Gates Admin Request — Stationary Request & Inventory Management
Designed a digital stationary request and inventory management system with Power BI analytics for Gates Developments — replacing manual paper-based workflows with automated tracking, approvals, and data-driven insights.
Executive Summary
Project Overview
Gates Admin Request digitizes the stationary request and inventory management process for Gates Developments. The system replaces manual paper-based workflows with a structured digital pipeline — from request submission through approval, fulfillment, and inventory tracking — paired with Power BI dashboards for strategic insights.
The Challenge
Before this system:
- Lost requests: Paper forms and email-based submissions had no tracking, leading to missed and duplicate requests
- No inventory visibility: Stock-outs and over-ordering were common because there was no real-time view of inventory levels
- No data for planning: Without analytics, budget planning for stationary was guesswork — no visibility into department spending patterns or consumption trends
- Slow fulfillment: Manual approval chains created bottlenecks and delays
The organization needed a single system that tracks requests end-to-end, monitors inventory in real time, and surfaces actionable data.
Key Design Decisions & Tradeoffs
1. Dual-interface approach (Admin Panel + Power BI)
Decision: Separate the operational interface (request management) from the analytical interface (Power BI dashboards).
Tradeoff: Users need to switch between two tools for operations vs. insights.
Why: Power BI provides significantly richer analytics capabilities than building custom charts — and the admin panel stays focused on task completion without visual clutter.
2. Digital request pipeline with status tracking
Decision: Design a structured request flow (submitted → approved → fulfilled) with status visibility at every step.
Tradeoff: Requires adoption of new digital workflow by all employees.
Why: Eliminates lost requests and provides accountability — every request has an owner, status, and timestamp.
3. Automated low-stock alerts
Decision: Trigger notifications when inventory items fall below configurable thresholds.
Tradeoff: Requires initial threshold configuration per item.
Why: Prevents stock-outs proactively instead of reacting after items run out.
4. Department-level analytics segmentation
Decision: Structure Power BI dashboards around department-wise consumption and spending patterns.
Tradeoff: Requires consistent department tagging on all requests.
Why: Enables targeted budget allocation and identifies high-consumption departments for optimization.
Solution Overview
Admin Panel
The admin panel provides a centralized interface for the full request lifecycle:
- Request queue: All incoming requests with status, requester, department, and priority
- Approval workflow: One-click approve/reject with notes and automated notifications
- Inventory management: Real-time stock levels, item catalog, and low-stock indicators
- Fulfillment tracking: Mark items as fulfilled with delivery confirmation
- Report export: Excel and PDF exports for offline reporting and audits
Power BI Analytics Dashboard
Interactive dashboards transform request and inventory data into strategic insights:
- Request trends: Volume over time, peak periods, and department-wise breakdown
- Spending patterns: Cost analysis by department, item category, and time period
- Inventory turnover: Stock movement, consumption rates, and reorder forecasting
- Fulfillment metrics: Average processing time, bottleneck identification, and SLA tracking
System Thinking
States & Edge Cases
- Request states: Draft → Submitted → Approved/Rejected → Fulfilled/Cancelled
- Low stock handling: Visual indicators + automated alerts when thresholds are crossed
- Bulk requests: Support for multi-item requests in a single submission
- Permission behavior: Employees submit requests; managers approve; admins manage inventory and configuration
Notifications
- Request status updates (submitted, approved, rejected, fulfilled)
- Low-stock alerts for administrators
- Scheduled report delivery via email
Impact & Results
- Eliminated lost requests through digital tracking with full audit trail
- Reduced fulfillment time with automated approval workflows and status visibility
- Enabled data-driven budget planning through Power BI analytics on spending and consumption patterns
- Improved inventory management with real-time stock visibility and proactive low-stock alerts
- Centralized operations — one system replacing paper forms, emails, and spreadsheets
Tools: Figma, Power BI
Platform: Web Application