[IMP] inventory: update differences doc

closes #7216

X-original-commit: 81d201e
Signed-off-by: Zachary Straub (zst) <[email protected]>
Signed-off-by: Brandon Seltenrich (brse) <[email protected]>

Author: brse-odoo

content/applications/inventory_and_mrp/inventory/product_management/product_tracking/differences.rst

@@ -1,47 +1,98 @@
-======================================================
-What's the difference between lots and serial numbers?
-======================================================
+==========================================
+Difference between lots and serial numbers
+==========================================
 
-Introduction
-============
+*Lots* and *serial numbers* are the two ways to identify and track products in Odoo. While there are
+similarities between the two traceability methods, there are also notable differences that affect
+receipts, deliveries, and inventory reports.
 
-In Odoo, lots and serial numbers have similarities in their functional
-system but are different in their behavior. They are both managed within
-the **Inventory**, **Purchases** and **Sales** app.
+A *lot* usually indicates a specific batch of an item that was received, is currently stored, or was
+shipped from a warehouse. However, it can also pertain to a batch of products manufactured in-house,
+as well.
 
-**Lots** correspond to a certain number of products you received and store
-altogether in one single pack.
+A *serial number* is a unique identifier assigned incrementally (or sequentially) to an item or
+product, used to distinguish it from other items or products.
 
-**Serial numbers** are identification numbers given to one product in
-particular, to allow to track the history of the item from reception to
-delivery and after-sales.
+.. seealso::
+   - :doc:`lots`
+   - :doc:`serial_numbers`
 
-When to use
------------
+Enable lots & serial numbers
+============================
 
-**Lots** are interesting for products you receive in great quantity and for
-which a lot number can help in reportings, quality controls, or any
-other info. Lots will help identify a number of pieces having for
-instance a production fault. It can be useful for a batch production of
-clothes or food.
+To track products using lots and serial numbers, the *Lots & Serial Numbers* feature must be
+enabled.
 
-**Serial numbers** are interesting for items that could require after-sales
-service, such as smartphones, laptops, fridges, and any electronic
-devices. You could use the manufacturer's serial number or your own,
-depending on the way you manage these products
+To do that, go to the :menuselection:`Inventory app --> Configuration --> Settings`, scroll down to
+the :guilabel:`Traceability` section, and click the box next to :guilabel:`Lots & Serial Numbers`.
+Then, click the :guilabel:`Save` button to save changes.
 
-When not to use
----------------
+.. image:: differences/differences-enabled-setting.png
+   :align: center
+   :alt: Enabled lots and serial numbers feature in inventory settings.
 
-Storing consumable products such as kitchen roll, toilet paper, pens and
-paper blocks in lots would make no sense at all, as there are very few
-chances that you can return them for production fault.
+When to use lots
+================
 
-On the other hand, giving a serial number to every product is a
-time-consuming task that will have a purpose only in the case of items
-that have a warranty and/or after-sales services. Putting a serial
-number on bread, for instance, makes no sense at all.
+Lots are useful for products that are manufactured or received in large quantities, such as clothes
+or food. Lots and can be used to trace a product back to a group, which is especially useful when
+managing product recalls or expiration dates.
 
-.. seealso::
-    * :doc:`serial_numbers`
-    * :doc:`lots`
+.. example::
+   .. image:: differences/differences-lot.png
+      :align: center
+      :alt: Created lot with quantity of products in it.
+
+Manufacturers assign lot numbers to groups of products that have common properties; this can lead to
+multiple goods sharing the same lot number. This helps identify a number of products in a single
+group, and allows for end-to-end traceability of these products through each step in their life
+cycles.
+
+When to use serial numbers
+==========================
+
+The goal of assigning serial numbers to individual products is to make sure every item's history is
+identifiable when it travels through the supply chain. This can be especially useful for
+manufacturers that provide after-sales services related to products they sell and deliver.
+
+.. example::
+   .. image:: differences/differences-serial-numbers.png
+      :align: center
+      :alt: List of serial numbers for product.
+
+Serial numbers can contain many different types of characters: numbers, letters, typographical
+symbols, or a mixture of all three types.
+
+Traceability
+============
+
+Manufacturers and companies can refer to traceability reports to see the entire life cycle of a
+product. These reports include vital information, like where it came from (and when), where it was
+stored, and to whom it was sent.
+
+To see the full traceability of a product, or group products by lots and/or serial numbers, go to
+:menuselection:`Inventory app --> Products --> Lots/Serial Numbers`. Doing so reveals the
+:guilabel:`Lots/Serial Numbers` dashboard.
+
+From here, products with lots or serial numbers assigned to them are listed by default. They can
+also be expanded to show what lots or serial numbers have been specifically assigned to them.
+
+To group by lots or serial numbers, first remove any default filters from the search bar in the
+upper-right corner. Then, click :guilabel:`Group By`, and select :guilabel:`Add Custom Group`, which
+reveals a mini drop-down menu. From this mini drop-down menu, select :guilabel:`Lot/Serial Number`,
+and click :guilabel:`Apply`.
+
+Doing so reveals all existing lots and serial numbers, and each can be expanded to show all product
+quantities with that assigned number. For unique serial numbers that are *not* reused, there should
+*only* be one product per serial number.
+
+.. image:: differences/differences-tracking.png
+   :align: center
+   :alt: Reporting page with drop-down lists of lots and serial numbers.
+
+.. tip::
+   For additional information regarding an individual lot number or serial number, click the line
+   item for the lot or serial number to reveal that specific number's :guilabel:`Lot` or
+   :guilabel:`Serial Number` form. From this form, click the :guilabel:`Location` and
+   :guilabel:`Traceability` smart buttons to see all stock on-hand using that serial number. Any
+   operations made using that lot or serial number can be found here, as well.