Hardware Shipment Tracker
Relay is an internal tool that moves equipment-transfer tracking off spreadsheets and email onto one managed shipment record. An employee files a request on a self-service intake form with one itemized list of assets, and a manager authorizes the transfer and its shipping cost before anything ships. From there a logistics coordinator schedules a carrier and records a tracking number, and the physical move is followed on a timeline until the receiving site confirms delivery, records condition, and captures a signature. Every step is written to an append-only activity history, and a logistics metrics dashboard gives leadership a view of shipment health across locations.
- Role
- Product Manager
- Type
- Logistics tracking workflow
- Status
- Complete
- PRD
- Charter
- User Guide
- Process Flow
- Test Scripts
- Skeletal App Demo
Problem
- Employees tracked equipment moves across spreadsheets and email, so a shipment's details sat in several files.
- A shipment's status and approvals could be hard to track down, and no single record showed where it stood.
- Managers approved transfers and their shipping cost without a consistent record of what they signed off on.
- Logistics coordinators had no shared place to record carriers and tracking numbers.
- Receiving sites confirmed delivery informally, so condition and signature were not always captured.
- Logistics leadership had no clear view of shipment health across locations.
Solution
- Combined the spreadsheet-and-email tracking into one managed shipment record.
- Set up the manager authorization gate for the transfer and its shipping cost before any carrier is booked.
- Mapped the tracking timeline that follows the physical move from carrier scheduling to delivery.
- Defined the proof-of-delivery step that records condition and captures a signature.
Results
- Centralized every equipment transfer on one tracked record.
- Gave managers an authorization gate that records the transfer and shipping cost before anything ships.
- Gave everyone a single tracking timeline instead of scattered files.
- Captured delivery condition and signature on the record at handoff.
What you can explore here
The skeletal app below is a navigation-only prototype: the intake form with its single asset line-item list, the requester's My Shipments list, the coordinator's All Shipments list with filters, a shipment detail record with the asset line items, a physical tracking timeline, proof of delivery, and a read-only activity history, the approving-manager view, the receiving-clerk delivery confirmation, notifications, an admin view, and a logistics metrics dashboard with accessible charts. It is illustrative and non-functional; all data is sample data and nothing submits, schedules, changes status, uploads, opens a file picker, captures a signature, or notifies.
Skeletal App Demo
Screen 1 · Intake
Request a Hardware Shipment
Tell us what you need to move and where it is going. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).
Display only. This control does not open a file picker and does not accept uploads.
Asset line items
One asset line-item list. Add or remove rows for each item being shipped.
| Item Type | Description | Asset Tag | Serial Number | Quantity | Condition | Row action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total item count: 2 (auto-calculated from the line items above)
On submit, the shipment is created in the Requested state with an auto-generated shipment number (for example SHP-2048).
Screen 2 · Requester list
My Shipments
Every shipment you have requested, with its current status.
| Shipment ID | Type | Origin | Destination | Status | Last Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHP-2048 | Redeployment | Northgate Office | Riverside Warehouse | In Transit | 3 hours ago |
| SHP-2041 | Warranty Return | Westpark Campus | Vertex Hardware | Pending Approval | 1 day ago |
| SHP-2033 | New Provisioning | Lakeside Distribution Center | Summit Office | Delivered | 2 days ago |
| SHP-2027 | Office Move | Harbor Point Warehouse | Westpark Campus | Received | 5 days ago |
| SHP-2019 | Vendor Return | Summit Office | Orchard IT Supply | Closed | 1 week ago |
Screen 3 · Coordinator list
All Shipments
Every active shipment. Filter and sort to work your list.
