Material without tasks: people and workplaces
In many companies work is not organised in tasks: a cleaning company has its staff at the client's premises for the whole working day. This guide explains how material is handed out and tracked in that case. It requires the inventory add-on, subscribed or on trial.
Where the material goes
Material leaves the warehouse towards one of three destinations:
| Destination | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Task | Material for a specific job | "30 towels for Thursday's cleaning" |
| Person | Material someone carries | "5 litres of bleach to María" |
| Workplace | Material sent to a site for whoever works there | "20 litres for the month to the South site" |
The same things are done with all three: allocate, issue, declare usage and settle what is left. What changes is where you see it. Material on tasks is explained in Material on tasks.
Issue to a person or a workplace
- Open the warehouse or item record and, on the item's row, click Issue.
- Under Where does it go?, choose Person or Workplace and search for it.
- Enter the quantity and click Issue.
You can also do it from the employee or workplace record, on the Material tab, with the Issue button.
Allocate an allowance
Allocating says what a person or a site is entitled to, without the material leaving yet: "María gets 5 litres a week". It is set aside in the warehouse until it goes out.
On the record's Material tab, click Allocate and choose the item, the warehouse and the quantity. If there is not enough, it is allocated anyway and you are warned.
With allowances in place, the panel can tell who uses more than they were allocated.
Declare what is used
Workers declare it from the app:
- At the workplace. The home screen has the My equipment card. With the working day started, it also shows Workplace material and the Declare consumption button. What was sent to the workplace is already loaded; anything unplanned can be added.
- Their own. My equipment also shows the consumables they carry, with Declare consumption and Return.
Nobody has to issue anything first: if someone declares something that was not recorded as issued, the issue is recorded at the same time.
From the panel, on the record's Material tab, the declare icon does the same. On a workplace you can say who used it.
Settle what is left
On a task, material is settled when the task is validated. A person or a workplace has no such moment, so it is settled when needed, from the Material tab on their record. Click the item's settle icon and enter:
- Used: what was used and nobody declared.
- Returned: what goes back to the warehouse.
- Allocation that will not go out: the part of the allowance that will no longer be handed out.
Whatever you do not resolve stays where it is: with them for a person, at the workplace for a workplace. It stays visible until someone resolves it.
What material is outside the warehouse
In Inventory → Stock, the Outside the warehouse tab lists all material that has gone out and nobody has declared used or returned: on tasks, with people and at workplaces. You can filter by destination and warehouse, and each row takes you to the record where it is settled.
Workplace as a destination or a warehouse at the workplace
They are two ways of working and can be combined:
- Sending material to the workplace tells you how much was sent and how much was used.
- A warehouse at the workplace keeps stock, minimums and counts at that site. It is replenished with transfers from the main warehouse.
Who can do what
| Role | Can |
|---|---|
| Worker | Declare and return their own material and that of the workplace where they work |
| Supervisor, Manager, Owner | Also allocate, issue to anyone, settle and see what is outside the warehouse |