Designing a workflow

A workflow describes one kind of job from start to finish: the steps its work orders go through, the details they record, the documents they need, what TrakIT does on its own along the way, and who may do what. This guide is for administrators who set up a new workflow. It starts with a plan on paper, then builds the workflow in the order that works, since each step uses what the earlier ones set up, and ends with a test job.

For what users do with the finished workflow, see From job to closed work order. If you are setting up a whole new company, start with Setting up a company.

The running example is a sea import workflow, Sea Import - Port to Door, with the code IMPSEA: the containers are discharged, cleared through customs, delivered to the customer and returned empty. The menus you see depend on your role and on how your company has set TrakIT up. The paths on this page are those of the standard menu.

Who: Create and Update in the WorkFlow Definitions section, and access to the workflow. Some steps are for system administrators only, as each step says.

1. Plan the steps

Settle these questions first; changing them once jobs are running is harder.

The steps, in order. Each step is an event, recorded with a date and time. Users must record them in the order of the workflow’s Events tab, unless the workflow ignores the sequence. Estimates, such as an ETA, are events for information only: they can be in the future and out of order.
What makes a work order complete. Mark as required the events and data fields that must be filled in. When all of them have a value other than TBA (NA counts), the work order closes by itself. Without any required events or data, a user or a workflow action has to close each work order.
Job or work order. A step that happens once for all the containers, such as the discharge or the customs clearance, applies to the job: users record it once for all the work orders.
The details to record, as data fields: references, amounts, dates, entities, locations.
Who does each step: the owner role, which roles may see or change it, and when it is due.
What should happen on its own: emails to the customer, reminders, fields filled in, the work order closed.
What to measure (KPIs), which documents the job needs, and which forms users print.
Variations. Rather than one workflow per variant, use services and job types: events, forms and accounts can be limited to some of them, and KPIs to some services.

For the example:

Step	Event or data field	Applies to	Required	Notes
ETA	Event `ETA`, information only	Job	No	Estimated, can be in the future.
Discharged	Event `DISCH`	Job	Yes	Starts demurrage tracking.
Customs entry number	Text data `CUSTREF`	Job	Yes
Customs Cleared	Event `CUSTCLR`	Job	Yes	Requires `CUSTREF`.
Delivered	Event `DELIV`	Work order	Yes	KPI from `DISCH`, target 72 hours.
Empty Returned	Event `EMPTYRET`	Work order	Yes	Stops demurrage tracking. NA allowed, for shipper-owned containers.

2. Check the master lists

A workflow is built from shared lists on Admin > Masters > Master Tables. Check that they have what your plan needs:

Master Event/Data: each event and data field starts from a master, such as Discharged or Customs Entry Number. Masters are general; the workflow adds the specific part. A data field’s master also sets its data type.
Workflow Services and Job Types open to the workflow’s company.
KPI Definitions, the names of the KPIs.
Delay Tracking types, if you track demurrage or detention, and Reasons for cancellations.

The workflow also needs a workflow group. Only system administrators add master entries and workflow groups.

3. Create the workflow

Select Admin > Workflow Definitions, then Create.
Enter the Workflow Code (IMPSEA) and Workflow Name, and choose the Workflow Type, here Import. The type cannot be changed later, and the workflow offers only services of its type.
Choose the Workflow Group and the Responsible Company.
Choose Geo Assigned 1 and Geo Assigned 2, for example the origin region and the destination country. These places decide who gets access (see step 12).
Enter the Default Free Days, then select Create.

The new workflow is inactive: nobody can create jobs in it until you turn on Active in step 13. See Create a workflow.

If a similar workflow exists, you can start from a copy instead: Duplicate a workflow lists what is copied and what you must set up again.

