01 · Release
Create the works order from the accepted quote
Part numbers, quantities, material, due date and the customer's PO come across from the accepted quote. The routing is set from your standard operations and adjusted for the job.
Precision engineers · Machine shops · Fabricators · Assemblers
Works order and job management software for engineering companies
Every engineering job carries a drawing revision, a set of operations, some outside processing and a pile of inspection evidence. We build the job record that holds them together, so the shop floor works to the current revision and the dispatch pack is ready before the parts are.
Fixed scopeQuoted before work starts
Human controlDecisions stay with your team
Honest boundaryKeep existing systems where they work
Where engineering jobs lose their paperwork
The order is accepted and someone rebuilds the job folder by hand: drawing, material spec, routing, customer PO. Halfway through, the customer issues drawing revision C while the parts are away at the anodiser. The shop floor is still holding a printout of revision B. Material certificates are in one inbox, first-article measurements in a spreadsheet on the inspection PC, and the subcontractor's certificate of conformity arrives with the parts.
On dispatch day, someone has to prove which revision was made, find every certificate and write the delivery note. That work depends on whoever remembers the job, and it gets harder the more jobs run at once.
The works order as the single job record
Each job becomes one works order that people add to as the work progresses, instead of a folder they have to reassemble at the end.
02 · Drawings
Release against a named drawing revision
The works order records the drawing and specification issue it was released against. A new revision puts the job on hold until an authorised engineer decides what happens to work already done.
03 · Operations
Book progress by operation
Operators or supervisors mark each operation started, complete or held, with a reason for any hold. The office sees where every job is without walking the floor.
04 · Subcontract
Track outside processing
Heat treatment, plating, anodising and other subcontract operations are sent, chased and received against the works order, with the expected return date and the supplier's paperwork.
05 · Inspection
Attach evidence as it is created
Material certificates, first-article and final inspection records, and subcontractor certificates are linked to the job or batch they belong to. Anything missing is listed as an open task.
06 · Dispatch
Build the completion pack
The delivery note, certificate of conformity and supporting records are assembled from the works order. A named person still signs the release and approves any concession.
Worked example: a drawing change while parts are at the anodiser
A worked example of how the job record behaves. Your operations, roles and documents come from your own jobs.
- Release
- A works order for 40 machined aluminium housings is released against drawing revision B, with an outside anodising operation in the routing.
- Change
- While the parts are at the anodiser, the customer issues revision C, changing one hole diameter. Logging the new revision puts the works order on hold and notifies the responsible engineer.
- Decision
- The engineer records that the 40 parts will be reworked to revision C after anodising, and the rework operation is added to the routing. The decision, its author and its date stay on the job.
- Evidence
- The anodiser's certificate is attached on receipt; final inspection is recorded against revision C.
- Dispatch
- The completion pack lists revision C, the material certificate, the anodising certificate and the inspection record, ready for the person who signs the release.
Working alongside your ERP, CAD and quality system
When you already have an ERP or MRP
If it plans production and holds stock well, we leave that alone and build the missing piece around it: revision control, subcontract tracking or the completion pack. Data moves through its supported import, export or API where one exists.
When jobs run on spreadsheets and folders
A small works-order application can replace the job spreadsheet and shared folders without committing you to a full ERP. Drawings stay in your CAD or document store; the works order records which issue applies. Capacity planning and machine monitoring are separate projects.
Scope and price
A first build follows one job route from accepted order to dispatch pack. We agree the operations, the release and approval roles, the document types and the pack contents with your production and quality leads, using real past jobs as test cases. Serial-number traceability through multi-level assemblies, capacity scheduling and machine connections are scoped separately.
Fixed-scope builds start from £1,495, with the deliverables and price agreed in writing before work starts. If you want the job flow measured first, the Operations Audit is £895. Hosting, support and licences are listed separately; see pricing and what is included.
A job management system, or a configured ERP?
A focused system suits
Jobbing and contract engineers where every order differs but the route from release to dispatch repeats, and where the gaps sit between systems that otherwise work: the ERP knows the order, the CAD system knows the drawing, and nobody's software knows which one was made.
Configure what you have when
Your ERP already has works orders, revision fields and document attachments that nobody uses. Training and configuration will cost less than a build. And if nobody is clearly responsible for approving drawing changes, settle that first; software cannot decide it for you.
Questions engineering managers ask
Will this make us ISO 9001 compliant?
No system does that on its own. It can hold the records your quality procedures call for, such as revision history, inspection results, certificates and approvals, and make missing ones visible. Your quality lead decides what evidence is needed, and your certification body audits it.
Can operators book work on a tablet on the shop floor?
Yes, where it suits the floor. A tablet or shared terminal can record operation start, finish and holds. We agree which events are worth recording so the status the office sees is accurate rather than aspirational.
Can it link to our CAD or PDM system?
It can record drawing numbers and revisions, and link to files in your document store. A direct connection to a CAD or PDM system depends on its supported interface and is assessed and written into the scope before we promise it.
Does it handle batch and material traceability?
A first build usually links material certificates and inspection records to the job or batch. Full traceability through multi-level assemblies or serial numbers is a larger piece of work and is scoped on its own.
Built to be kept, not replaced
The job system we point to is BEL Signs' quote, works order and job sheet system. It ran every working day from 2008 for 18 years, owned outright by the business, and when it needed modernising we rebuilt it as WORMS 2 with every record since 2008 brought across. Engineering companies keep job records for decades; the system that holds them should last as long and be maintainable by someone other than us. Read the BEL Signs case study.
Before the works order
Built and supported locally
Based in Horsham, we work on site across Sussex and Surrey. Explore the practical starting points for businesses in Burgess Hill, Lancing and Shoreham, Worthing, Godalming and Haslemere, Reigate and Redhill, Guildford.
Bring a works order, a revised drawing and the final job pack.
Fifteen minutes, free. We will trace how that job moved from order to dispatch, point out where the revision or the paperwork could have slipped, and tell you whether it needs a system or a better use of the one you have.
If the honest answer is that the process needs the system rebuilt rather than one step automated, that is a bespoke business system built around your work.