Change orders
Review changes against the work already done, authorize their cost and customer impact, and release a clear revised traveler.
6 stages · 1 approval
Roles and responsibilities
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Step 1Request
Change Order NumberJobRequested ByChange TypeShop
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Step 2Assess
Work CenterJobOperation NumberDescription
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Step 3Approve
Change Order NumberJobRequested ByChange TypeShop
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Step 4Apply
Job NumberJob TypeCustomerPartSplit
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Step 5Notify and separate
Work CenterJobOperation NumberDescription
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Step 6Cancel and reconcile
Job NumberJob TypeCustomerPartSplit
Process steps
Follow the process from start to finish. Select a step to see who acts and what changes.
Request
Office Manager records the customer's request, or Production Manager records a shop-raised change. The change names the current job snapshot and order revision, its reason and the actual author. Drawings and customer correspondence accompany the request rather than being reduced to an unexplained new header value.
Assess
Production Manager coordinates Estimator's cost assessment and the affected operating roles. The proposed snapshot specifies new operations, material, quantity, dates and estimate by type. Its transition accounts for reservations, issued stock, WIP, outside custody, accepted lots, printed documents, shipments and invoices. The review distinguishes recovered selling value from added unrecovered cost.
Approval required
Approve
Production Manager may approve an eligible change only when it has no price effect, adds no unrecovered cost and is not cancellation. Shop Owner decides the other cases, including every cancellation. Required customer agreement is attached. The actual person approves the complete transition and policy basis; a permitted owner exception is explicitly recorded.
Apply
Production Manager applies only the reviewed transition after checking that the source snapshot and order revision still match. Changed scope receives a new traveler and estimate revision. Exact stock claims, demand allocations and remaining billing move together; a retry returns the original application instead of changing the job twice.
Notify and separate
Production Manager coordinates the revised queue and replaces obsolete floor instructions. Quality Inspector evaluates already-made pieces where their usability under changed requirements is in question. Those pieces retain their original revision; a controlled split can separate future work when the old and new scope cannot safely share one production path.
Cancel and reconcile
Production Manager stops the approved remaining work and resolves its commitments. Buyer settles outside custody and supplier obligations; Office Manager handles agreed cancellation billing and credits. Incurred costs and dispatched history remain. The Cancelled state does not authorize terminal close: remaining obligations must be resolved or assigned to an accountable successor for Shop Owner review.
Approvals and controls
1 approval required in this process
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Approve
Production Manager or Shop Owner signs · apply waits
ApprovalDecisions, ChangeOrders, ShopPolicies - A revised priceDrawing or quantity requires a new complete review. Free-text old and new values alone do not explain what happens to work already performed.
- Approval does not permit applying against a newer job revision. A changed source returns the proposal for reassessment.
- Customer evidence covers the specific changed scopePrice, revision or delivery where required. A reference number alone cannot stand in for the agreement.
- Existing stock consumptionOutside dispatches, accepted pieces and issued invoices are reconciled through their controlled paths. They are not rewritten to make a new header appear consistent.
- An owner-authored change needs the required independent person or a captured permitted OwnerException; switching roles does not satisfy independence.
- Cancellation releases only genuinely unconsumed commitmentsRemaining recovery, supplier and financial obligations stay visible before the separate job-close decision.
Records and postings
| Stage | Records | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Request | ChangeOrdersJobSnapshotsSalesOrderLines | Capture the exact requested transition |
| 2 Assess | ChangeOrdersJobSnapshotsJobOperationsJobMaterialsJobAllocations | Prepare the complete cost and scope basis |
| 3 Approve | ApprovalDecisionsChangeOrdersShopPolicies | Authorize the reviewed change |
| 4 Apply | JobSnapshotsJobsJobTransfersMaterialReservationsBillingObligations | Apply one version-checked transition |
| 5 Notify and separate | JobOperationsScheduleSlotsInspectionsProductionLots | Preserve old-piece identity and issue new instructions |
| 6 Cancel and reconcile | JobsOutsideDispatchesBillingObligationsInvoicesJobCostEntries | Resolve remaining commitments for close |
Process reports
All reportsJob Cost Summary
Original release JobSnapshots and current approved per-type/operation estimate against signed posted JobCostEntries, with operational gross cost and balanced transfer effects separately identified. Include compensated originals plus negative legs once. Unknown/unposted amounts remain visible; no zero-margin calculation when sell price is zero.
Work Centre Load
Confirmed ScheduleSlots remaining occupied machine/work hours by named resource and week divided by actual available calendar hours, rolled up without multiplying machine count twice. Zero capacity shows unschedulable work, proposed slots shown separately; outside supplier spans are lead time, not internal capacity.
Late and At-Risk Jobs
Open active customer obligations against original and current approved due dates; estimate remaining path using confirmed resource capacity, material/inspection holds and outside promises. Show unknown duration/calendar as unresolved risk; this is a planning estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
Outside Processing Status
Each posted OutsideDispatches lot: sent, physically returned, accepted/rejected, still-outside and unresolved quantity, original/current promised instant and elapsed days. Partial returns do not mark the whole operation complete; LOT cost/billing basis and unknown promise remain explicit.
Receivables Ageing
Positive finalized issued invoice Balance as of a stated date in current, 1–30, 31–60, 61–90 and over-90 days past due. CreditMemo availability and retained unapplied cash appear separately by customer; Draft/Void invoices, unconfirmed refunds and repeated events do not change balances. Prior deposit/progress billing remains a receivable until settled, even after offset on the final bill.
Run by an agent
Agent support
An agent cannot turn preparation into a required human approval. Margin exceptions, controlled purchases, production release, ticket approval, quality decisions and job close follow their configured authority. Automatic policy paths must be explicitly defined; an agent role does not create a bypass. Access to a record does not permit changing a released traveler, spending reserved stock or rewriting a posted amount.
# Example after configuration
$ curl -fsSL https://www.erp.ai/skill.md | paste into your agent
› change orders · request on ChangeOrders, JobSnapshots, SalesOrderLines
✓ Office Manager records the customer's request, or Production Manager records a shop-raised change.
› change orders · assess on ChangeOrders, JobSnapshots, JobOperations, JobMaterials, JobAllocations
✓ Production Manager coordinates Estimator's cost assessment and the affected operating roles.
› change orders · approve on ApprovalDecisions, ChangeOrders, ShopPolicies
⏸ approval · waiting for the production manager or shop owner
# 3 more stages after approval: apply, notify and separate, cancel and reconcile
Other processes
5 moreQuote to job
Turn the customer RFQ into a reviewed offer and a released job with the right drawing, traveler and material plan.
7 stages · 2 approvals
Release to ship
Move released work through production, reviewed time and quality checks into a traceable customer shipment.
9 stages · 3 approvals
Outside processing
Follow each lot through its supplier order, outbound custody, partial return and quality acceptance.
7 stages · 2 approvals
Non-conformance and rework
Contain affected pieces, authorize the recovery plan and keep quality, quantity and cost evidence connected.
7 stages · 3 approvals
Job close
Reconcile completed work and remaining obligations, authorize the final cost review and preserve a useful benchmark for repeat quotes.
6 stages · 2 approvals