I just install an inventory management app on our team website and it seems like a good way to keep track of parts we have in stock. It seems great but lets see if the team will actually follow through and use it during the stress of build season. haha
It use php and MyPHPAdmin and is really easy to install.
Check it out http://www.inventory-management.org/
One thing to consider would be to assign a Quartermaster: Someone who is responsible for handing stuff out, and making sure it’s accounted for. No more asking “Who’s got the box of rivets?”, the quartermaster has the records: Who, what, when, why and maybe where.
That function can also be responsible for noticing when stuff is running low and tell the purchasing agent (the guy with the credit card!) to order some more.
Don
Those are both great ideas. My team has some problems with that. We’re small enough that we don’t worry about that as much. It’s mostly a problem of keeping the tool box organized enough to find things.
If you are going to do that, (have a quartermaster) they have to be a neat-freak, somewhat obsessive-compulsive, and be willing to tell people that they HAVE to go through them. Our team had a great one a few years back, and because we have yet to find another with a strong enough personality, our inventory skills have been lacking.
Here’s a post I made awhile ago related to this topic-- http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showpost.php?p=643167&postcount=8