---
title: Part Lifecycle States
description: Understand the four part lifecycle states and the non-standard flag, promote parts created on jobs, and discontinue or supersede a part.
---
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2. [Parts, Inventory & Vendors](https://support.metafleet.ai/parts-inventory-vendors?hsLang=en)
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# Part Lifecycle States
## Every part carries a lifecycle state that tells your team whether to use it, order it, or stop. Here's what each state means and how to change it.
**For:** Owners, managers and parts staff · **Permission:** Manage parts · **Time:** ~5 minutes
### Quick summary
1. Read each part's state in the **Lifecycle** column of the Parts catalog.
2. Promote each **NON-STD** part to a standard catalog part from its row menu.
3. Change a part's lifecycle from the part's own page, using the **Lifecycle** pill.
4. Delete a part to take it out of the active catalog. Past records keep it.
### Before you start
- Open the Parts catalog. In the left menu, open **Parts & Inventory** and click **Parts**.
- Know which parts are waiting for review. The banner at the top of the page gives the count.
### The lifecycle states
Six cards sit at the top of the Parts catalog. The first five are lifecycle groups: **Active**, **Superseded**, **Discontinued**, **Special-Order** and **Non-Standard**. Each card shows the count for that group. Click a card to filter the list to those parts. The sixth card, **No alternate numbers**, is a cross-reference worklist and isn't covered here.
*The summary cards. Click any card to filter the catalog to that group.*
- **Active:** In the catalog and free to use on any job. New parts start here.
- **Special-Order:** Carried, but lead-time required. It has to be ordered in rather than pulled from stock.
- **Superseded:** Replaced by another part. Kept for history. A replacement part is required.
- **Discontinued:** No longer available. Hidden from the active catalog but kept on past estimates and invoices.
- **Non-Standard:** Not a lifecycle state of its own. It marks a part that a technician added during a job and that isn't in the catalog yet. These parts still carry a lifecycle state, usually **Active**, and promoting them doesn't change it.
### Promote non-standard parts
When a technician adds a part that isn't in the catalog during a job, the part is saved as non-standard so the work isn't blocked. It waits for you to review it. The banner on the Parts page tells you how many are waiting.
### Find the non-standard parts
Click the **Non-Standard** card, or click **Review non-standard** on the banner. The list filters to those parts, and each one carries a **NON-STD** tag in its name.
*Non-standard parts carry a NON-STD tag. Their Lifecycle column still reads Active.*
### Promote each part
Open the part's **⋯** menu and choose **Promote to Standard**. The part is no longer marked non-standard. Then check its manufacturer, vendor and pricing.
*The row menu of a non-standard part. Promote to Standard appears only on these rows.*
### Change a part's lifecycle
Open the part from the catalog. Under **Identity**, click the **Lifecycle** pill. A **Change lifecycle** panel opens with the four states. Pick one, then click **Apply**.
- **Superseded:** A **Replacement part** field appears. Pick the part that replaces it. You can't save Superseded without a replacement.
- **Discontinued:** If the part is on an open service order, a warning appears. Click **Apply anyway** to discontinue the part regardless.
*The Change lifecycle panel on the part page.*
### Delete a part
Open the part's **⋯** menu and choose **Delete**. A confirmation dialog asks "Are you sure you want to delete this Part?" Click **OK** to confirm or **Cancel** to back out. If stock for the part sits in one or more locations, the dialog says how many. Deleting archives the part. It leaves the active list, and past estimates and invoices keep it.
*The delete confirmation.*
> **Read the lifecycle at a glance.** The Lifecycle column shows a colored pill on every row. Active is green, Special-Order is amber, Superseded is purple and Discontinued is red.
### Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A part shows **NON-STD** | It was created during a work order | Promote it to standard from the row's **⋯** menu, then check its details. |
| A discontinued part still shows on an old invoice | History is kept on purpose | That's expected. Discontinuing only hides the part from new work. |
| The discontinue warning appears | The part is on an open service order | Finish or change that order first, or click **Apply anyway** if you want to discontinue it now. |
| Delete says the part is in locations | Stock is still recorded at one or more locations | Move or adjust that stock first. Confirm the delete only if you mean it. |
### FAQs
**What's the difference between Superseded and Discontinued?**
**Superseded** means a newer part replaces it, and you name that part. **Discontinued** means it's no longer available. Both stay in the records for history.
**Why do non-standard parts exist?**
So a technician is never blocked mid-job by a part that isn't in the catalog yet. You promote them later.
**Does discontinuing or deleting remove the part?**
No. It's archived. The record and its history stay, and the part is hidden from new work.
### Related articles
- [Add New Parts to Your Inventory](https://support.metafleet.ai/add-new-parts-to-your-inventory?hsLang=en)
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