# Start here: Owner

Prepare the site and assignments, and arrange independent operational authority.

Source: https://help.smartfact.ai/manuals/storesflow/owner

Review edition: 25 October 2026

Roles: owner

StoresFlow owners administer the site. Give yourself an additional operational role only when your work requires it: ownership alone does not allow receiving, stock adjustment or material-policy activation.

## Prepare the site

Sign in through [Accounts](/manuals/accounts/sign-in), choose the correct organisation and complete site setup. In **Stores and bins**, create the stores and the receiving, bin or staging locations needed by the actual workflow. Keep codes recognisable at the rack. A receiving location and an ordinary storage bin serve different purposes, so check the type before saving.

Open **Team and stations** to assign product roles and add working stations. Central identity and product access are managed through [Accounts access](/manuals/accounts/manage-access); local site assignments and stations are managed here. Sensitive setup changes require recent Accounts verification. Assign a supervisor to operational decisions and an author and reviewer to the materials and policies production will use.

## Establish a controlled start

Follow [site setup and opening](/manuals/storesflow/setup-and-opening). A store or home-bin import does not create stock. Opening stock needs a supervisor, reconciled physical quantities and a declaration that the previous stock ledger has stopped for that scope.

The site can require a reviewer different from the last draft editor. Changing that setting is an owner decision with a reason. It is not a way to repair a failed policy proof.

## Keep administration distinct

Use **Plan and usage**, **Connections**, **Read API and events**, **Health** and **Site lifecycle** as appropriate to your responsibility. A complete export is protected by recent verification. Closure or reopening involves the separate supervisor custody review described in [recovery and closure](/manuals/storesflow/recovery-and-closure).

When a stock discrepancy is reported, give the supervisor the item, location, original movement and physical evidence. Do not make an administrative setup change to conceal the discrepancy.

## Use the administrative task guides

Use [people and working stations](/manuals/storesflow/team-and-stations) for site restrictions and station handover, [sales channels](/manuals/storesflow/sales-channels) for the exact SmartFACT Data connection, and [read credentials and events](/manuals/storesflow/read-api-and-events) for external read access and retained delivery repair. **Health** shows installation checks and site attention counts; a working page does not establish scanner, printer or physical-stock qualification. Escalate a failed installation check with the displayed build, check and outstanding work.