Applying a Checklist Template to a Work Order

Summary

A checklist template is a reusable list of tasks the garage uses for a common job, such as a B service or an MOT prep. Once a manager has created a template in settings, anyone with permission to edit a work order can apply it. Applying the template spawns the individual tasks onto the work order so the technician sees them in the Tasks list when they open the job card. Safety-critical flags carry over from the template.

Checklist tasks are ticked off as done. For a walk-round inspection that gives each item a Red, Amber or Green verdict, use a vehicle health check instead. See Doing a vehicle health check.

Prerequisites

• You are signed in with a service advisor, manager, or owner account.
• You have permission to modify the work order (work_orders.update capability).
• At least one active checklist template exists. To create one, see Creating and Managing Checklist Templates.
• The work order is open at /work-orders/{id} and the Tasks section is visible.

Steps

Opening the apply-template dialog

1. Open the work order at /work-orders/{id}.
2. Find the Tasks section. Depending on the state of the work order it shows one of:
   • “No description or tasks defined” - empty state, with Add Task Manually and Apply Template buttons.
   • The job description in an amber box with Add Task Manually and Apply Template buttons - tasks will be auto-created from the description when the technician first opens the job, or you can apply a template now.
   • An existing task table, with Add Task and Apply Template buttons in the header.
3. Tap Apply Template.

Choosing a template

1. The Apply Checklist Template dialog opens. It loads the active templates available to the garage.
2. Each template row shows the template name and the number of tasks it contains, e.g. “Full Service (12 tasks)”.
3. If no templates are available, the dialog says “No checklist templates available. Create templates in Settings.”
4. Select one template by tapping its row. A tick appears next to it.

Applying the template

1. Tap the Apply Template button at the bottom of the dialog.
2. The system spawns each task from the template onto the work order in the order they were defined.
3. Safety-critical flags carry over: any task marked safety-critical in the template is also safety-critical on the work order. Time estimates carry over too.
4. A “Template applied successfully” toast confirms.
5. The Tasks table updates to show the new tasks.

Duplicate handling

1. If the work order already has a task with the same description as one in the template, the duplicate is skipped. Existing tasks are not overwritten and their completion status is preserved.
2. This means you can safely apply the same template a second time after editing it - only the new tasks will be added.

After applying

1. The technician sees the spawned tasks the next time they open the job card. The Tasks tab uses the safety-critical flag to highlight items in amber and to block sign-off until they are done.
2. If you applied the wrong template, delete the spawned tasks individually using the row trash icons on the Tasks table. There is no bulk “undo template” - check the template name carefully before applying.

Time estimates on tasks

1. A task with a time estimate shows it in the Tasks table, for example “est. 30 minutes”.
2. The header of the Tasks table shows the total for the tasks still to do, for example “Estimated 2 hours for the remaining tasks”. If some remaining tasks have no estimate it says so, for example “Estimated 1 hour from 3 of 5 remaining tasks”.
3. To add or correct an estimate, click the pencil icon on the task row. Enter whole minutes in Estimated time, or leave it blank for no estimate. Save the task.

The estimate is your garage’s own planning figure. It is never invoiced. When you book this work order in the scheduler, the estimates on the tasks still to do suggest the appointment length.

Combining templates

1. To stack two templates on the same work order (e.g. B Service plus MOT Prep), apply them one after another. Duplicate tasks are skipped, so you do not get two of the same item.

Adding the manufacturer’s service checklist (Haynes Pro)

If Haynes Pro data is switched on for your garage, the Tasks card also has Add service checklist. It pulls the manufacturer’s due-service schedule for the car and turns the items you tick into tasks.

1. Click Add service checklist. The Add service checklist window opens and shows what the lookup will cost. The first Haynes Pro lookup on a car uses credits and covers every lookup on that car for a short window. Further lookups inside the window are free.
2. Under Service regime, pick the maintenance regime that matches the vehicle. Click Next.
3. Some cars decide their own service from how they have been driven, so the mileage cannot tell you what is due. BMW Condition Based Servicing and the Mercedes-Benz service indicator (ASSYST) work like this. For these cars the window asks Which service is the car asking for?
   • Check the dashboard or service display and choose what it shows, for example Service A or Service B.
   • Some BMWs list several items. Tick everything the display is showing.
   • Click Next. These cars need no mileage and no registration date.
   • If the car actually has a fixed service interval, click This car has a fixed service interval - work it out from the mileage instead.
4. Confirm the lookup with Pull schedule.
5. For other cars, if there is no up-to-date mileage on file, the window asks for one. It can offer the reading from the car’s last MOT.
6. Under Due-service checklist, tick the items the job includes. Parts and Oils and fluids for the ticked items are listed underneath, with no price set.
7. Click the button to create the tasks (and parts), then confirm.

If Haynes Pro cannot work out which service is due, the window says “HaynesPro could not work out which service is due for this car. Choose the service it needs.” and offers the same choice. “This uses the access you have already paid for”, so choosing costs nothing more.

If the vehicle is not identified for Haynes Pro service data, Add service checklist is replaced:

• If your role can identify vehicles, an Identify vehicle link takes you to the vehicle record to do it.
• If it cannot, click Ask a technician to identify it. When the technician has done it, the Tasks card offers Add service checklist without a reload. See Asking a technician to identify a vehicle.

Expected Outcome

• The selected template’s tasks all appear in the work order Tasks table, in the same order as the template.
• Safety-critical items are flagged in red on the work order Tasks table and in amber on the technician’s Tasks tab.
• Re-applying a template does not duplicate existing tasks.
• The technician sees the new tasks the next time they open the job card.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
The Apply Template button is not visible	You do not have permission to modify this work order.	Ask a manager or owner to apply the template, or check the role of the account you are using.
The dialog says “No checklist templates available”	No active templates exist for the garage.	A manager needs to create one in settings - see Creating and Managing Checklist Templates.
A template I expected to see is missing	The template has been deactivated.	Ask a manager to reactivate it in settings, or pick a different template.
Applying a template did nothing	The work order already had every task in the template, so all were skipped as duplicates.	Check the Tasks table - the existing tasks are still there. To force a re-apply, delete the duplicates first, then apply again.
There is no Add service checklist button	Haynes Pro data is not switched on for your garage, the work order has no vehicle, or your role cannot manage work orders.	Check the work order has a vehicle. Ask the owner about Haynes Pro data or your role.
The service checklist window asks Which service is the car asking for?	The car decides its own service from how it has been driven (BMW Condition Based Servicing, Mercedes-Benz service indicator).	Read the service off the dashboard or service display and pick it.
I applied the wrong template by mistake	There is no bulk undo.	Delete the spawned tasks one by one from the Tasks table. Then apply the correct template.

Notes

• A template applies a snapshot of its task list at the moment you apply it. If the template is later edited, work orders that already had it applied are not retroactively updated.
• Safety-critical flags from the template are independent from the work order. You can edit a spawned task to clear the flag without affecting the template.
• Applying a template does not change the work order description. If the work order has a description and no tasks yet, the lines of the description are turned into tasks first, then the template’s tasks follow. Your typed job is never lost.

Permissions

• Applying a template requires the work_orders.update capability (advisor, manager, owner).
• Add service checklist requires permission to manage work orders (work_orders.manage).
• Creating, editing, or deleting templates requires the settings.access capability and is described in Creating and Managing Checklist Templates.