Categories, Locations, and Departments

UniAsset uses three primary organizational structures to classify assets: Categories, Locations, and Departments. Understanding when to use each is critical for effective asset management.

The Three Organizational Dimensions

Think of these as three different ways to answer questions about your assets:

An asset can have all three attributes:

• Category: Laptop
• Location: HQ - Floor 2 - Engineering
• Department: IT Department

This allows multi-dimensional reporting:

• "Show me all Laptops in IT Department" (Category + Department)
• "Show me all assets in Warehouse A" (Location)
• "What's the total value of Vehicles owned by Operations?" (Category + Department)

Categories: What Type of Asset?

What Are Categories?

Categories group similar assets by type or function. They answer: "What kind of thing is this?"

Examples:

• Computers & IT
• Furniture
• Vehicles
• Manufacturing Equipment
• Medical Devices
• Office Equipment
• Tools & Equipment

When to Use Categories

Categories are for:

• ✅ Grouping similar items (all laptops together, all chairs together)
• ✅ Filtering asset lists ("Show me all Vehicles")
• ✅ Reporting by asset type ("What's the maintenance cost for Manufacturing Equipment?")
• ✅ Depreciation rules (different asset types depreciate at different rates)

Creating Categories

Navigate: Settings → Categories → + New Category

Best practices:

1. Use Broad Categories (Not Too Specific)

✅ Good:

• "Computers & IT" (covers laptops, desktops, servers, monitors)
• "Furniture" (covers desks, chairs, cabinets, tables)

❌ Too specific:

• "Dell Laptops", "HP Laptops", "Lenovo Laptops" (use Manufacturer field instead)
• "Executive Desks", "Standard Desks", "Standing Desks" (use Model field instead)

2. Limit to 5-15 Categories

• Too few categories (3-4) make filtering useless
• Too many categories (30+) cause decision paralysis when creating assets
• Sweet spot: 5-15 categories

3. Use Industry-Appropriate Names

IT Company:

• Computers & IT
• Network Equipment
• Peripherals
• Office Furniture
• Vehicles

Manufacturing:

• Production Machinery
• Forklifts & Material Handling
• Hand Tools
• Power Tools
• Safety Equipment
• Office Equipment

Healthcare:

• Diagnostic Equipment
• Therapeutic Equipment
• Patient Monitoring
• Surgical Instruments
• Furniture & Fixtures

4. Make Categories Mutually Exclusive

Avoid overlap:

• ❌ Bad: "IT Equipment" AND "Computers" (overlapping)
• ✅ Good: "Computers & IT" (single category covers both)

Category Examples by Industry

Locations: Where Is the Asset?

What Are Locations?

Locations represent physical places where assets are stored or deployed. They answer: "Where can I find this asset right now?"

Examples:

• HQ - Floor 1
• Warehouse A
• Manufacturing Plant - Production Floor
• Remote - Employee Home
• Customer Site - Acme Corp

When to Use Locations

Locations are for:

• ✅ Physical asset audits ("Count all assets in Warehouse A")
• ✅ Tracking asset movement (asset moved from HQ to Branch Office)
• ✅ Site-based reporting ("What's the total asset value at our Manufacturing Plant?")
• ✅ Access control (future feature: restrict users to see only assets at their location)

Creating Locations

Navigate: Settings → Locations → + New Location

Best practices:

1. Use Hierarchical Naming

Structure: Building → Floor → Room/Area

✅ Good hierarchy:

• HQ - Floor 1 - Reception
• HQ - Floor 1 - IT Department
• HQ - Floor 2 - Operations
• HQ - Warehouse
• Branch Office - Boston - Floor 1

❌ Flat naming (hard to filter):

• "Reception"
• "IT Room"
• "Warehouse"

2. Be Specific Enough for Audits

Location should be specific enough that someone can physically find the asset:

• ✅ "Warehouse A - Shelf B3" (can be found)
• ❌ "Warehouse" (too vague—where in the warehouse?)

3. Handle Remote/Mobile Assets

For work-from-home or field equipment:

• Create a "Remote - Employee Home" location
• Or create "Field Equipment" location for mobile tools
• Update location when asset returns to HQ

4. Include Address for Multi-Site Organizations

If you have multiple buildings/sites:

• Option A: Add address in the Location description (e.g., "Boston Office" with address "123 Main St, Boston, MA")
• Option B: Use hierarchical naming with city (e.g., "Boston Office - Floor 1", "NYC Office - Floor 3")

Location Naming Examples

Single Building:

HQ - Reception
HQ - Floor 1 - IT Department
HQ - Floor 2 - Operations
HQ - Floor 2 - Finance
HQ - Warehouse
HQ - Parking Garage

Multiple Buildings:

Headquarters - Boston - Floor 1
Headquarters - Boston - Floor 2
Manufacturing Plant - Detroit - Production Floor A
Manufacturing Plant - Detroit - Production Floor B
Warehouse - Chicago - Shelf A
Warehouse - Chicago - Shelf B
Branch Office - San Francisco - Main Floor

Field/Mobile:

Remote - Employee Home
Field Equipment - Service Van 1
Field Equipment - Service Van 2
Customer Site - Acme Corp

Departments: Who Owns/Pays for the Asset?

