Inventory & Purchasing

If 3PM Drive is connected to another app that manages Stock or Purchase Orders, some actions may be read-only or the Purchase Orders screen may show that the feature is managed in the connected app.

Key concepts

• Stock is the part or material you track. Each Stock item has a system-generated Stock number.
• Stock Locations hold quantities for a Stock item. The total Stock shown is the sum of its quantities across Stock Locations.
• Stock is shown as Out of stock when the total is 0 or less, Low stock when the total is at or below its Reorder point, and In stock otherwise.
• A Purchase Order is an order for Stock from a Vendor. It can include one or more Line Items, with a quantity and Unit Cost for each item.
• Purchase Order statuses include Draft, Pending Approval, Rejected, Approved, Purchased, Received Partial, Received, and Closed.
• Receiving is separate from a regular status change. Use Receive to add arrived quantities to Stock at the Purchase Order’s Delivery Location.

How to manage Stock

1. Open Stock from Maintenance.
2. Use the search box to find Stock by name or other available details.
3. Review the Stock, Stock #, Category, Stock Value, Reorder Pt, Source, Created, and Updated columns. You can adjust the table view with the available table controls.
4. Select View to open an item’s details. The Details tab shows information such as Name, Stock Number, Total Stock, Reorder Point, Max Quantity, Measurement Unit, Unit Price, and Stock Value.
5. Use Vendors to review linked Vendors and their Unit Cost. Use Stock Locations to review quantities by location when those details are available.
6. To change an item, select Edit, update the details, and select Update Stock.
7. To remove an item from the regular list without deleting it, select Archive and confirm. To see archived items, turn on the archived-items control, then use Unarchive when available.

Your available actions depend on your permissions and whether you created the item. Stock managed by a connected app does not show the usual edit or archive actions in 3PM Drive.

How to add Stock

1. Open Stock.
2. Select Add Stock.
3. In Stock Details, enter the required Stock name. The Stock number is generated automatically by 3PM Drive.
4. Optionally add a Description and a Stock photo. Stock photos must be image files smaller than 5 MB.
5. In Stock Management, optionally enter a Reorder point, Maximum quantity limit, Measurement unit, and Category.
6. Use Vendors and Add Vendor to link Vendors and enter a Unit Cost.
7. Use Stock Locations and Add Location to assign quantities to Stock Locations. A location without a quantity is saved with quantity 0; lines without a selected location are not saved.
8. Select Create Stock.

You can add Measurement units, Categories, and Stock Locations from the settings links beside those fields when the required option is not available.

How to create a Purchase Order

1. Open Purchase Orders.
2. Select Create PO.
3. Select a Vendor. If you change the Vendor while creating the Purchase Order, the Line Items are removed.
4. Select a required Delivery Location and Approver.
5. In Line Items, select Add Item for each Stock item. For every item, select the Stock, enter a positive Quantity, and enter a Unit Cost of 0 or more.
6. Optionally enter a Description, Shipping, Tax, and Attachments.
7. Review the calculated Subtotal and Total.
8. Select Save as Draft to keep the Purchase Order in Draft, or select Send for Approval to create it in Pending Approval.

A Purchase Order must have a Vendor, Delivery Location, Approver, and at least one valid Line Item before it can be saved.

How to update a Purchase Order status

Update one Purchase Order

1. Open Purchase Orders and select View for the relevant Purchase Order.
2. For a normal status change, select the Purchase Orders you want to change in the list, then select Update Status. Choose the new status, add a note when needed, and confirm with Update Status.
3. To receive Stock, select Receive on a Purchase Order with status Purchased or Received Partial.
4. In Receive Items, enter how many of each item arrived. The form starts with the outstanding quantity. You cannot receive more than the outstanding quantity, and you must enter at least one positive quantity.
5. Submit the receiving action. The received quantities are added to Stock at the Delivery Location, and the Purchase Order’s receiving status is updated.

Update several Purchase Orders

1. Select the Purchase Orders to update in the list.
2. Select Update Status.
3. Choose a status from the list, including Pending Approval, Approved, Rejected, Purchased, Received, Received Partial, or Closed.
4. If you choose Rejected, enter the required Rejection reason.
5. Select Update Status. Purchase Orders whose current status does not allow the selected change are skipped.

Only the assigned Approver or a manager can approve or reject a Purchase Order. The person who created a Purchase Order cannot approve it unless they have full access. A regular status change cannot be used to receive Stock; use Receive instead.

Tips & things to know

• Use Search purchase orders... and the status tabs to narrow the Purchase Orders list.
• The default list view shows up to 25 items at a time; use the table controls to change the number of rows shown.
• Set a Reorder point to identify Stock as Low stock when its total reaches that level.
• Add Unit Cost under Vendors if you want Unit Price and Stock Value to be calculated. Stock without a Vendor Unit Cost above 0 is shown as Unpriced.
• A Purchase Order can be edited while it is Draft or Rejected. After it moves to another status, the edit action is not shown.
• A Purchase Order can be archived in any status, subject to your permissions. Archived Purchase Orders appear when you enable the archived-items control.
• Keep the Delivery Location accurate: received quantities are added to Stock there.
• If an option is missing from a picker, use the linked settings area to add the relevant Measurement unit, Category, or Stock Location.
• If 3PM Drive shows Purchase Orders as managed in a connected app, create, edit, receive, and status actions must be completed there.

FAQ