Inventory tracking for a small team without new software

Q: Do I need two lists or can I use one?

One list is enough if you only count stock each week and do not need history. Use two lists when you want to know who took what and when.

Q: How do I subtract stock automatically when an Out row is logged?

Use a Power Automate flow: "When an item is created" on the Log list, "Get items" to find the item, then "Update item" with the new quantity. The steps are in Keeping the quantity right.

Q: How do I build a low stock email alert?

After the "Update item" step, add a Condition that checks the new quantity against the reorder level and sends an email. Test it on a copy first.

Q: Is there a Microsoft Lists template for inventory tracking?

Microsoft's template page names Issue tracker as its example and lists inventory among the things a list can track. It does not name an inventory template, so build the two lists in this guide.

Q: Is this the same as an asset register?

No. A register tracks things you own and keep. This tracks things you use up. See "How to set up an asset register in SharePoint" for the register.

Short answer: use two SharePoint lists. An Items list holds quantity on hand and reorder level, and a Log list holds one row for each stock in or out. A calculated column or a filtered view shows the items at or below the reorder level. This works for supplies and spare parts. It is not a warehouse system, and this guide says where it stops.

At a glance

Swipe sideways to see all columns.

Item	Number	What it means for you
Items in one list	30 million	Your item list and stock log stay far below this. The log grows with every stock in or out.
List view threshold	5,000 items	Filter the stock view by location or status once the log passes 5,000 rows.
Loop limit, Microsoft 365 plans	5,000 on Microsoft 365 plans, 100,000 on Power Automate Premium	An Apply to each loop on a Microsoft 365 plan handles up to 5,000 items. Other plans allow 100,000.
Idle flow shut off	90 days	A flow with no trigger in 90 days might be turned off. Check your reorder alert flow.

This guide is about stock you use up: cables, filters, labels, cleaning supplies, spare parts. If you need a register of things you own and keep, such as laptops, see "How to set up an asset register in SharePoint". If you need to track who borrowed an item and when it comes back, see "Equipment checkout with no record: how to track who has what". If your stock list is a spreadsheet today, see "Replace a spreadsheet tracker with a SharePoint list" first.

Why small teams lose track of stock

Teams do not have an inventory problem until something runs out at a bad time. Then the questions start. Who used the last one? Did anyone order more? Where is the spare part we bought in the spring?

The usual causes are simple:

The count lives in one person's head or in one spreadsheet.
Nobody writes down what they take.
Nobody decides in advance how low is too low.
The same item is stored in more than one place.

A list fixes the first and third problems well. The second problem needs a habit, and the habit needs to be easy.

Before you start: decide what you will count

Pick the items worth counting. One way to start is items that stop work when they run out, or items that cost enough that you notice when they disappear. Skip the box of pens.
Pick the first group. Start with one storage place or one kind of item. Add more after the first group works.
Pick a unit for each item. Count "boxes" or "each," not both. Write the unit in its own column so nobody guesses.
Pick one owner and one backup. That person adds new items and checks the list on a set day.

List 1. The item list

Create a blank list in your team site. Name it something plain, like "Stock Items". The steps to create a list and add columns are in the asset register guide named above. Exact names may differ on your screen.

Use the Title column for the item name, such as "Printer toner, black".

Add these columns:

Location (single line of text, or Choice if you have a fixed set of shelves or rooms)
Unit (Choice: each, box, pack)
Quantity on hand (Number)
Reorder level (Number). This is the count at which you want to order more.
Reorder amount (Number). This is how many to order.
Supplier (single line of text)
Stock status (Calculated, see below)

The low stock flag

You want the list to tell you which items need an order. One way to start is a calculated column.

Microsoft's page "Introduction to SharePoint formulas and functions" says that comparison operators such as less than and greater than give a result you can use with IF, and gives this kind of example: =IF([Cost]>[Revenue], "Not OK", "OK"). It also says formulas can reference other columns in the same row. Using that pattern, a Stock status column could use this formula:

=IF([Quantity on hand]<=[Reorder level],"Reorder","OK")

Create a calculated column named Stock status, set the returned type to single line of text, and paste the formula. Use your own column names inside the square brackets. Check that the names match yours.

Two limits to know:

A calculated column cannot use today's date. Microsoft's page says the TODAY and ME functions are not supported in calculated columns. This flag does not use a date, so it is fine. But it means you cannot make a column that says "last counted more than 30 days ago." Use a date column and a view for that, or a Power Automate flow.
A calculated column recalculates when an item is created or changed. That is what you want here, because the flag changes when the quantity changes.

