Dashboard

The OpenBoxes dashboard is your command center. When you log in, it gives you an at-a-glance view of what needs attention across your warehouse or facility.

Overview#

The dashboard is organized into indicators (widgets) that surface the most important information about your inventory operations. Each indicator focuses on a specific area — expiration, inventory status, fast-moving products, recent activity — so you can quickly spot issues and take action.

Key Indicators#

Expiration Summary#

Shows inventory items grouped by how close they are to expiry — already expired, then month by month over the coming year (with links to the expired and expiring stock lists at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months). OpenBoxes uses FEFO (First Expired, First Out) logic, so items closest to expiry are picked first. Click through to the expiring or expired stock list to plan a disposition — whether that means prioritizing an item for distribution or writing it off.

Inventory Summary#

Groups your products by stock status — In stock, Above maximum, Below reorder, Below minimum, and No longer in stock — against the min/reorder/max levels you have set. Use it to decide which items need to be reordered or requested from another facility, and to gauge overall warehouse health.

Other indicators cover inbound and outbound stock movements in progress, delayed inbound movements, items received with a discrepancy, your in-progress shipments and putaways, products in the receiving and default bins, and inventory details by lot and bin. Which indicators you see depends on the activities your current location supports.

The top navigation bar provides access to all major modules:

  • Dashboard — The indicators described on this page
  • Inventory — Inventory Browser, inventory reports, internal stock transfers, and cycle counts
  • Purchasing — Purchase orders and suppliers
  • Inbound — Inbound stock movements, stock requests, inbound returns, and putaways
  • Outbound — Outbound stock movements, requests, and outbound returns
  • Reporting — Reports and data exports
  • Products — Your product catalog and its supporting lists (categories, tags, associations, generic products)
  • Stocklists — Standard requisition templates for regular orders

Administrators also see a Configuration menu (locations, users, reference data) and, where enabled, Invoicing.

The location selector in the header lets you switch between facilities. Your dashboard updates automatically to reflect the selected location.

Alerts and Notifications#

OpenBoxes highlights items that need your attention using color-coded indicators:

  • Red — Critical issues (expired stock, stockouts)
  • Yellow — Warnings (expiring soon, below reorder point)
  • Green — Healthy status (adequate stock levels)

Alerts appear both on the dashboard and within individual modules, so you won't miss them regardless of where you are in the application.

Customizing Your View#

Personalisation is limited to the main dashboard: you can show or hide individual indicators and drag them into the order you prefer. Use the configuration control on the dashboard to toggle indicators on or off based on what matters most to your role.

Managers might prioritize the Inventory Summary and Expiration Summary, while receiving staff might focus on the inbound shipment indicators.

Tag-Based Filtering#

OpenBoxes supports tagging products with custom labels (e.g., "Essential Medicines," "Cold Chain," "HIV Program"). Several dashboard indicators and reports can be filtered by tag or catalog to focus on a specific program or product category.

Tip: Tags are especially useful in multi-program facilities. Create tags for each health program or funding source so you can quickly isolate inventory for reporting and decision-making.

Starting Common Tasks#

The dashboard has no shortcut launcher — routine tasks start from the main menu:

  • Outbound › Create Outbound Movement — Start a new outbound movement
  • Inbound › Create Inbound Movement — Record an expected delivery
  • Purchasing › Create Purchase Order — Begin a new procurement
  • A product's stock card (from the Inventory Browser) — Record an inventory adjustment

Best Practices#

  • Check the dashboard daily — A quick morning review catches issues before they become emergencies.
  • Use tags consistently — Agree on a tagging convention with your team so filters work reliably.
  • Act on alerts promptly — Expiring stock alerts are only useful if someone follows up on them.

Tip: If your dashboard feels cluttered, hide indicators you rarely use. A focused dashboard is more effective than one showing everything at once.