How to build an inventory request form for small teams

Manage team inventory with clarity and control

In this guide, you’ll build an inventory request form that allows team members to request equipment or supplies, tracks stock automatically, and routes approvals to managers, all in one workflow. Perfect for small businesses, offices, or project teams that want visibility without spreadsheets.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

Step 1 — Create your inventory request form

Start from your workspace and click + New → Form. You can start from scratch or choose the Office Inventory Appt template from the Template gallery.

Or use Magic Create — describe your goal:

“An inventory request form where employees can request items, and managers can approve or reject them.”

Why this matters: centralizing requests prevents confusion and ensures fair distribution.
📘 Learn more: How to create any form using Magic Create in Formaloo

Step 2 — Add requester and item details

Capture who is making the request and what they need:

• Requester name
  
  
• Department / team
  
  
• Email address
  
  
• Item name or ID (dropdown or lookup)
  
  
• Quantity requested
  
  
• Date needed
  
  
• Purpose or project name (optional)
  
  

💡 Tip: Use dropdowns or lookup fields to prevent spelling errors and track consistent item names.
📘 Learn more: How to lookup the submitted data of another form

Step 3 — Add inventory availability tracking

Create admin-only fields to display stock information:

• Current stock quantity
  
  
• Available after approval (auto-calculated)
  
  

Formula example:

@remaining_stock = @current_stock - @quantity_requested

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📘 Learn more: How to add and calculate scores using variable fields

Step 4 — Add approval and assignment fields

Include admin-only fields for managers or inventory coordinators:

• Approval status (Pending / Approved / Rejected / On hold)
  
  
• Reviewer name
  
  
• Comments or feedback
  
  
• Date approved
  
  

💡 Tip: mark these fields as “visible to collaborators only” so staff can’t edit them.
📘 Learn more: How to edit forms and form responses

Step 5 — Automate approval logic

Go to Settings  → Advanced logic and define rules like:

• If Quantity requested > 10 → Notify manager for manual review.
  
  
• If Department = Design → Assign to Inventory Admin A.
  
  
• If Item not available → Auto-reject with “Out of stock” message.
  📘 Learn more: How to add advanced logic to your form
  
  

Step 6 — Set up email notifications

In Settings → Advanced logic or Notify tab, send automatic updates to keep everyone in sync:

• To requester: confirmation that their request was received.
  
  
• To manager: alert for new or urgent requests.
  
  
• To requester: approval or rejection update with notes.
  
  

Use variables like @requester_name, @item_name, and @approval_status to personalize messages.
📘 Learn more: How to create and send custom email templates

Step 7 — Enable on-update logic for real-time changes

Use on-update logic so your form reacts dynamically when approvals or stock changes occur:

• When Status = Approved → Subtract quantity from stock database.
  
  
• When Status = Rejected → Notify requester automatically.
  
  
• When Remaining stock < 5 → Notify admin to restock.
  📘 Learn more: What is on-update logic and how it works
  
  

Step 8 — Build your inventory dashboard

In your Results → Responses tab, visualize all requests in real time:

• Table view: see all requests with columns for item, quantity, and status.
  
  
• Kanban view: group by Status (Pending, Approved, Fulfilled).
  
  
• Charts: track items requested most often or remaining stock per category.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a Kanban board
  
  

Step 9 — Link your request form to an inventory database

Create a separate Inventory Table with all items, quantities, and categories. Then link your request form to it via linked rows:

• Each request references the corresponding inventory item.
  
  
• When requests are approved, quantities update automatically.
  📘 Learn more: What are linked rows and how to use them
  
  

Step 10 — Create a team portal for inventory management

From your workspace, click + New → App → Portal to build a Team Inventory Portal.

Add pages such as:

• Submit new request
  
  
• My requests (filtered view)
  
  
• All requests (manager view)
  
  
• Inventory dashboard (admin view)
  
  

Set permissions so:

• Team members can only view or edit their own requests.
  
  
• Admins can view all items and approve requests.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users’ access
  
  

Step 11 — Use AI for stock and request insights

Enable AI Analyze to identify usage trends and stock needs:

• “Most requested items this quarter.”
  
  
• “Departments with highest supply use.”
  
  
• “Items likely to go out of stock soon.”
  📘 Learn more: Uncover insights and trends in your data with AI Analyze
  
  

Pro tips

• Use Memory Forms to prefill employee details for faster requests.
  
  
• Add conditional approvals for different departments or thresholds.
  
  
• Enable PDF receipts for each approved request as confirmation.
  📘 Learn more: How to generate custom PDFs using templates
  
  

Example scenario

A design team member requests 3 tablets. The form routes the request to their manager. Upon approval, Formaloo updates the inventory record to reflect the new quantity and emails the requester a confirmation. AI Analyze shows that “Design Hardware” requests have increased by 20% this month — signaling it’s time to restock.
📘 Learn more: Build personalized and time-saving flows with logic, automations, and AI

FAQ

1. Can team members see available stock?
Yes, you can use reservation feature.

2. Can I track approvals by manager?
Absolutely, use role-based fields or filters in your dashboard.

3. Can I restock items directly from this system?
Yes, create a “Restock Form” linked to your inventory table for seamless updates.

Your inventory workflow is live, keep stock moving, not messy

You’ve built an end-to-end inventory system that collects requests, tracks approvals, and maintains visibility for your team. Keep refining it with portals, linked forms, and automation to scale your operations with ease.
📘 Learn more: How to personalize ending pages and email notifications with AI

Last updated October 2025

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