process issues.
4. Keep product information current — Update unit costs, selling prices, and descriptions as needed. Outdated information leads to inaccurate financial reporting.
5. Use SKUs consistently — Establish a naming convention and stick to it. SKUs make searching and cross-referencing much faster.
6. Address alerts promptly — Check alerts daily and take action before stock-outs or expirations cause disruptions.

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Role Access Summary

Role	Inventory View	Add/Edit/Delete Products	Stock Adjustments	Stock Alerts
Admin	Full access	Full access	Full access	Visible
Production	Full access	Full access	Full access	Visible
Sales	No access	No access	No access	No access
Accountant	No access	No access	No access	No access

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Troubleshooting

• Product not appearing in search: Ensure the product status is set to Active. Inactive products may be filtered out.
• Stock quantity seems incorrect: Check the Stock Adjustments tab for recent adjustments. Review the audit log via the Activity module.
• Cannot create a new product: Verify you have the correct role (Admin or Production). Ensure all required fields are filled in.
• Export not working: Ensure your browser allows file downloads and that JavaScript is enabled.