Microsoft's pages do not show a filter on a calculated column step by step. After you create the column, check that it shows in the filter options. If it does not, use the manual check or the flow described below.

Make the low stock view

A view is a saved way of looking at the list. Microsoft's page "Create, change, or delete a view of a list or library" says that in the modern experience you select View options, then Create new view, enter a name and select Create. You can also apply filters from the column headers or the filters pane, and then select Save view as to save the view. Exact names may differ on your screen.

One way to start:

Create a view named "Low stock".
Filter it so Stock status equals "Reorder".
Sort by Supplier. This helps when you place one order per supplier.
Set it as the view the owner opens first, if your list lets you.

Add two more views:

"By location": group by Location, so someone can check a shelf.
"All items": everything, sorted by item name.

List 2. The in and out log

If you only keep a quantity, you cannot answer "where did it go?" A log answers that. Create a second list named "Stock Log". Each row is one movement.

Columns for the log:

Title (use it for the item name, or rename it)
Direction (Choice: In, Out)
Amount (Number)
Date (Date)
Person (Person)
Note (multiple lines of text, for example the job or the order number)

Keep it short. If the form has more than six fields, people stop filling it in.

Keeping the quantity right

Now you have two lists. The quantity in the item list must change when the log changes. You have three ways to do this, from simplest to most work.

Manual. The person who takes stock edits the quantity on the item list, then adds a log row. Simple, but people forget one of the two.
Count day. Skip the "out" log rows. Once a week, the owner counts what is on the shelf and types the new quantity. The list shows the count, not each use. This can be enough for cheap supplies.
Power Automate. A flow updates the item when a log row is added. Microsoft's SharePoint connector page lists a trigger named "When an item is created" and actions named "Get items" and "Update item". "Get items" has a Filter Query setting, and "Update item" takes the Id of the item to update. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: test on a copy of the list first, and test two log rows added at the same moment, because one update can overwrite another.

The flow, step by step:

Trigger: "When an item is created" on the Stock Log list.
Add "Get items" on the Stock Items list. In Filter Query, match the item name from the log row to the Title column, for example Title eq 'Printer toner, black'.
Add "Update item" on Stock Items. In Id, use the Id of the first item that "Get items" returned.
In Quantity on hand, enter the new number: add the log Amount when Direction is In, subtract it when Direction is Out. A Condition on Direction gives you one "Update item" for In and one for Out.
Save and add one test log row. Open the run history and check the quantity changed once.

The flow only changes Stock Items, not Stock Log, so it does not trigger itself.

A flow can also send a message when an item drops to the reorder level. One way to build it: after the "Update item" step, add a Condition that checks whether the new quantity is at or below the reorder level, and send an email when it is. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: trigger this check from the Stock Log list, not from changes to Stock Items, so the flow's own update does not start it again. Check with your admin about which flow features your license includes. For how scheduled and triggered flows work, see "Send a reminder before a due date in a SharePoint list".

Weekly routine

The list only helps if someone looks at it. One way to start:

On the same day each week, the owner opens the Low stock view.
For each item, place the order or decide to wait.
Add a log row with direction "In" when the order arrives.
Once a month, count a few items on the shelf and compare them with the list. Fix any gaps.

What to avoid

Do not track every small item. A long list nobody updates is worse than a short list people trust.
Do not let each person keep a private count. One list, one owner.
Do not set the reorder level once and forget it. Review it when your usage changes.
Do not mix assets and stock in one list. A laptop and a box of labels need different columns.
Do not count on the calculated flag if people forget to update quantity. The flag is only as good as the number.
Do not give everyone edit rights to the item list. Let people add log rows, and let the owner change item rows. Ask your admin about list permissions.

Honest limits

A SharePoint list is a good place to start. It is not a warehouse system. It does not know about purchase orders, lots, expiry dates or several warehouses unless you build that by hand. It does not value your stock for accounting. If finance needs stock value for the books, leave that with finance.

Signs it may be time to look at real inventory software:

You have more than one site or warehouse and items move between them.
You need barcode scanning. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: plan on separate software for this.
You track serial numbers, lot numbers or expiry dates for each unit.
You need stock tied to sales orders or purchase orders.
The log has so many rows that people cannot find anything.

That last point connects to list size. See "SharePoint list over 5,000 items: what breaks and the fix" for how large lists behave, and note that Microsoft's view page says: "The maximum number of items in a view is 5000." Microsoft's troubleshooting page says SharePoint Online sets the list view threshold at 5,000 items by default. This is a judgment, not a rule: if you are near these signs, a list may cost you more time than software would.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

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FAQ

Updated 2026-10-27.

Do I need two lists or can I use one?