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Auto-Create Work Order Process

The standard process of entering a billable time card activity value, billing code, and work order prompts the system to examine the selected work order’s transactions and adjust the matching transaction or create a new transaction if it finds no matches.

The auto-create work order process is similar to the standard process but performs the added step of creating a new work order (with a new transaction based on the activity line item) if users enter a billable time card activity value, billing code, and job instead of a work order.

REQUIRED SET UP

This process assumes the following requirements are in place:

The Auto Create Work Order Field in the PREFERENCES – TIME CARD WINDOW is active. (A number of additional fields in the Preferences – Time Card Window establish optional default values for the work orders the system automatically generates.)
The Post Time Card to Work Order Field in the PREFERENCES – TIME CARD WINDOW is active. (Activating this option gives the system the ability to adjust/create work order transactions based on the activity items users establish in time card batch records.)
The Create W/O Phase Field in the PREFERENCES – TIME CARD WINDOW contains a value. (The system uses this value as the default phase for the work orders it automatically generates.)
If the Create W/O Use Employee Department Field in the PREFERENCES – TIME CARD WINDOW is active, participating users must have a valid Department Field value (Work Order Type value) in their EMPLOYEE PROFILE.
If the Create W/O Use Employee Department Field in the PREFERENCES – TIME CARD WINDOW is inactive, the preference window’s Create W/O Type Field must contain a value. (The system uses this value as the default work order type for the work orders it automatically generates if it doesn’t pull the value from EMPLOYEE PROFILES.)
If the Create W/O Use Employee Division Field in the PREFERENCES – TIME CARD WINDOW is active, participating users must have a valid Division Field value in their EMPLOYEE PROFILES.
The following fields in the PREFERENCES – TIME CARD WINDOW are optional but establish default values for work orders created through the auto-create work order process: Create W/O Table 1, Create W/O Table 2, and Create W/O Description.
An existing, viable time card batch record is in place for users to access.
Users are comfortable with the process of creating activity line items on the STANDARD ACTIVITY TAB PAGE of a time card batch record and properly designating the necessary field values.

PROCESS STEPS

Access the appropriate batch record and create a new item on the STANDARD ACTIVITY TAB PAGE.
Designate the appropriate Activity Field value.
- The value must be billable, as designated in the Type Field of the TIME CARD ACTIVITIES SETUP WINDOW.
Designate the appropriate Billing Code Field value.
- The field may contain a default value (as designated in the TIME CARD ACTIVITIES SETUP WINDOW), but you can edit it if needed.
Designate the appropriate job record ID number in the Job No Field.
- Manually enter the number or use the Lookup Icon to the right of the field to access the Job Lookup Window for help in locating the appropriate record.
- NOTE: Acceptable job records cannot have a Status Field value of Bid, Hold, Cancel, or Close.
Move out of the Job No Field to activate the auto-create work order process.
- You can tab out of the field or click in another area of the tab page.
- This step prompts the system to create a new work order for the designated job and create a new work order transaction based on the information in the activity line item. The work order’s Description Field value defaults to the activity line item’s Activity Field value and the work order’s Work Order Type Field value defaults to the value designated for the activity in the TIME CARD ACTIVITIES SETUP WINDOW.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you (the same user) create additional activity line items for the same date that contain the same Activity and Job No Field values as the initial activity line you added that prompted the auto-create work order process, the system will not create a new work order for these lines, but instead add new transactions to that work order it auto-created based on the initial activity line item.

If the job record ID number is the same for lines added after the auto-create work order process was initiated, the system will only auto-create additional work orders if the Date or Activity Field values are different.
This method supports a user’s ability to create multiple activity line items in order to properly indicate non-billable down time such as meals and breaks without the system needlessly creating a separate work order for each activity line item as long as the Activity Field value, date, and job number match.

The auto-create work order functionality can be used in conjunction with multi-bill functionality. Refer to the MULTI-BILL ACTIVITIES topic for additional information.