Go to Workshop, then Jobs, then Part Requests. When a mechanic needs a part for a job they raise a request. It moves through pending, approved and on order.
Why requests rather than just ordering
It puts a decision between the workshop and the money. Somebody sees the cost, checks the customer has authorised the work and orders once rather than twice. It also means the office knows why a car is sitting there.
The three states
- Pending, waiting for somebody to decide
- Approved, agreed and ready to order
- On order, ordered from the supplier and waiting to arrive
Deal with pending quickly
A pending request is a vehicle on a ramp doing nothing. Requests waiting an hour cost you a bay and requests waiting until tomorrow cost you a customer.
Approving is its own permission
Give it to whoever should be making the spending decision. It does not have to be the same person who runs the settings.
Common questions
Who can approve part requests?
Anyone whose role includes the approval permission, which you set under Team, then Roles & Access.
Does approving order the part?
Approving agrees it. Ordering is what moves it to on order and purchase orders are where you record that with the supplier.
Can a mechanic see the status of their request?
Yes, from the job. That is how they know whether to move on to another car.