What Are Departments?

Departments represent organizational units or cost centers that "own" assets for budgeting and accountability. They answer: "Which business unit paid for this and is responsible for it?"

Examples:

• IT Department
• Operations
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Marketing
• Facilities
• Research & Development

When to Use Departments

Departments are for:

• ✅ Cost allocation ("How much did IT spend on asset purchases this year?")
• ✅ Budget planning ("What's the maintenance cost for Operations department?")
• ✅ Departmental reporting ("Show me all assets owned by Finance")
• ✅ Access control (future: restrict users to see only their department's assets)

Department vs Location: Key Difference

Department = Financial ownership (who pays?)
Location = Physical location (where is it?)

They're often different:

Example 1:

• Asset: Laptop
• Department: IT Department (IT budget paid for it)
• Location: HQ - Floor 2 - Finance (physically located in Finance area)
• Assigned To: Jane Smith (Finance employee)

Example 2:

• Asset: Forklift
• Department: Operations (Operations budget owns it)
• Location: Warehouse A (physically located in warehouse)
• Assigned To: Bob Jones (warehouse operator)

Creating Departments

Navigate: Settings → Departments → + New Department

Best practices:

1. Mirror Your Organization Chart

Use the same department names as your company's org chart:

• ✅ "IT Department" (if that's what your org calls it)
• ✅ "Engineering" (not "Tech Team" if official name is Engineering)

2. Keep It Simple

Avoid creating sub-departments unless you have 500+ employees:

• ✅ "Engineering" (single department)
• ❌ "Engineering - Frontend", "Engineering - Backend", "Engineering - DevOps" (too granular)

3. Use Departments for Cost Centers

If you use departmental budgeting/cost allocation:

• Create departments that match your accounting cost centers
• This enables budget variance reporting (actual spend vs budget)

4. Typical Departments

Most organizations need 5-15 departments:

Small Business (5-10 departments):

• IT
• Operations
• Sales
• Marketing
• Finance
• HR

Medium Enterprise (10-15 departments):

• IT Department
• Operations
• Sales
• Marketing
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Facilities
• R&D (Research & Development)
• Customer Support
• Legal
• Procurement

Comparison Table

Multi-Dimensional Reporting Examples

Example 1: IT Budget Review

Question: "What's the total value of IT Department assets?"

Filter:

• Department = "IT Department"

Result:

• Laptops: $125,000
• Servers: $85,000
• Network Equipment: $40,000
• Total: $250,000

Example 2: Warehouse Audit

Question: "List all assets in Warehouse A for physical audit"

Filter:

• Location = "Warehouse A"

Result:

• 15 Forklifts
• 50 Pallet Jacks
• 8 Workbenches
• 200+ items total

Example 3: Vehicle Maintenance Report

Question: "What did we spend on vehicle maintenance this year?"

Filter:

• Category = "Vehicles"
• Date Range = 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31

Result:

• Total maintenance cost: $35,000
• Average cost per vehicle: $1,750
• Highest cost vehicle: Service Van #5 ($8,200)

Example 4: Cross-Dimensional Analysis

Question: "What's the total asset value in our Boston office owned by Operations?"

Filter:

• Location = "Boston Office"
• Department = "Operations"

Result:

• Manufacturing Equipment: $850,000
• Forklifts: $120,000
• Office Furniture: $25,000
• Total: $995,000

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Using Category for Location

Don't create categories like:

• "Assets in Warehouse A"
• "Boston Office Equipment"

Use the Location field instead.

❌ Using Location for Department

Don't create locations like:

• "IT Department Area"
• "Operations Zone"

Use the Department field for ownership. Use Location for physical place.

❌ Too Many Categories

Avoid:

• 50+ categories (causes decision paralysis)
• Overlapping categories ("IT Equipment" AND "Computers")

Aim for 5-15 broad categories.

❌ Inconsistent Naming

Avoid:

• "IT Dept" vs "IT Department" vs "Information Technology"
• "HQ Floor 1" vs "Headquarters - First Floor"

Pick ONE naming convention and stick to it.

Setup Checklist

Before creating assets, ensure you've set up:

• ✅ 5-15 Categories that cover your asset types
• ✅ 5-50 Locations that match your physical sites/rooms
• ✅ 5-15 Departments that match your org chart

These can be edited later, but starting with a solid foundation makes data entry easier.

Related Articles

• What is an Asset? — Asset definition and decision framework
• Creating Your First Asset — Field-by-field guide
• Quick Start Guide — Initial setup walkthrough
• Assignment vs Location — When to use each field

Need Help?

If you need help designing your category/location/department structure for your industry, contact support at support@uniasset.app with:

• Your industry
• Organization size
• Types of assets you manage

We'll provide tailored recommendations.