Inventory and Stock Management with Automatic Reorder Alerts
Overview
Running out of stock is expensive. Lost sales, delayed projects, unhappy customers. But manually checking inventory levels across hundreds of items is equally painful. Most teams rely on someone remembering to check a spreadsheet, which means stockouts happen at the worst possible time.
This template automates inventory monitoring. Every product has a minimum stock level. When actual stock drops below that level, the automation fires — alerting the purchasing team and creating a reorder request on a connected board. No manual checking, no surprises.
Who This Template Is For
- Operations teams managing physical inventory or supplies
- E-commerce businesses tracking product stock levels
- Warehouse managers monitoring multiple SKUs across locations
- Office managers tracking supplies and equipment
- Manufacturing teams managing raw materials and components
Board Structure
Groups
- In Stock — items above minimum stock level
- Low Stock — items approaching reorder point
- Out of Stock — items at zero quantity
- Discontinued — items no longer stocked
Columns
Inventory Board
14 items| Column | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Product Name | Text | Item name or SKU description |
| Stock Status | Status | In Stock, Low Stock, Out of Stock, On Order, Discontinued |
| SKU | Text | Stock keeping unit code |
| Category | Dropdown | Electronics, Office Supplies, Raw Materials, Packaging, etc. |
| Current Stock | Numbers | Actual quantity on hand |
| Minimum Stock | Numbers | Reorder trigger point |
| Stock Level % | Formula | Current Stock / Minimum Stock * 100 |
| Reorder Quantity | Numbers | How many to order when restocking |
| Unit Cost | Numbers | Cost per unit |
| Reorder Value | Formula | Reorder Quantity * Unit Cost |
| Supplier | Text | Primary supplier name |
| Lead Time (Days) | Numbers | Typical delivery time |
| Connect to PO Board | Connect Boards | Links to Purchase Orders board |
| Last Restocked | Date | Most recent restock date |
Product Name
Stock Status
SKU
Category
Current Stock
Minimum Stock
Stock Level %
Reorder Quantity
Unit Cost
Reorder Value
Supplier
Lead Time (Days)
Connect to PO Board
Last Restocked
Purchase Orders Board
Purchase Orders
9 items| Column | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| PO Number | Text | Purchase order reference |
| PO Status | Status | Draft, Submitted, Confirmed, Shipped, Received |
| Product | Text | Item being ordered |
| Quantity | Numbers | Number of units ordered |
| Total Cost | Numbers | Order total |
| Supplier | Text | Vendor fulfilling the order |
| Order Date | Date | When the PO was submitted |
| Expected Delivery | Date | When stock should arrive |
| Connect to Inventory | Connect Boards | Links back to Inventory board |
PO Number
PO Status
Product
Quantity
Total Cost
Supplier
Order Date
Expected Delivery
Connect to Inventory
Setting Up the Automations
Automation 1: Low Stock Warning
This uses the Formula Column Threshold Trigger.
What it does: When the Stock Level % drops to 120% of minimum (i.e., getting close), the automation fires as an early warning. This gives you time to plan the reorder before stock actually runs out.
How to set it up:
- Open the Automations Centre on your Inventory board
- Search for Community Cookbook recipes
- Select: When a numeric formula column goes above or below a number
- Choose the Stock Level % column
- Set threshold to: below 120
- Set action to: change Stock Status to Low Stock and notify the purchasing team
Automation 2: Reorder Alert
Set up a second threshold at 100 (meaning stock has reached the minimum level):
- Same recipe, same column
- Set threshold to: below 100
- Set action to: change Stock Status to Out of Stock and notify the purchasing manager
- Additionally, set it to create a notification with the Product Name and Reorder Quantity
Automation 3: Auto-Create Purchase Order
This uses the Update Status in Connected Board.
What it does: When Stock Status changes to "Low Stock" or "Out of Stock", the connected item on the Purchase Orders board automatically updates to "Draft". The purchasing team knows they need to create and submit a PO.
How to set it up:
- Select: When a status changes here, update the matching item in a connected board
- Set trigger status to Out of Stock
- Set target status on the PO board to Draft
- Activate
Automation 4: Stock Change Logging
This uses the Formula Column Change Trigger.
What it does: When Current Stock changes (because someone updated the count), the Stock Level % recalculates and the trigger fires. Use it to log stock movements on an audit board.
How to set it up:
- Select: When a formula column's calculated value changes
- Choose the Stock Level % column
- Set action to: update Last Restocked date (or create a log entry)
Tips and Variations
- Multi-location tracking: Add a "Location" dropdown column (Warehouse A, Warehouse B, Office). Create views filtered by location. Each location can have different minimum stock levels.
- Seasonal adjustments: Change Minimum Stock levels based on seasonal demand. Before high-demand periods, increase minimums to trigger earlier reorders.
- Supplier performance: Add a "Delivery Reliability" rating column for suppliers. Track whether orders arrive on time. Use this data when negotiating contracts or switching suppliers.
- ABC analysis: Categorise inventory as A (high value, tight control), B (medium), or C (low value, loose control). Set different threshold percentages per category.
- Barcode scanning: Use monday.com's mobile app with the QR/barcode scanning feature to update Current Stock directly from the warehouse floor.
- Cost tracking: Add a "Total Value" formula column (Current Stock * Unit Cost) to see the total value of inventory at any time. Use threshold triggers to alert when total inventory value exceeds budget.
What You Will Need
- A monday.com account (Standard plan or above)
- Community Cookbook installed from the monday.com marketplace
- About 15 minutes for initial setup
- An initial inventory count for your products
Frequently Asked Questions
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