How to build an inventory request form for small teams

Keep your small team’s inventory organized and easy to manage

Whether you’re running a small office, a workshop, a marketing department, or a field team, you’ve probably felt the pain of messy inventory requests: Slack messages, emails, spreadsheets… and somehow nobody knows who has what.

In this guide, you’ll build a clean, logic-driven inventory request form inside Formaloo that your team can submit anytime, and that your managers can review and approve in a structured workflow. You’ll also learn how to automate notifications and visualize everything in a simple dashboard.

By the end, you’ll have a mini inventory system that keeps requests moving smoothly without extra tools.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

‍

Step 1 – Create your inventory request form

Start in your workspace and click + New → Form.
You can begin from scratch or browse the Template Gallery for inspiration:

Add the essential fields your team will need, such as:

• Requester name
• Department or team
• Item needed (dropdown recommended for consistency)
• Quantity requested (number field)
• Preferred date needed
• Reason for request
• Urgency level (Low, Medium, High)

Tip: Standardized dropdown items reduce data-cleaning work later.

Learn more:How to create and customize forms

Step 2 – Add conditional logic for smarter requests

Once your fields are in place, open Settings → Advanced logic to personalize the form flow.

Examples:

If Item needed = Laptop → show extra fields such as “Operating system preference.”
If Urgency = Low → skip follow-up questions related to urgent orders.

Keeping your logic organized will help you scale the workflow later.

Learn more: How to add advanced logic to your form

Step 3 – Build a lightweight approval workflow

From the form editor, open Settings → Advanced logic → On Submit to automate next steps.

Examples of rules you can add:

• Assign the request to the inventory manager based on department.
• Update status automatically (Pending → Approved → Completed).
• Notify the manager when urgency is High.
• Redirect the requester to a custom confirmation page.

Learn more: What is “On Submit” logic and how it works

Step 4 – Automate notifications and reminders

Go to Apps & Integrations → Email templates tab in your project.

Useful automations:

• Confirmation email to requester: “Your request for @field_item_name was received.”
• Manager alert: Only when urgency = High.
• Approval email when status changes to Approved.
• Slack message for urgent or high-value requests.

Learn more: How to send and receive email notifications

Step 5 – Visualize requests in an inventory dashboard

Open your project’s Results → Responses page and add dashboard blocks to turn requests into actionable insights.

Recommended views:

Table view
Filter by status, department, or urgency.

Kanban view
Group requests by status for easy workflow tracking.

Charts
Track most requested items, busiest departments, or urgency distributions.

Step 6 – Share or publish your form

Once your form is ready:

• Share the public link with your team
• Embed it in an internal app or workspace page
• Or include it in a private portal for logged-in team members

You can also customize branding under Settings → Branding for a more polished internal experience.

Learn more: How to customize your form/app layout and design

Pro tips

• Store your master inventory list in a Table and use lookup fields to show real-time stock.
• Add an “Assignment” workflow so approved requests automatically notify the fulfilment person.
• Duplicate this form for different categories (IT, office supplies, equipment checkout).

Learn more: Use cases & linked tables

Example scenario

Your designer submits a request for a tablet. The form auto-assigns it to the operations manager based on department. Because the urgency is High, Slack sends an instant alert. Once approved, the status updates to Approved and the requester receives an email.

Everything happens automatically, no chasing, no lost messages.

FAQ

1. Can I track stock levels inside the form?
Yes, create an inventory Table and connect it to your form using lookup fields.

2. Can team members update their request later?
Yes, enable “Allow updating responses” in Settings.

3. Can I restrict this form to internal employees only?
Yes, turn your app into a portal and require login.

4. Can I get Slack notifications for urgent items?
Yes, add a Slack action using On Submit logic.

Your inventory workflow is ready

You’ve built a complete internal workflow, from request collection to approvals to dashboards, all inside Formaloo and without writing a single line of code.

Last updated November 2025

‍