Using inventory thresholds

Overview

Inventory thresholds let you declare the stock range you expect to hold for a given equipment model, and have gaiia tell you when your real stock falls outside of that range. A threshold answers two questions at once: are you about to run out, and are you sitting on too much?

Thresholds are configured under Inventory > Settings > Thresholds. gaiia re-evaluates every threshold roughly once an hour, raises an alert for each model that is out of range, and clears that alert on its own once the stock is back within range. No one has to remember to check.

This article covers what gaiia counts when it evaluates a threshold, the three scopes a threshold can use, how to create and manage one, and how threshold alerts can feed your workflows.

Thresholds can only be viewed, created and edited by users with the Inventory > Settings permission enabled.

What gaiia counts as available

A threshold is never measured against your total inventory. It is measured against the available quantity, meaning the units that are physically sitting in a storage location or zone and are free to be picked. Understanding this distinction is the single most useful thing to know about thresholds, because it explains why a threshold can stay quiet while your total item count looks healthy.

A unit committed to a shipment that has not been packed yet is still physically in your warehouse, so it still counts as available. If you want your thresholds to account for outbound demand, set the minimum higher than the raw reorder point.

How a threshold is evaluated

A threshold holds a list of models, a scope, and up to two limits. gaiia evaluates it one model at a time: a single threshold covering five models produces five independent verdicts, and each model can be in alert without affecting the other four.

1. gaiia reads the available quantity for the model, restricted to the threshold's scope.

2. If the available quantity is strictly below the minimum threshold, a minimum alert is raised.

   A minimum of 0 disables the minimum check entirely. Use it when you only care about overstock.

3. If the available quantity is strictly above the maximum threshold, a maximum alert is raised.

   Leaving the maximum threshold empty disables the maximum check entirely. Use it when you only care about running out.

4. Once the quantity returns inside the range, gaiia closes the alert automatically.

Landing exactly on a limit is not a violation. A model with 10 units available against a minimum of 10 is displayed as "On limit" in the threshold list, but it does not raise an alert. Alerts only fire once the quantity has actually passed the limit.

Each model in a threshold can hold one open alert at a time, so a model that stays out of range does not generate a new notification on every hourly check. The alert is opened once when the limit is crossed, and closed once the situation is resolved.

Threshold scopes

The scope decides which pool of stock the limits are measured against. The same model can be covered by several thresholds at different scopes at the same time, which is the usual way to combine a company-wide safety net with per-warehouse rules.

In the threshold list, the Threshold Scope column shows which of the three is in use, and the Applied to column names the location or zone. Global thresholds show a dash, since they are not tied to any one place.

Creating a threshold

A threshold needs a name, at least one model and a minimum value. Everything else is optional. Before you start, decide whether the rule belongs to your whole operation or to one site, since the scope cannot be inferred later from the numbers alone.

1. Navigate to Inventory > Settings > Thresholds.
2. Click on the New threshold button.

3. Enter a Threshold name.

   Threshold names must be unique. Name the rule after what it protects rather than after the model, for example "Main Warehouse - router reorder point".

4. Select one or more Models. Models are grouped by manufacturer, and the same limits will apply to each model you select.
5. Choose a Threshold scope.
   1. Selecting the location scope reveals a Location field.
   2. Selecting the zone scope reveals a Location field first, then a Zone field listing the zones of that location.
6. Fill the Maximum threshold field to be notified when items exceed that amount. Leave it empty to skip the overstock check.

7. Fill the Minimum threshold field to be notified when items drop below that amount. Enter 0 to skip the understock check.

   The maximum cannot be lower than the minimum. gaiia blocks the form until the two values are coherent.

8. Click on the Create button.

The new threshold is picked up by the next scheduled evaluation, so an already-breached limit will surface within the hour rather than immediately.

Reading the threshold list

The threshold list gives you one row per threshold, with a warning icon next to the name whenever at least one of its models is out of range. Expanding a row with the chevron breaks the threshold down model by model, which is where you find the actual numbers.

The expanded view also shows the Total available count that gaiia used for its verdict, which is the quickest way to confirm whether a surprising status comes from the limits or from stock being assigned out rather than sitting on a shelf.

Use the Filter button to narrow the list by threshold status, scope, location, manufacturer or model. Your filter selection is remembered the next time you open the page. The search bar matches on threshold names only.

Editing, duplicating and deleting a threshold

Every threshold row carries an Ellipsis menu on the right with three actions.

1. Edit reopens the threshold with its current values. Changing the models, scope or limits takes effect at the next evaluation.
2. Duplicate opens a pre-filled copy with an incremented name, which is the fastest way to roll the same rule out across several locations or zones.
3. Delete removes the threshold and any alert attached to it.

Closing an alert is not the same as resolving it. Deleting a threshold, and removing a model from a threshold, both close the open alerts silently. Neither one emits an inventory_threshold.resolved event. That event is only emitted by the scheduled evaluation, and only when the quantity genuinely comes back inside the range.

Editing the limits of a threshold that is already in alert does not re-notify. If a model is below its minimum and you raise that minimum, the alert simply stays open and no new event is emitted. Conversely, if your edit brings the model back inside the range, the alert closes at the next scheduled evaluation rather than the moment you save.

Automating on threshold alerts

Thresholds are not only a screen to look at. Each time a limit is crossed or a violation clears, gaiia emits an event that your workflows can subscribe to:

Both events carry the threshold name, the model concerned, the location or zone the threshold is scoped to, the limit that was crossed and the quantity observed at the time. That is enough to drive a purchase-order request, a Slack or email notification to your warehouse team, or a transfer between two of your own locations, without anyone opening the settings page.

Suggested setup

If you are configuring thresholds for the first time, a workable starting point is:

1. Create one global threshold per model family you actually reorder, with a minimum set to the stock you burn through during your supplier's lead time.
2. Add a location threshold for each site that can run out independently, such as a depot your technicians draw from every morning.
3. Leave the maximum threshold empty at first, then add it once you have a quarter of data and know what overstock looks like for you.
4. Wire inventory_threshold.crossed to a notification before you rely on the list page, since the list only tells you something is wrong when someone opens it.