Quick Onboarding Guide

This guide walks you through the key steps to get started with the Arda platform. A Loom video walkthrough covers the same content visually for new users.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

Your Arda login credentials (provided by your administrator).
The Arda Quickstart Kit if you are setting up a new facility. See Arda Quickstart Kit.
Pop-up blockers disabled for live.app.arda.cards. See How to Disable Pop-up Blockers.

Step 1: Learn About Your Inventory

Before adding a single item in Arda, decide how you will categorize your inventory. Read Three Types of Inventory to understand which items get Kanban cards, which use project-based ordering, and which are one-off purchases.

Step 2: Set Up Locations

Define your facility’s storage areas. See Locations and Sub-Locations Explained. Walk your floor and name locations in the order someone would encounter them. Keep names short — they print on labels.

Step 3: Add Your Items

Start with your Type 1 items (the 80% that you always keep in stock). See Adding Items for step-by-step instructions. You only need the item name to start — you can add details like minimum quantity and supplier later.

For large existing catalogs, use Item CSV Import to bulk-load items from a spreadsheet.

Step 4: Print Cards and Labels

After adding items, print Kanban cards for each one and shelf labels for each storage location. See Printing in Arda for instructions on printing cards, labels, and breadcrumbs.

Step 5: Set Up the Scanning Workflow

Train your shop floor workers to scan cards when the reorder bin empties. See Scanning Cards for desktop scanning instructions. This is the only action workers need to learn — scanning is how stockout signals reach the Procurement Manager.

Step 6: Process Your First Order

Once workers start scanning, review the Order Queue as the Procurement Manager (David). See Order Card Startup for the 10-step process for getting the first orders through the system.

Key Resources

Arda How-To Guides — full collection of step-by-step guides.
How to Size Min and Order Quantities for Arda Cards — how to calculate reorder points.