How the tool works

Intake to release.

Four stations, three gates, one record per VIN. Print this and put it on the wall: it is the whole operating procedure.

  1. 01IntakeFront desk
    1. Scan the VIN off the windshield or the door jamb, or photograph the plate, or type the last 6.
    2. The decoder fills in year, make, model, trim, body, engine and where it was built.
    3. Pick the lot. The record opens.
    Lands on the record
    One record for that VINDecoded detailsIntake photos
    Vehicle lifecycle
    One VIN, one recordA VIN already on file reopens its own record. The tool will not make a second one.
  2. 02Key custodyWhoever takes the key
    1. Every key gets an NFC tag, a printed label and a numbered hook.
    2. The board tag is tapped, then the key leaves with a name and a reason on it.
    3. Checking it back in takes the same tap, and clears the flag.
    Lands on the record
    Who has it, and whyWhich board it left from, and whenHow long it has been outA flag when it runs over
    Key control
    At the board, with a name and a reasonA key moves only while the board tag has been read in the last three minutes, and never without a name and a reason. The tap says a person was at the board; the name says who.
  3. 03ReconRecon and the shop
    1. Walk the guided photos: twelve shots, in order, on the phone.
    2. Mark the checklist. Anything failed makes the result Flagged.
    3. Open a repair order for work that needs the shop.
    Lands on the record
    Inspection photos on the recordA result the board can seeRepair orders
    Inspections
    Funds approvedA sold vehicle stays locked until a manager approves funds. A super-admin can override, and the override is written on the record.
  4. 04ReleaseFront desk, at the gate
    1. Scan the driver license. Only the name, last four and expiry are kept.
    2. Attach the dispatch sheet and take the signature.
    3. Release. The front desk is emailed as it happens.
    Lands on the record
    A release on the timelineThe gate emailA line in the release log
    Transportation

Released is a status, not a closed file

The record stays open forever. If the vehicle comes back, the same VIN reopens the same record, with everything that happened the first time.

Photos live on the vehicle, not in a phone

Listing, intake, inspection, mechanical, detail and gate photos all file onto the record, sorted by where they came from. Anyone can add to any of them.

The gate keeps only what it needs

A license scan keeps the name, the last four and the expiry. Nothing else is stored, and the full VIN is only ever shown to the person who asks for it.

Doing it on a phone

The whole loop works one-handed, standing next to the car.

  1. Find the car. Tap the search button in the top bar, or scan the VIN. The last 6 is enough. Press / on a laptop.
  2. Do the one thing it needs. The match shows only what is possible now: receive, inspect, list, mark sold, approve funds, release, or take the key.
  3. Shoot what you see. Photos file themselves onto the record under intake, inspection, mechanical or detail.
  4. Hand the key over properly. Check it out in the tool with a name and a reason; keys flag after 4 hours.
  5. Send what someone needs. Every chart and table has Send: a picture, a PDF for printing, or the numbers as a spreadsheet.

What the tool will not do

These are the gates. They are the point.

One VIN, one record

A VIN already on file reopens its own record. The tool will not make a second one.

At the board, with a name and a reason

A key moves only while the board tag has been read in the last three minutes, and never without a name and a reason. The tap says a person was at the board; the name says who.

Funds approved

A sold vehicle stays locked until a manager approves funds. A super-admin can override, and the override is written on the record.

Who does what

Front desk
Signs vehicles in, tags keys, runs the gate, sends records out.
Recon and the shop
Photographs, inspects, opens repair orders, records returns from offsite work.
Sales
Takes keys for test drives, marks vehicles sold, works the customer.
Manager
Approves funds. Only a super-admin can release without that, and it is logged.

The words on the board

Inbound
Paid for, dispatch sheet on file, on its way.
Intake
Signed for at the lot, key tagged, record open.
Recon
Being photographed, inspected and worked.
Listed
Ready to sell, photos on the record.
Sold
Sold, and locked until funds are approved.
Released
Left the lot with a driver, a sheet and a signature.
The full design legend