Creating an Inventory

Overview

This guide walks you through creating a new inventory session in ARMOR. Inventories can be set up for routine counts, compliance audits, or large-scale asset discovery projects.

Prerequisites

Before creating an inventory, ensure you have:

• Administrator permissions in the ARMOR portal
• Site access to the location you want to inventory
• Asset data for the site (existing records help with matching)
• Project plan: Know your timeline, team size, and approach (standard vs. blind)

Step-by-Step: Creating an Inventory

Step 1: Navigate to Inventory Management

1. Log into the ARMOR portal
2. Click Inventory Management in the main navigation
3. You'll see the inventory dashboard with existing inventories
4. Click "Create New Inventory" button (top right)

Step 2: Select Site

1. Choose the site from the dropdown menu
2. System displays: Expected asset count for that site
3. Site selection is locked once inventory becomes active
4. If you need multiple sites, create separate inventories

Step 3: Name Your Inventory

Choose a descriptive name that includes:

• Location: "Dallas Warehouse" or "HQ Building 3"
• Purpose: "Annual Audit" or "Quarterly Check"
• Date: "Q1 2025" or "Jan 2025"

Good Examples:

• "Dallas Warehouse - Annual Compliance Audit - Jan 2025"
• "HQ IT Department - Q1 Equipment Verification"
• "Fleet Yard - Monthly Vehicle Inspection - Feb 2025"

Poor Examples:

• "Inventory 1" (too vague)
• "Test" (not descriptive)
• "Assets" (no context)

Step 4: Set Due Date

1. Select the target completion date
2. System uses this for progress tracking and alerts
3. Due date is not enforced - inventory can continue past deadline
4. Extend due date anytime by editing inventory details

Step 5: Choose Inventory Type (Optional)

Depending on your organization's configuration, you may see inventory type options:

• Standard Inventory: Users verify against expected asset list
• Blind Inventory: Users scan without seeing database
• Hybrid: Combine both approaches

If no type selector appears, your inventory supports all methods by default.

Step 6: Add Description (Optional)

Include helpful context for your team:

• Purpose of the inventory
• Special instructions (e.g., "Focus on serial numbers, not asset tags")
• Areas to prioritize
• Known issues or challenges

Example:

"Annual compliance audit for insurance purposes. All IT equipment must be verified, including laptops in employee offices. Check serial numbers carefully - many older assets have faded labels."

Step 7: Save as Draft

1. Click "Save Draft"
2. Inventory is created in Draft status
3. You can assign users, review settings, and make changes
4. No one can submit assets yet (inventory isn't active)

Inventory Status Lifecycle

Status	What It Means	What You Can Do
Draft	Setup phase; not yet started	Edit settings, assign users, generate links. Site is locked but other fields editable.
Active	In progress; accepting submissions	Users can submit assets. Process submissions in real-time. Monitor progress.
Completed	Finished; all processing done	View reports, export data. No new submissions accepted. Read-only.
Cancelled	Abandoned; won't be completed	Archive only. Data retained but inventory inactive.

Activating Your Inventory

When ready to begin:

1. Open inventory details
2. Click "Activate Inventory"
3. Confirm activation (site becomes locked)
4. Assigned users and external links become active
5. Dashboard shows "Active" status

Configuration Options

Expected Assets

The system automatically calculates expected assets based on:

• Assets assigned to the selected site in your asset database
• Active assets (not retired or disposed)
• All asset types (IT equipment, furniture, vehicles, etc.)

This number is used for progress calculation:

• Progress % = (Verified Assets / Expected Assets) × 100

Submission Settings

Configure how users submit assets:

• Require Photos: Force users to attach images
• Allow Manual Entry: Permit typing asset IDs (not just scanning)
• Require Notes: Mandate observations for each submission
• Location Verification: Ask users to confirm asset location

These settings depend on your ARMOR configuration and may not be available in all versions.

Notification Settings

• Daily Progress Reports: Email summary at 5 PM daily
• Completion Alerts: Notify when inventory reaches 100%
• Flagged Submission Alerts: Immediate notice of issues
• User Assignment Emails: Automatic invite when users added

After Creating Your Inventory

Next Steps

1. Assign Users: Add internal staff who need portal access
2. Generate Blind Links: Create unique URLs for external participants
3. Distribute Instructions: Send scanning guidelines to your team
4. Activate Inventory: Make it live when ready to begin
5. Monitor Progress: Check dashboard daily during collection

Testing Before Activation

Consider these validation steps:

• Verify expected asset count matches your records
• Test blind link on a mobile device
• Confirm assigned users received invitation emails
• Scan a few test assets to verify workflow
• Review Match/Review/Results tabs to understand processing

Common Scenarios

Multi-Site Organization

If you manage multiple locations:

• Create separate inventory for each site
• Use consistent naming convention (e.g., "[Site] - Q1 2025")
• Stagger start dates to manage administrator workload
• Assign site-specific users to relevant inventories

Recurring Quarterly Audits

• Create template description and save as note
• Use consistent naming: "Q1 2025", "Q2 2025", etc.
• Same due date pattern each quarter (e.g., 15th of final month)
• Clone user assignments from previous quarter

One-Time Compliance Audit

• Include "Compliance" or "Audit" in the name
• Add detailed description referencing requirements
• Use blind inventory for unbiased results
• Set longer timeline for thorough processing

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Include site, purpose, and date in every inventory name
• Use hyphens or underscores for readability
• Keep names under 75 characters for dashboard display
• Avoid abbreviations that might confuse future users

Timeline Planning

Asset Count	Collection Time	Processing Time	Total Timeline
< 100 assets	1-2 days	2-4 hours	3-5 days
100-500 assets	3-5 days	1-2 days	1-2 weeks
500-1000 assets	1-2 weeks	2-3 days	2-3 weeks
> 1000 assets	2-4 weeks	3-5 days	3-5 weeks

Team Sizing

• Small inventory (< 100 assets): 1-2 users
• Medium inventory (100-500 assets): 3-5 users
• Large inventory (500-1000 assets): 5-10 users
• Very large inventory (> 1000 assets): 10-20 users

Troubleshooting

"I can't select my site from the dropdown"

Possible causes:

• You don't have permission for that site
• Site is already part of an active inventory
• Site has no assets assigned (0 expected count)

Solution: Contact your administrator to verify site permissions and asset assignments.

"Expected asset count seems wrong"

The count is based on:

• Assets actively assigned to the site
• Assets not marked as retired or disposed
• Data in ARMOR at time of inventory creation

Solution: Review asset assignments in Asset Management. Update site assignments before creating inventory.

"Can I change the site after activating?"

No. Site selection is locked when inventory becomes active. If you need to change the site:

1. Cancel the current inventory
2. Create a new inventory with the correct site
3. Re-assign users and regenerate links

What's Next?

• Assigning Users & Sending Invites - Add team members and generate blind links
• Managing Inventory Status & Lifecycle - Understand status transitions
• Dashboard Overview & Navigation - Monitor progress and metrics

Getting Help

For assistance creating inventories or troubleshooting issues, contact the ARMOR Support Team.