Introduction
What is the Control Panel?
The Control Panel is your centralized dashboard for monitoring and managing all asset-related activities, employee lifecycle events, and operational metrics. It provides real-time visibility into your organization's asset management operations, helping you stay proactive and make informed decisions.
Who should use this guide?
This guide is designed for:
IT administrators managing company assets
Operations managers overseeing employee onboarding and offboarding
Finance teams tracking asset-related payments
Anyone responsible for asset lifecycle management
Key benefits of the dashboard
At-a-glance visibility: See all critical metrics and pending actions in one centralized location
Proactive planning: Get ahead of upcoming hiring and termination events
Issue detection: Quickly identify and resolve auto-assignment failures and unassigned assets
Financial tracking: Monitor pending payments and overdue invoices
Seamless integration: Automatic synchronization with your MDM (Mobile Device Management) systems
Assets Overview
The main dashboard interface provides a comprehensive view of your asset management operations. When you first access the Control Panel, you'll see multiple widgets displaying key metrics and indicators.
What information is displayed at a glance
Visual breakdown of asset distribution by category and subcategory
Total number of assets in your inventory (excludes archived assets)
Financial indicators including pending payments and overdue invoices
Employee status indicators for hiring, terminating, and off-boarded employees
Asset assignment issues requiring attention
Orders requiring purchase order numbers
Interactive features: Each metric is clickable, allowing you to drill down into detailed lists and take immediate action.
Dashboard Widgets & Metrics
Asset Distribution Chart
What it shows: A visual breakdown of all your assets organized by category and subcategory, giving you an instant understanding of your asset inventory composition.
How to read the chart:
Hover over any section to see tooltips with full subcategory names
The total number of assets is displayed prominently in the header
Dynamic range visualization helps you understand the distribution proportions
Color-coded segments make it easy to distinguish between different asset types
What assets are included: The chart displays all active assets in your inventory. Archived assets are automatically excluded from the count and visualization to provide an accurate view of your current asset base.
Financial Metrics
Pending Payments
The dashboard displays two separate financial indicators to help you manage cash flow and vendor obligations:
Overdue Invoices
Display color: Red for high visibility
What it shows: Invoices that are past their payment due date
How to use: Click the metric to view a detailed list of all overdue invoices and prioritize payments
Payments Due (in 3 days time)
Display color: Purple for high visibility
What it shows: Upcoming payments which are due in 3 days or less.
How to use: Click to view the full list of urgent pending payments and plan your payment schedule.
Tip: Check these metrics regularly to maintain positive credit with Dots and avoid payment limitations.
Employee Status Indicators
Hiring Employees
What it shows: Employees who have been hired but haven't started yet. These are team members with future hire dates who have "hired" status in the system.
How to use this metric:
Click on the number to view the complete list of upcoming hires
Review hire dates to understand when each employee starts
Prepare equipment orders in advance to ensure everything is ready on day one
Plan workspace setup and asset allocation
Eligibility criteria:
Hire date must be in the future
Employee status must be "hired"
No on-boarding order exists for the employee
Terminating Employees
What it shows: Employees who have a scheduled termination date in the future but don't yet have an off-boarding order created for asset retrieval.
When employees appear in this list: An employee will only show up here if both conditions are met:
Their termination date is in the future
They don't have an off-boarding order yet
When employees are removed from this list: An employee will disappear from this metric if either:
Their termination date has passed (it's now in the past)
An off-boarding order has been created for them
How to use this metric:
Click on the number to view all employees with upcoming termination dates
Initiate the off-boarding process for each employee
Create asset collection orders to retrieve company equipment
Plan for equipment reassignment or disposal
Best Practice: Review this list daily to ensure you have adequate time to arrange asset retrieval before the employee's last day.
Asset Management – Action Required
This widget highlights assets that require your attention, helping you quickly identify and resolve issues across your inventory.
It includes:
Malfunctioning assets – Devices reported as not working properly and may require repair or replacement
Unassigned assets – Assets that are not currently assigned to an employee
Assets with issues – Assets with open tickets or flagged problems that need review
Each category is clickable, allowing you to view the relevant assets and take action.
Why it matters?
Check this widget regularly to maintain accurate asset management.
Review malfunctioning devices, assign unassigned assets, and resolve issues to ensure all assets are properly tracked and operational.
Orders Requiring Attention
Orders Requiring PO
This widget gives you a clear overview of all orders that require your attention, helping you keep operations moving without delays.
It includes:
Tickets awaiting your reply – Orders with open requests waiting on your response
Pending approval – Orders that need your approval before they can proceed
Orders need PO – Approved orders missing a Purchase Order number
Pending payment – Orders awaiting payment to continue processing
Each category is clickable, allowing you to quickly view the relevant orders and take action.
Why does it matter?
Review this widget regularly to stay on top of pending actions.
Click into each category to resolve blockers—respond to tickets, approve orders, add PO numbers, and complete payments to ensure smooth processing and timely delivery.
New ABM Vendor IDs
This widget highlights new Vendor IDs used by our procurement team in your recent Apple device orders.
These Vendor IDs may require setup in your Apple Business Manager (ABM) to ensure devices are enrolled correctly.
Clicking this widget takes you to the DEP Vendor ID Checklist, where you can review and confirm each Vendor ID.
Why does it matter?
Use this list to keep track of new Vendor IDs introduced in recent orders.
Add each Vendor ID to your Apple Business Manager, then return to the checklist and mark it as verified — this step is manual and not automatically validated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between "Pending Payments" and "Overdue Invoices"?
These are two distinct financial metrics:
Pending Payments (Payments Due): Invoices that are due for payment but haven't reached their due date yet or are due soon.
Overdue Invoices: Payments that are past their due date and require immediate attention.
How often does the dashboard update?
The dashboard displays real-time data and updates automatically when:
You refresh the page
Changes are made to assets, employees, or orders
MDM integration syncs occur
For the most current data, refresh your browser or navigate back to the dashboard after making changes.
What assets are included in the charts?
The Asset Distribution Chart and total asset count include all active assets in your inventory. Archived assets are automatically excluded to provide an accurate view of your current asset base and operational inventory.
Why is an employee showing in "Terminating Employees" if they haven't left yet?
This is by design! The "Terminating Employees" metric shows employees with future termination dates who don't yet have off-boarding orders. This gives you advance notice to prepare for asset retrieval. Once you create an off-boarding order or the termination date passes, the employee is automatically removed from this list.
For additional support or questions not covered in this guide, please contact support@dotstech.com or open a ticket via Dots UI.