Stock Thresholds

Open mSupply uses several threshold settings to help you manage stock levels - knowing when you have too much or too little stock. These settings are used in different parts of the system including R&R forms, the Dashboard, reports, and population-based forecasting.

This page explains each threshold settings, where it is configured, and how the system uses it.

Summary of Settings🔗

Dashboard Alert Thresholds🔗

The dashboard alert thresholds control when items appear in the stock alert widgets on the dashboard. Both values are measured in months of stock and are configured in Open mSupply store preferences.

To configure these settings, navigate to Manage > Stores, select a store, and adjust the preferences. See Store Preferences for more detail.

For both of the below settings, if the preference is not configured then the dashboard widget will not be shown.

Low stock alert threshold🔗

Number of months threshold to show low stock alerts for products

Products are flagged if their current months of stock fall below this threshold. Flagged products appear in the "Products at risk of being out of stock" dashboard widget.

For example, if this is set to 3, any product with fewer than 3 months of stock will appear in the low stock alert widget.

Overstock alert threshold🔗

Number of months threshold to show overstock alerts for products

Products are flagged if their current months of stock are above this threshold. Flagged products appear in the "Items with more than X months of stock" dashboard widget.

For example, if this is set to 6, any product with more than 6 months of stock will appear in the overstock alert widget.

Population Forecasting Thresholds🔗

These settings are used in population-based vaccine forecasting to calculate target stock levels. They are configured as store properties on the Open mSupply central server. See Store Properties for configuration details, and Plugins for more on population-based forecasting.

Stock safety buffer (months)🔗

A buffer added to the target stock calculation to account for unexpected demand or supply delays. This value represents the number of extra months of stock you want to keep on hand as a safety margin.

Supply interval (months)🔗

The number of months between stock orders or deliveries for a store. This represents how often the store expects to receive new stock.

Target stock formula🔗

The safety buffer and supply interval are combined to calculate the target stock level:

Target stock = (Supply interval + Stock safety buffer) x Forecast demand per month

For example, if the supply interval is 3 months, the safety buffer is 1 month, and forecast demand is 200 units per month, the target stock is (3 + 1) x 200 = 800 units.

Where to Configure🔗

There are three configuration locations for stock threshold settings:

Open mSupply Store Preferences🔗

Configured on the Open mSupply Central Server via Manage > Stores. This is where you set:

• Number of months threshold to show low stock alerts for products
• Number of months threshold to show overstock alerts for products

See Store Preferences for details.

Open mSupply Store Properties🔗

Configured on the Open mSupply Central Server via Manage > Stores, under the store properties tab. This is where you set:

• Stock safety buffer (months)
• Supply interval (months)

See Store Properties for details.

Legacy mSupply Central Server🔗

Configured on the legacy mSupply central server in the store preferences. This is where you set:

• Threshold for overstock
• Threshold for understock

See the mSupply documentation for details.