4. Choose the settings

Select the pencil icon (Edit Workflow). The Operations settings decide how the work orders behave for users:

Setting	Decides
Auto-generate	Whether TrakIT numbers new jobs, or users type the job reference.
WO Responsible	Who becomes responsible for new work orders.
Abandoned After	After how many days without an event a work order becomes Abandoned.
Ignore Event Sequence, Enforce Chronological Order	Whether events must be recorded in order, and in date order.
Service Mandatory	Whether every work order needs a service.
Commodity List	Whether users choose the commodity from a list.
Status Email Template	The layout of the status emails sent to the customer when the latest event they can see changes.
Prevent Document Deletion, Enable Assets	Whether documents can be deleted, and whether work orders take assets such as trucks.
Warehouse Operation	Whether work orders move stock: see Setting up warehousing.

The Finance settings, such as the Base Currency, are part of the company’s finance setup: see Setting up a company. Settings that name an event or data field, such as Total Distance, Rev/Exp Recognition and AI Enabled Data Fields, can be set only once those fields exist: come back to them after step 7.

5. Choose the services and job types

On the workflow’s Services/Job Type tab, tick the services and job types the workflow offers, for example Customs Clearance and Trucking, and select Save under each list. Do this before the events: an event, KPI, form or account can be limited only to the services and job types ticked here.

6. Choose the header fields

On the Header Fields tab, tick for each field whether it is Visible, Mandatory and External (seen by external users), then select Save. For a container import, the container number, load type, seal number and transporter are typical. Mandatory fields must be filled in when a job is created and whenever the header is saved. The fields are listed in The header fields.

7. Add the events and data fields

For each row of your plan, on the Events or Data tab, select Create, then:

Choose the master. Add a Specific Info / Suffix if needed, for example at Destination Port.
Keep or change the Unique Event Code or Unique Data Code. Actions, KPIs, forms and requirements refer to fields by code, so choose short codes and keep them.
Fill in the fields your plan calls for and select Create.

The settings that matter most:

Setting	Use it for
Required Event, Required Data	The fields that make the work order complete. A new event starts as required: turn it off for optional steps.
Information Only	Estimates such as `ETA`.
Apply To	Job for `DISCH`, `CUSTREF` and `CUSTCLR`, Work Order Only for the others. Job data fields also appear on the form that creates the job.
Allow NA/TBA, Allowed Offset	Whether a step can be marked not applicable or to be advised, and how far from the current time it can be recorded.
Requires	A field that must be filled in first: `CUSTCLR` requires `CUSTREF`.
Require Remarks, Remark List, Item List	Remarks with the value, and the lists users choose from.
External Access, External Name	What the customer sees. The latest visible event is the status they see.
Owner Role	The role that fills it in, shown on the Events & Data page.

Then drag the events into the order they happen on the Events tab, by the arrows icon: this order is the sequence users must follow. Data fields can also be filled in from the customer’s, transporter’s or asset’s own fields: see Copy values to work orders.

On each field’s Customization tab:

Services, Customers and Job Types choose which new work orders get the field.
Role Access makes it hidden, view only or editable for each role.
Workflow Instructions email chosen users what to do when it is updated.
Delay Tracking Triggers: DISCH starts demurrage tracking and EMPTYRET stops it. Set the free days and charges on the workflow’s Delay Tracking tab.

On the Due Days tab, say when the field is due, counted from an event: for example CUSTREF 2 days after DISCH. Users then see what is overdue on the Events & Data page.

Only system administrators can create a new master from this page.

8. Add actions

Actions are what TrakIT does when a field changes, or at a time before or after a date. On a field’s Actions tab, select Add Action, choose the Action Type, whether it runs For Job or For Work Orders, its content and recipients, and on the Trigger tab when it runs:

On Change runs as soon as the value is saved. Example: on DISCH, Send Email to the customer (the Entity recipient) with a message template.
On Date/Time runs a number of hours before or after the field’s date. Example: on DISCH, 48 hours later, Send Email to [RESP], the responsible person, with DELIV under Not Completed so that it is sent only if the container is not delivered yet.

Other types fill in another field (Update Event/Data), add or remove a service, post a comment, send documents, or close or cancel the work order. See Action types and Trigger. An action runs only for values changed after it was saved (see When actions run), so set actions up before the workflow goes live. Custom actions are set up by TrakIT Support.

