Getting Started with Rarchy

Learn how to use Rarchy's hierarchical management system

What is Rarchy?

Rarchy: an abbreviated form of Hierarchy, pronounced 'rar-kee'.

Rarchy is a hierarchical management system that gives you unlimited freedom to organize everything in your world. Unlike rigid systems, Rarchy adapts to your needs through powerful hierarchical concepts:

  • Nested Categories - Organize items into hierarchical groups
  • Nested Locations - Model your physical storage spaces
  • Item Relationships (BOM) - Define how items relate as assemblies and components
  • Task Management - Track tasks across items, categories, and locations
  • Procedures & SOPs - Create repeatable work instructions with step-by-step guidance
  • Notes System - Document important information with rich text and markdown

A simple, yet powerful, search function helps you find anything quickly!

Understanding Categories

Categories are your primary way to organize items into logical groups. The power comes from nesting - you can create subcategories within categories to any depth you need.

Example Category Structure:

Electronics
├── Computers
│   ├── Laptops
│   ├── Desktops
│   └── Accessories
├── Audio Equipment
│   ├── Speakers
│   └── Headphones
└── Components
    ├── Processors
    └── Memory

This flexibility means you can organize items in whatever way makes sense for your business - by product type, brand, department, or any other criteria.

Understanding Locations

Locations represent your physical storage spaces. Like categories, locations can be nested to model your exact storage hierarchy.

Example Location Structure:

Main Warehouse
├── Section A
│   ├── Aisle 1
│   │   ├── Shelf 1
│   │   │   ├── Bin A1
│   │   │   └── Bin A2
│   │   └── Shelf 2
│   └── Aisle 2
└── Section B
    └── Cold Storage

Items can be stored in multiple locations with different quantities at each. This allows you to track exactly where everything is in your facility.

Understanding Bills of Materials (BOM)

The BOM system lets you define relationships between items - which items are assemblies and which are their components. This creates a hierarchical structure showing how products are built.

Parent Items

Items that use this component. A screw might have many parent items like tables, chairs, etc.

Current Item

The item you're viewing. It can be both a component (has parents) and an assembly (has children).

Child Items

Components that make up this item. A table might have legs, top, screws as children.

This system allows you to model anything from simple parts lists to complex multi-level assemblies with quantities for each component.

Task Management

Tasks help you track work and activities across your inventory system. Tasks can be standalone for general to-dos, or attached to any item, category, location, or even other tasks, providing flexible project management capabilities.

Key Features

  • • Assign tasks to team members
  • • Set due dates and priorities
  • • Track status (pending, in progress, completed)
  • • Create subtasks for complex projects
  • • Add comments for collaboration
  • • Filter and search across all tasks

Use Cases

  • • Equipment maintenance schedules
  • • Inventory audits and counts
  • • Location reorganization projects
  • • Purchase order tracking
  • • Quality control checks
  • • General to-do items

Subtasks and Dependencies

Tasks can have parent-child relationships, creating a hierarchy for complex projects:

  • • Break down large tasks into smaller subtasks
  • • Subtasks can have their own subtasks (unlimited nesting)
  • • Parent tasks cannot be marked complete until all subtasks are done
  • • Track incomplete subtask counts at a glance
  • • Expand/collapse subtask views for better organization

Tasks appear on a dedicated tab for each item, category, or location, making it easy to see all related work. Standalone tasks and all tasks across the system can be viewed on the global Tasks page, which provides powerful filtering options.

Understanding Procedures

Procedures are reusable work instructions that standardize how tasks are performed. Create detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) once and assign them whenever that work needs to be done.

Procedure Templates

  • • Step-by-step instructions with checklists
  • • Time estimates for each step
  • • Difficulty levels (beginner to expert)
  • • Version control for procedure updates
  • • Categorization for easy discovery
  • • Active/inactive status management

Procedure Assignments

  • • Assign procedures to team members
  • • Link to items, locations, or categories
  • • Set due dates and priorities
  • • Track progress with step completion
  • • Capture actual time vs estimates
  • • Add completion notes and observations

Many-to-Many Linking

Procedures can be linked to multiple entities, making them highly reusable:

  • • Link one procedure to multiple items (e.g., maintenance for all pumps)
  • • Link to entire categories (apply to all items in "Electronics")
  • • Link to locations (cleaning procedures for specific areas)
  • • Procedures appear on the linked entity's detail page
  • • Easily manage links through the procedure link manager

Example Use Cases

Equipment MaintenanceMonthly inspection checklist with specific steps and safety requirements
Quality ControlStandardized testing procedures with pass/fail criteria
Inventory AuditsStep-by-step counting and verification process
Setup InstructionsDevice configuration with screenshots and notes
Safety ProtocolsEmergency response procedures with clear steps
Training GuidesOnboarding procedures for new team members

The procedure system ensures consistency, reduces errors, and preserves institutional knowledge. When someone completes a procedure assignment, they check off each step, record actual time spent, and add notes about any issues or improvements needed.

Notes System

Capture important information about items, categories, and locations with rich notes. Each entity can have multiple notes for comprehensive documentation.

Note Features:

  • • Rich text editing with markdown support
  • • Full version history tracking
  • • Multiple notes per entity
  • • Search within notes
  • • Team member attribution
  • • Timestamps for all changes

Use notes to document maintenance procedures, operating instructions, historical information, special handling requirements, or any other important details that need to be preserved.

Managing Vendors

Track supplier information for each item:

  • Multiple vendors per item for sourcing flexibility
  • Vendor-specific part numbers
  • Pricing and minimum order quantities
  • Lead times for planning
  • Mark preferred vendors

Getting Started

  1. Create your category structure - Think about how you want to group items and create your main categories and subcategories.
  2. Set up locations - Model your physical storage spaces, from buildings down to individual bins or slots.
  3. Add items - Create items and assign them to appropriate categories. Add photos and detailed information.
  4. Assign to locations - Place items in their physical locations with quantities.
  5. Build BOMs - For assemblies, define the parent-child relationships and quantities.
  6. Add vendors - Track supplier information for purchasing and sourcing.
  7. Create tasks - Add tasks to track work, maintenance, or projects related to your inventory.
  8. Document with notes - Add detailed notes to preserve important information about items, categories, or locations.

Tips for Success

  • Start simple - you can always add more categories and locations as needed
  • Use descriptive names that will make sense to all users
  • Take advantage of photos to make items easy to identify
  • Use the description fields to add important details
  • Regular reviews help keep your data accurate and useful