Story 8: Parts Inventory (Photo-First Cataloguing)

Coming Soon

This feature is planned for a future release.

As a ranch manager or technician I want to capture my parts shelves and have AI catalogue what's there So that I know what parts are available without manual counting or data entry

User Journey

The Challenge

Ranch parts storage is often:

• Messy shelves with mixed old and new parts
• Unlabeled bins of valves, fittings, seals
• No existing records of what's available
• Spread across multiple sheds and buildings

Manual inventory is tedious—workers skip it. Parts get ordered when they're already in stock, or repairs wait because no one knows a part is available.

Wireframes

Step 1: Inventory home → Scan new location

┌─────────────────────────┐
│  Parts Inventory   [+]  │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  Locations (3)          │
│                         │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ 📷 Main Shed Shelf  ││
│  │    23 parts • 1d ago││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ 📷 Pump House       ││
│  │    8 parts • 3d ago ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ 📷 Truck Toolbox    ││
│  │    12 parts • today ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│                         │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  [ 📷 Scan New Location]│
└─────────────────────────┘

Step 2: AI processing overlay

┌─────────────────────────┐
│  Processing...          │
├─────────────────────────┤
│                         │
│   ┌─────────────────┐   │
│   │ ┌──┐ ┌──┐ ┌──┐ │   │
│   │ │✓ │ │✓ │ │✓ │ │   │ ← AI boxes around
│   │ └──┘ └──┘ └──┘ │   │   detected parts
│   │   ┌────┐       │   │
│   │   │ ✓  │ ○ ○   │   │
│   │   └────┘  ✓ ✓  │   │
│   └─────────────────┘   │
│                         │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  ⟳ Identifying parts... │
│    Found 8 items so far │
└─────────────────────────┘

Step 3: AI-detected parts list

┌─────────────────────────┐
│  Review Parts    [Save] │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  📷 Shelf scan          │
│  Location: ____________ │
│            ↑ name this  │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  AI Detected (8 items): │
│                         │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ ⚙ 2" PVC valve  x3  ││
│  │   [✓ 92%]   [-][+]  ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ ⚙ Pump seal 2"  x2  ││
│  │   [✓ 88%]   [-][+]  ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ ⚙ Pipe fitting  x5  ││
│  │   [✓ 85%]   [-][+]  ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ ? Unknown item  x1  ││
│  │   [Type: _______]   ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│                         │
│  [ + Add Missed Part ]  │
└─────────────────────────┘

Step 4: Re-scan shows inventory diff

┌─────────────────────────┐
│  Inventory Changes      │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  Comparing to last scan │
│  (3 days ago)           │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  ➖ Removed (2):        │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ Pump seal 2"    -2  ││ ← used on task?
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│                         │
│  ➕ Added (3):          │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ Ball valve 1"   +2  ││ ← new delivery
│  │ PVC elbow       +1  ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│                         │
│  ═ Unchanged (9):       │
│    [Show unchanged]     │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  [ Confirm Changes ]    │
│  [ Adjust Manually ]    │
└─────────────────────────┘

Step 5: Search inventory across locations

┌─────────────────────────┐
│  Search Parts    [Done] │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ 🔍 pump seal        ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
├─────────────────────────┤
│  Found in 2 locations:  │
│                         │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ Main Shed Shelf     ││
│  │ Pump seal 2"    x2  ││
│  │ 📷 [photo]          ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│  ┌─────────────────────┐│
│  │ Pump House          ││
│  │ Pump seal 1.5"  x1  ││
│  │ 📷 [photo]          ││
│  └─────────────────────┘│
│                         │
│  Total: 3 pump seals    │
└─────────────────────────┘

Steps

1. Open Inventory - View existing locations or start new scan
2. Point camera at shelf - Capture the parts storage area
3. Take photo(s) - Multiple angles help AI identify more
4. Review AI detections - Parts list with counts and confidence
5. Adjust counts - Tap +/- if AI miscounted
6. Identify unknowns - Type in parts AI couldn't recognize
7. Name location - "Main Shed Shelf", "Pump House", etc.
8. Save inventory - Location stored with photo and parts list

Re-scan Flow

1. Open existing location - From inventory list
2. Tap Re-scan - Camera opens pre-positioned
3. Capture new photo - Same area, current state
4. Review diff - AI shows added/removed/unchanged
5. Confirm changes - Inventory updates with history

Happy Path (Initial Scan)

Manager captures cluttered parts shelf → AI identifies 8 distinct parts with counts → one unknown item gets typed as "hose clamp" → names location "Main Shed Shelf" → saves. Complete inventory in 2 minutes instead of 30.

Happy Path (Re-scan)

Technician returns after using parts on a repair → opens "Main Shed Shelf" → taps Re-scan → captures current state → AI shows "2 pump seals removed, 3 ball valves added" → confirms. Inventory stays accurate with minimal effort.

Integration with Tasks

Scenario	How Inventory Helps
Creating task	Check if parts are in stock before ordering
Completing task	Prompt to re-scan if parts were used
Low stock alert	AI notices counts dropping across re-scans

Scan Tips

• Good lighting helps AI see details
• Spread parts out if heavily piled
• Multiple angles catch hidden items
• Include labels when visible
• Same framing for re-scans makes diff easier

Implementation Status

🔜 Planned for M9: Parts Inventory - This story is the final planned milestone for the iOS app.

Related Features

• Camera-First Capture — Photo-first inventory scanning
• AI-Assisted Creation — AI identifies parts from photos
• Create Task — Check inventory when planning repairs