How Odoo reordering rules turn stock forecasts into replenishment

1. Make the product eligible for replenishment

Start in a test database with Inventory. Install Purchase for a bought product or Manufacturing for a made product. Choose Goods with inventory tracking enabled, and verify the correct company, warehouse, stock location, and unit of measure.

For a purchased product, enable purchasing, choose the Buy route, and add a suitable vendor and delivery lead time to its purchase information. A manufacturing route instead needs an appropriate bill of materials. A threshold without a usable supply route cannot complete the replenishment workflow.

Begin with one training product so you can distinguish the rule’s output from other purchasing needs. Avoid creating several overlapping rules for the same product and location while learning.

2. Check on-hand and forecast quantities separately

On-hand is the quantity currently recorded. Forecast also reflects relevant incoming and outgoing movements. An open purchase receipt can already cover a future shortage; an outgoing order can create a shortage even before its delivery is validated.

Review the product forecast and its dates before changing thresholds. Lead times and the planning window affect when a need appears. A missing item on the replenishment screen may be a filtering or timing issue rather than a broken rule.

Use a simple illustrative case: forecast 4 units, minimum 5, maximum 20. Without other constraints, replenishing to the maximum requires 16 units. Keep the example in one location and unit so the result can be explained.

3. Create a manual rule first

1. Open Inventory → Operations → Replenishment and choose New, or use the product’s Reordering Rules smart button.
2. Select the product and stock location. Enter a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 20.
3. Reveal optional columns through the column settings control. Set Trigger to Manual and select the intended route.
4. Choose a vendor for Buy, or the appropriate bill of materials for Manufacture, where those options are available.
5. Review the forecast and proposed To Order quantity before taking action.

Manual mode lets a planner inspect the need and choose when to order. It is a useful first check before enabling automatic document creation across many products.

4. Understand why the proposed quantity can exceed the maximum

A vendor may sell only in defined pack sizes. In Odoo 20, the Multiple setting uses the relevant configured packaging options. Configure the product and vendor packaging rather than assuming every database accepts an arbitrary number in that selector.

With the training forecast of 4 and a target maximum of 20, the requirement is 16 units. A valid multiple of 6 rounds that order to 18, leaving a projected 22. The maximum is therefore not an absolute stock ceiling when pack-size rounding applies.

Check the unit represented by the packaging. Confusing six individual units with six cartons can multiply a purchasing mistake. Review any excess-stock warning and the commercial minimum order quantity with the buyer.

5. Generate supply and follow the resulting document

For a ready manual need, click Order. A Buy route generates the purchasing document; a Manufacture route generates a manufacturing order. Open that document and verify the product, quantity, vendor or bill of materials, destination, and dates.

Continue the normal purchase receipt or production workflow to make supply available. An RFQ still needs your purchasing process; a manufacturing order still needs components and actual production. Do not run the action repeatedly merely because on-hand stock has not changed yet.

For automatic rules, Odoo can create supply when the scheduler evaluates a shortage or relevant sales demand triggers evaluation. Confirm generated documents before enabling this mode broadly. Running the scheduler manually can affect other products as well.

6. Troubleshoot the rule before changing quantities

• No need is visible: inspect forecast dates, incoming supply, filters, and the selected location.
• No RFQ is created: check purchasing, Buy route, vendor configuration, trigger, and existing supply documents.
• The quantity seems large: inspect order multiples, units, forecast demand, and minimum/maximum values.
• Supply must belong to one customer order: compare the requirement with Make to Order instead of assuming a normal rule reserves it for that order.
• Several supply documents appear: investigate rules, locations, routes, and repeated actions before deleting or creating more documents.

Completion check: you can explain the forecast, calculate the proposed quantity, find the resulting supply document, and verify the later receipt or production without duplicate ordering.

7. Frequently asked questions

8. Related articles and next steps

• Follow the generated RFQ through receiving
• Set up a manufacturing bill of materials
• Understand on-hand count corrections

Reviewed against Odoo 20 documentation. Menu labels, availability, and actions depend on your edition, hosting, installed apps, and permissions. Practise the workflow in a test database before changing production.