| Shipment ID | Type | Origin to Destination | Status | Carrier | Tracking # | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHP-2048 | Redeployment | Northgate Office to Riverside Warehouse | In Transit | Cardinal Freight | CFX-8842013 | 3h |
| SHP-2047 | New Provisioning | Lakeside Distribution Center to Summit Office | Scheduled | BlueLine Courier | BLC-559120 | 6h |
| SHP-2041 | Warranty Return | Westpark Campus to Vertex Hardware | Pending Approval | Unassigned | None | 1d |
| SHP-2038 | Office Move | Harbor Point Warehouse to Westpark Campus | Out for Delivery | Meridian Logistics | MRD-701884 | 1d |
| SHP-2035 | Redeployment | Summit Office to Northgate Office | Delayed | Swiftway Carriers | SWY-330271 | 2d |
| SHP-2033 | New Provisioning | Lakeside Distribution Center to Summit Office | Delivered | Cardinal Freight | CFX-8839902 | 2d |
Screen 4 · Shipment detail
SHP-2048
Redeployment: Northgate Office to Riverside Warehouse
Asset line items
| Item Type | Description | Asset Tag | Serial Number | Quantity | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop | 14-inch laptop, silver | AST-04821 | SN-7734920 | 1 | Working |
| Docking Station | USB-C docking station | AST-04822 | SN-7734921 | 1 | Working |
| Monitor | 24-inch monitor | AST-04830 | None | 2 | New |
Carrier handoff
Handoff to carrier confirmed by the Origin Contact at Northgate Office.
Display only. This acknowledgement records that the equipment was released to the carrier; it captures no live action in this demo.
Tracking
- Picked up at Northgate Office
- Departed origin, in transit
- Arrived at regional hub, in transit
Proof of Delivery
Not yet delivered. Delivery confirmation and signature will appear here once the shipment is received.
History
| Actor | Action | When |
|---|---|---|
| J. Foster | Submitted the shipment request. Status set to Requested. | [timestamp] |
| System | Routed the shipment to the approving manager. Status set to Pending Approval. | [timestamp] |
| V. Rossi | Approved the transfer and shipping cost. Status set to Approved. | [timestamp] |
| L. Dunn | Scheduled the shipment with Cardinal Freight. Tracking CFX-8842013 recorded. Status set to Scheduled. | [timestamp] |
| O. Mensah | Confirmed pickup by the carrier at Northgate Office. Status set to Picked Up / In Transit. | [timestamp] |
History is read-only and cannot be edited or deleted.
Screen 5 · Approving manager
SHP-2041
Warranty Return: Westpark Campus to Vertex Hardware
J. Foster is requesting to ship 3 items to Vertex Hardware for warranty replacement. Estimated shipping cost: $84.00.
Items (read-only)
- Laptop (Qty 1)
- Docking Station (Qty 1)
- Keyboard/Mouse (Qty 1)
The approving manager authorizes the transfer and its shipping cost on this screen. On approval the shipment moves to scheduling for a carrier and tracking number.
Screen 6 · Receiving clerk
SHP-2033 Confirm Delivery
Confirm what arrived at Summit Office and record its condition.
Items received (checklist)
The received checkboxes are display-only in this demo and do not record input.
Display only. This signature box does not capture real input in this demo.
On confirm, the shipment becomes Received. A discrepancy (shortage or damage) requires a note and keeps the shipment open until it is resolved.
Screen 7 · Showcase
Logistics Dashboard
How shipments are moving. Sample data for demonstration.
- 22 In Transit
- 141 Delivered This Month
- 94% On-Time Delivery
- 2.3 days Average Transit Time
Requested 6, Pending Approval 4, Scheduled 9, In Transit 22, Delivered 18, Closed 141.
New Provisioning 58, Redeployment 47, Warranty Return 22, Vendor Return 19, Office Move 14.
| Period | Shipments |
|---|---|
| Period 1 | 96 |
| Period 2 | 104 |
| Period 3 | 88 |
| Period 4 | 117 |
| Period 5 | 125 |
| Period 6 | 141 |
Expedited 1.1 days, Standard 2.9 days.
Cardinal Freight 61, BlueLine Courier 44, Meridian Logistics 38, Swiftway Carriers 27.
All figures are sample data for demonstration only.
Notifications
Notifications
- Unread. A shipment is awaiting your authorization: SHP-2041. [sample date]
- Shipment SHP-2048 is scheduled with Cardinal Freight. Tracking: CFX-8842013. [sample date]
- Shipment SHP-2048 has been picked up and is in transit. [sample date]
- Shipment SHP-2048 is out for delivery to Riverside Warehouse. [sample date]
- Shipment SHP-2035 is delayed. See the shipment for details. [sample date]
- Shipment SHP-2027 has been received in good order and is now closed. [sample date]
Admin · Configuration
Admin Configuration
Sections: Sites · Carriers · Shipment Types · Service Levels · Notification Templates · Roles.
Sites
Carriers
Routing rule (read-only)
All shipment requests route to the requester's manager for transfer and cost authorization before scheduling.
Configuration changes take effect without a code change.