Inventory Approvals and Permissions
Larger stores want a second pair of eyes on actions that move money or stock. Manager approval needs Staff Operations. If it is off, inventory works with no approval step.
Before you start
- Advanced Inventory and Staff Operations.
- The Staff Operations · Modify permission to change thresholds.
Steps
Open the approval policy
Open Preferences → Policies → Approvals. You see a card for stock adjustments and one for purchase orders, shown with Advanced Inventory.
Set the rule and the threshold
For each action, set Require manager approval, a threshold (units of stock for an adjustment, money for a purchase order) and Require a different authorizer. Save.
A staff member starts the action
A clerk places a large purchase order or makes a stock adjustment. If it is over the threshold and they cannot authorize it, the action pauses.
The approval pad opening — screenshot coming soon
A manager approves in place
A manager types their PIN, or taps or scans their badge, on the same screen. The clerk stays signed in, and the action then completes.
A manager approving — screenshot coming soon
What happens next
- The action completes and the decision is logged with who asked and who approved.
Edge cases
- What is gated. Placing a purchase order (by its total) and adjusting stock (by the change, which for a count is the difference from what was on hand). Both require approval by default, and purchase orders also require a different approver. Transfers are not gated.
- Only the owner, organization admins and people with Staff Operations · Modify change the thresholds.
- Who clears it. Owners and managers authorize themselves. A clerk with only inventory edit access needs a manager.
- Location limits. A staff member assigned to specific locations can only receive purchase orders, ship or receive transfers, or adjust stock there. No assignments means unrestricted, a single-location store has nothing to scope, and the owner is always unrestricted. The app has no screen to assign locations yet. Assignments exist on the server only.
- Cancelling a transfer does not check the location limit.
- Requests expire after a short time if nobody answers. Start the action again.
Works with
| Add-on or plan | What changes on this page |
|---|---|
| Advanced Inventory add-on | Required for locations, purchase orders, suppliers, transfers and audited adjustments. It is the one add-on not unlocked during a free trial: activate it with a saved payment method on file. |
| Staff Operations add-on | Adds manager approval for placing purchase orders, adjusting stock and completing counts. |
| Roles & Permissions add-on | Makes clerk and manager differ. |