Creating Work Orders
Complete guide to creating work orders, including all fields, validation rules, and tips.
Who Can Create Work Orders
Work orders can be created by Supervisors and Org Admins. Operators can view and update work orders assigned to their station but cannot create new ones. If you are an Operator and need a work order created, ask your Supervisor to add it to the queue.
Opening the Creation Dialog
From the Queue page, click the "+ New Work Order" button in the top-right corner. This opens a dialog with all the fields needed to define a new work order. You can also access this from the Supervisor dashboard via the quick action buttons.
Required Fields
Work Order Number: A unique identifier for this job within your organization. This is often assigned by your ERP system or follows an internal numbering convention (e.g., WO-2026-0001). The system will reject duplicate numbers. Quantity: The number of parts to be produced. This must be a positive whole number.
Optional but Recommended Fields
Part Number: Links to your part catalog (if configured) and auto-fills description and routing. Customer: The customer or project this order is for — useful for filtering and reporting. Due Date: When the order needs to be completed. Setting this enables calendar view scheduling and overdue alerts. Priority: Low, Medium, High, or Rush. Priority affects queue ordering — Rush orders appear at the top of station queues.
Adding Routing
If your part requires multiple operations, expand the Routing section to define the sequence of work centers. For example, a part might go: Saw → CNC Mill → Deburr → Inspect. Each step specifies the work center type, operation description, and estimated cycle time. If you have a part catalog entry with a default routing, it will be pre-filled here. You can add, remove, or reorder steps as needed.
Validation and Submission
Before the work order is accepted, the system validates: the WO number is unique, the quantity is positive, and all required fields are filled. If you have defined routing steps, each step must have a work center assigned. Once validation passes, click "Create Work Order" to add it to the queue. The order starts in "Queued" status.
After Creation
The new work order immediately appears in the Queue (list, kanban, and calendar views). If routing is defined, it shows up in the queue of the first work center in the sequence. The system logs the creation event with your user ID and timestamp in the activity log. You can edit the work order details at any time before an operator starts working on it.