How to succeed with your inventory in Palats
Before you start your inventory, there are a few things that are good to keep in mind. We’ve listed them here to help make your inventory process as smooth and successful as possible.
📍Place items on a floor plan and define zones linked to specific areas
This makes it easier to track where you've inventoried – and to locate the item later in the process. By linking areas such as rooms to the floor plan, you'll get a more detailed overview of where items are located when it’s time to plan a move (if applicable). It also helps you identify the location of a specific room directly on the plan while inventorying.
📸 Take clear photos
This is the most important step to ensure that the product can be reused easily in the next phase. Be thorough and take several photos that clearly show the model. If the item has a label or marking, it’s helpful to photograph that too. Make sure to also capture any visible damage or deviations.
🔗Label with QR code
This step isn’t always required, but it has two key benefits:
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You can immediately see which items have already been inventoried (and have a QR code), which is helpful if items have been moved around.
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It makes it easier to update information later on, for example when the item is moved.
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It ensures the correct item is retrieved – especially useful if your organization uses a reuse hub or marketplace.
💼 Choose the right category
Avoid selecting generic categories like "Other chair" or "Other door," as these won’t generate economic or climate savings. Make sure to gather relevant information based on the selected category, and do a condition assessment. This makes it easier in the next step to identify which products should be reused.
If you’re working with a marketplace, it's also important to enter the correct condition so the buyer knows what to expect.
💲Add your own purchase value
Under Item-specific info, there’s a field for purchase price that is pre-filled with a default value. If the category you selected doesn’t have a default value, or if you know the actual price is higher or lower than the suggested one, you can update it for more accurate statistics.
👫If you’re inventorying as a team
If several people are doing the inventory at the same time, it can be helpful to divide the work by category – for example, one person inventories all chairs, another handles all tables, etc. This avoids duplicate entries and makes it easier to recognize your items in the model library.
Some people prefer working in pairs during inventory – with one person measuring while the other enters data into the app.
🏳️ Create your models in advance
If your organization uses a standard range of products, you can create your models before heading out to inventory. That way, your models will be available to select from your model library.
Learn more about how to do this in the section Model Library.
📱Good things to bring along
Here’s a list of useful equipment to bring with you:
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Laser measurer
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Folding rule
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Phone charger
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Flashlight
Good luck with your inventory in Palats! 🏰
Next steps
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Palats Part 1 – Introduction and Create a Location
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Palats Part 2 – How to take Inventory
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Palats Part 3 – Table View and Move Planning
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Palats Part 4 – Analyze