Work Orders in Epsilon3 help your team manage the manufacturing, integration, or assembly of parts and systems within a Build. Each Work Order serves as a controlled record of the tasks, components, and resources required to complete a defined scope of work.
Work Orders ensure traceability, accountability, and efficiency across all stages of your manufacturing or testing process.
Work Order Priority will be displayed as a visual indicator on the Work Orders List screen.
This screen can be filtered by Project or Tag, sorted by Work Order #, Project, Priority, Status, Quantity, Part, or Assignees, and exported to CSV using the vertical 3 dot menu in the top right corner.
Create a new Work Order
Navigate to the Work Orders section of the Builds module and select +New Work Order.
"Name" and "Part" are required fields
Work Order No. will be automatically generated
NOTE: this can not be edited and will increment with each new work order created ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION even if a previous number has been deleted. This means multiple teams will share the same numbering sequence.Name the work order
Select a project
Set Priority (None, Low, Medium, High, Critical)
Select any number of assignees
Owner will be populated by the user creating the Work Order
Select a part to be built in the Work Order
Select the Revision
Enter the quantity to be completed
Add any relevant notes
Click Create Work Order
New work orders will be created in the Planned stage. You will be able to view Components Needed and any other details entered when creating the work order.
The amount of components needed and assigned will be displayed. If there is insufficient inventory on hand, then this will be indicated by a red circle next to the amount needed.
The Activity section will display any actions taken on the work order.
To move the Work Order into the Running stage, click the Start button, or Run one of the associated Work Instructions.
Any procedure that has the BOM of the ordered part will automatically link in the Work Instructions tab.
If a run is started on a Work Order that is in Planning there will be a popup to notify that the Work Order will be moved to Running.
Tags
Tags can be added to work orders for easy sorting and organization.
See Tags Management article for more details!
Custom Fields
Custom Fields can be added to Work Orders. Navigate to Builds Settings by clicking the gear icon next to the Builds Module.
Click +Add Field.
Select a global custom field from the drop down (See: Custom Input Field Management) or type in the field to create a new field.
The Custom Fields will only be visible on the work order when there is data input.
On the Work Order screen, click the 3 dot menu next to details and select Edit Custom Details.
Fill out the desired details and then they will be visible on the Work Order under the Details section.
Running Work Order
If no runs have been started, the procedure can be moved back into the Planning stage using the 3 dot menu in the top right.
Assembly items that are checking in during the run(s) will appear in the Created section with clickable links for traceability.
Once created parts are added to the work order, a new ABOM tab will appear which shows all of the As Built information.
The Run progress of any associated runs will be visible in the Work Instructions tab.
Work Order runs still appear in the Runs list like other procedures, as well.
Completed Work Orders
When the Work Order has been filled and there is no more work to be performed, move the Work Order to Complete.
You are not able to move back to Running once Completed.
Completed Work Orders will be listed in the Ended tab of the Work Orders module to retain all traceability.
If a work order is moved to Completed but associated runs are still active, the current status and completion percentage for the run will still be displayed. So if the run is ended later it will update.
Inventory Control
Specific inventory items can be allocated per work order, making sure component items needed do not get consumed for other purposes.
To assign inventory items to the work order from the Resource Check tab of the work order detail screen.
Click the 3 dot menu to the right of the quantity assigned for the component and then select Assign Inventory.
This will bring up a modal to assign items as required for the selected work order. Click the +ADD button to assign, and then select an inventory item from the drop down.
Once all of the desired components are assigned, click Confirm.
Inventory items that are assigned to a work order are no longer available to anything other than the runs linked to the work order to which they are assigned.
This will be denoted on the work order detail screen. The same 3 dot menu is also used to edit the assigned items.
Assigned inventory items will be listed first in the inventory drop downs in the associated run(s).
Assigned items that are consumed are no longer listed as assigned, however if assigned items are not consumed in the linked run, they will remain assigned and restricted for use in that work order only unless unassigned from the Resource Check screen.
Save Views
Users can save search terms, filters, and custom column settings as Saved Views on all Builds screens.
Access and switch between views from the new dropdown in the top-left corner.
Click + Save View in the drop down to save a new view of the current settings.
Check the "Publish to Team" box to make the saved view available to others.
You must be a workspace Editor or Admin to publish a Saved View. Other users can view or apply the saved views, however only the original creator is able to make changes to the view.
Hover over an existing view and use the pencil and trash can icons to edit or delete the view.
Link Purchase Orders and Sub-Work Orders
Users can now create or link Purchase Orders (POs) or Work Orders to an existing Work Order.
This feature helps track procurement of component parts needed to complete the existing Work Order, giving you end-to-end visibility into your build process.
Create or add to POs from the Work Order
From the Resource Check tab within the Work Order, you can see the Procurement Type of the components needed, and the preferred vendor if designated.
Click on the box to the left of an item or items with a Buy Procurement Type and click the +Add to PO button. You will be able create a new PO or add to an existing PO.
If a preferred vendor is designated, that vendor will automatically be populated on the PO, along with the cost from the product catalog.
Items received from a PO created through a Work Order will automatically be marked as assigned to the Work Order from which it was created.
Create or link Child Work Orders from the Work Order
The same can be done with parts with a Procurement Type of Make, but adding a Child Work Order.
With at least one part selected, click +Work Orders on the parent Work Order.
Click confirm and the Child Work Order will be linked.
The Child Work Order will be linked back to the parent in the Details section.
Inventory completed and checked in via the Child Work order will automatically get assigned back to that Parent Work Order much like with POs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What’s the difference between linking a Purchase Order and linking a Work Order?
Purchase Orders are typically used for external procurement (vendor-supplied parts).
Work Orders are used for internal builds or sub-assemblies that contribute to a larger project.
2. Can I link multiple POs or Work Orders to a single Work Order?
Yes. You can link multiple related Purchase Orders or Work Orders to a single parent Work Order. This allows for complex assemblies or systems to be built from several concurrent sub-orders.
3. What happens when items from a linked Purchase Order are received?
When received into Inventory, Epsilon3 automatically assigns those items to the parent Work Order. This ensures parts are properly attributed without manual updates.