Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.novala.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The Parts & Inventory module is the source of truth for every physical item your business stocks and uses. A central parts catalog holds every part you carry — with its SKU, unit cost, sell price, and reorder threshold. Stock is tracked by location, so you always know how many units are in each warehouse, van, or truck. When a service job is completed, Novala automatically decrements the parts used on that job, keeping your quantities accurate without manual entry. Low-stock alerts fire as soon as a quantity drops below its reorder point, and cycle counts let you reconcile physical counts against system quantities at any time.

​
Parts catalog

The parts catalog lives under Inventory → Parts Catalog. Each part record contains:
A unique identifier and descriptive name. The part number is used across work orders, POs, and stock movements for consistent tracking.
An optional grouping for filtering and reporting (e.g., Filters, Belts, Electrical).
How the part is counted — each, box, foot, liter, etc.
The cost to purchase the part and the price charged to customers. Sell prices from the parts catalog are used when building quotes and invoices.
Optional manufacturer name for reference and filtering.
Inactive parts are hidden from selection in work orders and POs but their stock history is preserved.

​
Add a new part

1

Go to the Parts Catalog

Navigate to Inventory → Parts Catalog and click New Part.
2

Enter part details

Fill in the part number, name, category, and unit of measure. These fields are required.
3

Set cost and pricing

Enter the unit cost (what you pay) and the sell price (what you charge customers). Both values are used in quoting, invoicing, and profitability reporting.
4

Save

Click Save. The part is now available for use on work orders, POs, and stock movements.

​
Stock locations

Novala tracks stock separately for each physical location. Locations are configured under Inventory → Locations and can represent a warehouse, a technician’s truck, or any virtual storage area. Each location has its own stock level per part — so you know exactly which van has the last filter on hand before dispatching a technician.
Assign a location to each vehicle in your fleet so field technicians always have an accurate picture of what’s on their truck.

​
Stock overview

Inventory → Stock Overview shows current quantities across all parts and locations in a single table. Filter by location or part to narrow the view. The columns display quantity on hand and the reorder threshold for each part–location combination.

​
How stock changes

Stock levels change automatically in three ways:

Service job completed

When a job is marked complete, the parts listed as used on that job are decremented from the technician’s truck or the assigned stock location.

PO received

Receiving a purchase order increases the quantity on hand at the chosen receiving location by the quantities confirmed in the receipt.

Manual adjustment

Managers with the Manage Stock permission can record a manual stock movement — an increase or decrease with a reason — at any time.
Every stock change creates an immutable stock movement record that logs what changed, when, and why. This gives you a complete audit trail of every quantity update.

​
Low-stock alerts

Set a reorder point on any part-location combination. When the quantity on hand falls at or below that threshold, Novala fires a inventory.stock.low alert. On the Inventory dashboard, low-stock items appear in a red alert banner showing the part number, location, current quantity, and reorder point. The Low Stock summary card shows the total count of active alerts.
Low-stock alerts also trigger suggestions in the Purchasing module. If the part has a preferred vendor, Novala will suggest a purchase order so you can reorder quickly. See Purchasing & Vendors for details.

​
Cycle counts

A cycle count is a physical count of stock at a location that reconciles what Novala expects against what is actually on the shelf. Run them from Inventory → Cycle Counts.
1

Start a new cycle count

Click New Cycle Count and select the location to count. Novala generates a count sheet with every part that has stock at that location.
2

Enter physical counts

For each part, enter the actual quantity you find on the shelf. Novala shows the expected quantity alongside your entry so you can spot variances in real time.
3

Submit the count

Click Submit Count. Novala compares your entries to the expected quantities and records a stock adjustment movement for any discrepancies.
4

Review results

The completed cycle count shows items counted, the number of adjustments made, and an overall accuracy percentage.
A completed cycle count reports three metrics: items counted, number of adjustments (variances), and accuracy as a percentage of items that matched.

​
Inventory analytics

The Inventory → Analytics section provides deeper views into stock value, consumption trends, and usage by job. Use it to identify slow-moving parts, understand which jobs consume the most materials, and assess the total value of your on-hand stock.

​
Permissions

Read-only access to the parts catalog, stock levels, and locations.
Create and edit part records, categories, and pricing.
Record manual stock adjustments, receive POs, and run cycle counts.