For brands that perform their own manufacturing or use a co-man, work orders can be a useful tool to track the creation of new inventory and the consumption of components.
Work Orders can also be used to manage Kit to Stock or Kit to Order items.
Statuses of work orders
Understanding the different statuses of Work Orders (WOs) is crucial for efficient management and tracking. Below are the various statuses that a WO can have in Settle:
Draft: This status indicates that the WO is still being prepared and has not yet been finalized. You can edit and make changes to the WO until it is marked as complete.
Open: An open status signifies that the WO has been finalized and sent to the supplier. It is now awaiting fulfillment and delivery.
Closed: This status is applied once all items in the WO have been received and the order is fully complete. No further actions are required.
Canceled: A WO with this status has been canceled and will not be fulfilled. This might occur due to changes in requirements or errors in the order.
Archived: Archived WOs are those that are no longer active but are kept for record-keeping purposes. They can be referenced if needed but are not part of the current workflow.
These statuses help in effectively managing and tracking the progress and completion of purchase orders, ensuring a smooth procurement process.
Creating a work order
Creating a Work Order in Settle is streamlined and simple.
Start at the navigation bar on the left side of your screen and select “Work Orders”.
Select the "Create work order" button at the top right side of your screen.
Fill out the relevant information, including the WO #, Vendor, and any Memos. The Issue date is automatically set to the day you create the Work Order, although this can be changed. Additionally, add Delivery Information, including Shipping vendor, and Destination. If you do not have a piece of information on hand, you can always edit the WO later.
To add line items to the Work Order, enter the Item name, UoM, and quantity. The SKU field is equipped with a search function, so you only need to remember the name of the item, and we’ll look up the SKU for you. Note that as information is added or edited, the documentation will also be updated simultaneously to make visualization of the WO easier.
To add another line item, select the “Add Line” button and follow step 4.
Once you have filled out all the information, hit "X".
Note that only items with Bills of Materials (BOMs) can be added.
When viewing a Work Order, you will now see a dedicated 'Milestones' tab or section. Here, you can view the contracted and actual dates for each stage of your order, as well as the visual timeline indicating progress and potential delays. You can also manually update actual dates for milestones directly within this section.
Customizing work order prefixes
To align your work order numbering with internal naming conventions, you can update the prefix used for your Work Orders. Here's how:
From the Work Orders tab, click Create Work Order.
In the WO number field, edit the prefix (e.g., change to something like
ELS-or your internal format).Finalize and save the Work Order.
Going forward, newly created Work Orders will retain this prefix and automatically increment the numbering.
You only need to set the prefix once—Settle will remember and continue the sequence for future WOs.
This feature is helpful for maintaining consistency and traceability across your purchasing documents.
Receiving a work order
Go to the Work Orders tab in the left-hand navigation bar and select the WO you want to receive.
Click the “Receive” button. Choose if you'd like to create a GRN document or upload GRN file.
Choose "Create a GRN document," and a PDF with your GRN will appear on your screen.
Adjust the line items as needed, adding lot codes (if any) to each line item and updating the received quantity.
Update the fields in the WO Details panel on the right side of your screen. This includes the GRN # (which is auto-populated but can be changed), issued on date, memo, and delivery information. You can also link any PO or Bill to the GRN. The WO will automatically link to this GRN, and once all items are fully received, the WO status will change to "Closed."
To save the GRN, select the "X" button.
Archiving a work order
To archive a work order, please contact our support team at support@settle.co.
Inventory changes with work orders
With Work Orders, inventory levels will update based on the following:
Work Order is set to an Open status: Inventory of components will be deducted. Inventory for finished goods will be added with a reserved status.
Work Order has GRN connected: Inventory for those finished goods will be updated to Available. Note that, in this case, the status of the WO won't impact inventory levels of those finished goods. As long as the GRN is received, the inventory levels will update.
Work Orders table - tabs
There are a couple of tabs in this page that we use to organize Work Orders for you so you can quickly accomplish some key actions:
All – Displays every Work Order, regardless of status.
Draft – Shows Work Orders that are still in draft and not yet finalized.
Open – Lists Work Orders that have been created and are awaiting fulfillment.
Closed – Includes all Work Orders that have been fully fulfilled.
Canceled – Contains Work Orders that have been canceled and will not be fulfilled.
Work Orders - columns
The columns reflect the information below. Note that if you do not see a column for one of the columns below, click the columns icon in the top-right of the page to toggle each column on or off.
Vendor: The Vendor to whom the Work Order is issued.
Status: The current stage of the Work Order (e.g., Draft, Open, Closed, Cancelled).
Added: The date the Work Order was added to Settle.
WO #: An identifier assigned to the Work Order.
Arrive by date: The date by which the goods are scheduled to arrive at the final destination.
Linked GRNs: The reference number of the Goods Received Note associated with this Purchase Order, with an indicator if there is more than one.