> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://manual.muzemus.online/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Common concepts

> Key terms used throughout the MUZE portal and this guide.

These terms are used throughout the portal and this guide. Each concept has one authoritative explanation elsewhere in the guide; this page is the reference that ties the vocabulary together.

## Organisational structure

| Term           | Definition                                                                                                                                   |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Client**     | A retail organisation (for example Boxer) that uses MUZE. Each client has its own stores, employees, products, and rules.                    |
| **Region**     | A geographical grouping of stores within a client, for example "Gauteng" or "Western Cape".                                                  |
| **Store**      | An individual retail location. Each store belongs to a client and a region.                                                                  |
| **Department** | An organisational unit within a client, for example "Floor Staff" or "Management". Departments narrow which employees a rule set applies to. |

## People

| Term              | Definition                                                                        |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Employee**      | A retail staff member who receives uniforms. Employees do not have portal logins. |
| **Staff account** | A login account for the portal (Store Manager, HR, or Administrator).             |

## Uniforms

| Term                     | Definition                                                                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Uniform category**     | A group of employees who share the same entitlement rules (for example "Store Management" or "Store Casuals"). Each employee belongs to exactly one category. |
| **Product**              | A uniform item available for ordering, with a type, colour, sizes, and price.                                                                                 |
| **Product type**         | The garment type of a product (for example Golfer, Shirt, Trousers, Jacket, Safety Shoe).                                                                     |
| **Entitlement rule set** | The configuration that defines which products, how many, and under what conditions an employee in a specific category receives them.                          |
| **Entitlement balance**  | The remaining company-paid quantity for a product: allowed quantity minus consumed quantity.                                                                  |

## Entitlements

| Term                    | Definition                                                                                                              |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Initial phase**       | The period from an employee's start date when they receive their first set of uniforms.                                 |
| **Replacement phase**   | The period after the initial allocation expires, when employees can receive replacement uniforms.                       |
| **Company-paid**        | Uniform items covered by the employer's allocation. Written as "company-paid" in text, "Company Paid" in the interface. |
| **Employee-paid**       | Uniform items beyond the company-paid allocation, paid by the employee.                                                 |
| **Allocation overflow** | When an order exceeds the company-paid balance, the excess becomes employee-paid.                                       |

## Orders

| Term                  | Definition                                                                                                        |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Order**             | A request for uniform items placed on behalf of one employee.                                                     |
| **Store order batch** | A group of orders from the same store, identified by a number like `SO-00042`. Orders accumulate under the batch. |
| **Order status**      | The current stage of an order in its lifecycle. See the table below.                                              |
| **Approval**          | The review step where an HR user or Administrator approves or rejects a pending order before production.          |

## Order statuses

| Status               | Meaning                                                  |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pending Approval** | Awaiting manager approval before proceeding              |
| **Submitted**        | Placed and entered into the queue (no approval required) |
| **Approved**         | Approved and ready for production                        |
| **Rejected**         | Rejected by an approver, with a reason                   |
| **Processing**       | Being prepared for manufacturing                         |
| **Manufacturing**    | Being manufactured                                       |
| **Embroidery**       | Being embroidered                                        |
| **Quality Check**    | Under quality inspection                                 |
| **Packed**           | Packed and ready for dispatch                            |
| **Dispatched**       | Sent to the store                                        |
| **Delivered**        | Received at the store                                    |
| **Cancelled**        | Cancelled                                                |

The full transition rules are in the [Order lifecycle](/orders/order-lifecycle).

## Other terms

| Term                         | Definition                                                                                                  |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Soft delete (deactivate)** | Deactivating a record (setting Active to No) without permanently removing it. Historical data is preserved. |
| **Permanent delete**         | Removing a record and its dependent data for good. This cannot be undone.                                   |
| **Bulk import**              | Uploading a CSV or Excel file to create or update many records at once.                                     |
| **Audit log**                | A record of every significant action in the system, including who performed it and when.                    |


## Related topics

- [Introduction](/getting-started/introduction.md)
- [Troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/common-issues.md)