Th1ngs Management System Documentation

Overview

The Things Management System is a versatile tool designed for tracking and managing items, generically referred to as "things." This system allows users to keep records of anything that passes through their hands, with the flexibility to define, organize, and control the flow of information according to their specific needs. It incorporates a structured hierarchy, customizable fields, workflows, and permissions to support robust and secure item management.

What are "Things"?

In this system, things represent any item, asset, or object that users want to keep track of, whether physical (e.g., equipment, inventory) or digital (e.g., documents, records). The system provides the flexibility to manage everything without limits—what you track, how it’s organized, and the details you store are entirely customizable to fit your needs.

System Hierarchy

The Things Management System uses a three-tiered hierarchy to help organize items:

• Thing: The base unit in the system. Each thing represents an individual item that you want to track or manage.
• Box: Things are grouped into boxes, which act as containers for related items, allowing categorization based on type, function, or any preferred grouping.
• Warehouse: Boxes are stored in a warehouse, which serves as the top-level container. Warehouses provide a high-level view of all items, allowing for organization based on location, category, or project.

Hierarchy Summary:

Thing → Box → Warehouse

This hierarchy provides an intuitive structure that scales from individual items to broader storage categories, allowing users to maintain a well-organized system.

Additional Fields

To enable detailed tracking, the system supports custom fields. Custom fields allow users to define specific properties for each item, ensuring that relevant and unique information can be easily recorded.

Examples of Custom Fields

• Condition: Status of an item (e.g., "New," "Used," or "Damaged").
• Date Acquired: Record of when an item was received.
• Serial Number: Unique identifier for assets or equipment.
• Category: Type or classification of the item.
• Location: Physical location or sub-location within a warehouse.
• Owner: Assigned person or department responsible for the item.

Custom fields provide the flexibility to adapt the system to various use cases, making it easy to retrieve, filter, and report on specific information about each thing.

Workflows

The system includes workflow functionality to support the structured progression of things through various stages, adding control and consistency to item management processes. Workflows can be customized to fit specific operational or project requirements.

Workflow Stages and Examples

• Stage 1: Created – Initial entry of a new item.
• Stage 2: In-Review – Item is inspected or validated.
• Stage 3: Approved – Item is approved for storage or further action.
• Stage 4: Archived – Item is stored long-term or marked for removal.

Workflows allow users to:

• Set Requirements for Each Stage: Define which conditions must be met to move an item to the next stage.
• Receive Notifications: Notify team members when a thing reaches a specific stage or needs their attention.
• Track Progress: Monitor where each item is in the workflow and how long it has spent in each stage.

Permissions

To secure the system and ensure that only authorized users can access or modify items, the Things Management System offers permissions control at multiple levels. Permissions help regulate access to warehouses, boxes, and things based on user roles or specific requirements.

Types of Permissions

• View: Allows a user to see things, boxes, or warehouses.
• Edit: Grants permission to modify the details of a thing, add or remove items from a box, or adjust custom fields.
• Manage Workflow: Enables a user to move things through workflow stages or update stage-related information.
• Admin: Full control over things, boxes, warehouses, and permissions settings.

Applying Permissions

• Warehouse-Level: Assign permissions at the warehouse level to control access for broad groups of things.
• Box-Level: Control access to specific boxes within a warehouse, allowing certain users to manage only a subset of items.
• Thing-Level: Apply granular permissions to individual items, providing detailed control over who can view or edit specific things.

Getting Started

1. Set Up Warehouses: Start by creating warehouses as top-level containers to organize things by location, project, or department.
2. Create Boxes within Warehouses: Define boxes to categorize things in meaningful groups.
3. Add Things and Define Custom Fields: Begin adding things to your boxes, assigning custom fields for any specific details needed.
4. Set Up Workflows: Define the stages and requirements for item management workflows.
5. Configure Permissions: Assign appropriate permissions to team members based on their roles and responsibilities.

By following these steps, you can start using the Things Management System to track, control, and securely manage all of your items in one organized platform.