9. Add the KPIs

On the KPIs tab, select Create New:

Choose the Base KPI, for example Discharge to Delivery.
In From Event(s) enter DISCH, and in To Event(s) DELIV. Select Use current date if unavailable on To Event(s) so that a KPI still running shows its time so far.
Choose Hours exceed and enter 72. Add business hours, conditions or services if needed.
Select Create.

The event codes must exist, so add KPIs after the events. A new work order gets the workflow’s active KPIs that apply to its services. To reuse the KPIs of another workflow, see Copy KPIs.

10. Set up documents and forms

Document checklist. On the Documents tab, select Add Document for each document the job needs, for example the bill of lading (Original, Mandatory) and the packing list (Copy). A File Name Expression links uploaded files to the item automatically. Reminder emails can chase customers for documents still outstanding.
Forms. On the Forms tab, select Add New for each work order or job form users generate, such as a delivery order. A form can require a field first and record a Trigger Event Code when it is generated. Forms themselves are designed by system administrators: see Setting up document templates.

11. Choose the tabs and notifications

On the WO Tabs tab, tick the tabs the work orders show. A new workflow shows Events, Data, Items, Documents, KPIs, Forms and Comments: clear Items if the workflow does not use warehouses, and tick Photos or Yard Moves if it needs them.

If the workflow needs them, also set up:

the WO Creation tab: who is emailed about new work orders;
the Warehouses & Yards and Measurements tabs;
the Finance tab, with the accounts new jobs start with: see Setting up a company.

12. Give users access

Access works at three levels:

Which users see the workflow. Users whose workflows are assigned by Geo Data get the workflow if they are assigned to Geo Assigned 1 or Geo Assigned 2, or to a place above one of them. To add someone else, open their user record and use Assign Workflow, which lists active workflows only. Changing Geo Assigned 1 or Geo Assigned 2 later resets who has access, and removes access given by hand.
What they can do. Their roles’ permissions in the Work Orders section, such as Create, Update Events & Data and Close/Cancel, apply in every workflow they can see. See Roles and permissions.
Which fields each role sees or changes. Set it per field on its Role Access box, or for all fields of a role at once on Admin > Role Management, Workflow Access tab (system administrators only, active workflows only).

Who: Assign/Remove User Roles in the User Management section to assign workflows to users.

13. Activate and test with a job

Select the pencil icon (Edit Workflow), turn on Active and select Save.
If you have not yet, set the settings that name fields, such as Rev/Exp Recognition.
Create a job in the workflow with two containers, or ask one of its future users to, so that their access is checked too.

Then work through it, following From job to closed work order, and check:

the form shows the header fields and job data you expect, and refuses a missing mandatory field;
each work order has the events and data fields of its services, customer and job types;
events are refused out of order, and accepted in order;
the actions ran: More Info in the event and data details, or the Event/data action log;
the KPIs, checklist and forms appear, and the forms generate;
recording the last required event closes the work order.

Compare workflows shows your workflow next to a similar one, to spot missing events, accounts, KPIs or forms. When you are done, cancel the test work orders, or delete them within 96 hours if they have no documents. A workflow that has work orders cannot be deleted; turn off Active instead.

Change a workflow in use

Changes do not all reach the work orders that already exist:

Change	Existing open work orders
A new event or data field	Get it only if you select Add to open work orders as well.
A field’s services, customers or job types	Unchanged: use Add to open work orders where missing or Remove from open work orders where not applicable when you modify the field. Check its statistics first.
A new KPI, or a new target	Only with Apply KPI to existing open work orders where KPI is missing or Update Target Days in existing open work orders.
A new action	Runs only for values changed after it is saved.
Event order, role access, header fields, checklist items, tabs	Apply at once.
Required Event, Required Data	Apply at once: turning it off can complete open work orders, which then close at TrakIT’s next check.

To rebuild one work order from the current workflow, use Reset Work Order. To stop using a field, turn off Currently Active rather than deleting it: deleting removes its values from all work orders.

Where to go next

From job to closed work order: the workflow from the users’ side.
From quotation to payment: the finance of the workflow’s jobs.
Setting up document templates: the forms the workflow uses.
Workflow and Event and data definitions: every setting in detail.