Handle Job Exceptions
Not every job runs from start to finish without interruption. Customers change their minds. Parts don’t arrive on time. A sublet service provider is delayed. An external authorisation is held up by an insurance assessor.
These situations are exceptions — departures from the expected job flow. If exceptions are not tracked, the Scheduler board becomes misleading: jobs appear to be in progress when they are actually stalled, bays appear occupied when they are effectively idle, and team members lose confidence in what the board is telling them.
BayWise provides explicit status values for each type of exception. Using them correctly keeps the board accurate and gives your team early warning when something needs attention.
Waiting for Customer Approval
Use when: The job cannot proceed because a decision is pending — typically a customer decision. Common examples: the customer has not yet approved the repair scope after a diagnostic, a supplement is being reviewed by an insurance assessor, or the customer needs to arrange payment before work continues.
Open the job detail panel
Click the job card on the calendar or in the job list. The detail panel opens on the right.
Change the status to Waiting Approval
In the Status field at the top of the panel, click the current status and select Waiting Approval from the dropdown.
Add a note (recommended)
A note is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended. Record why the job is waiting — for example: “Customer (Priya Nair, Santos Body Works) reviewing repair estimate. Awaiting call back by 14:00.” This note appears in the job history and gives any team member who picks up the job full context without needing to ask the original advisor.
Save the change
Click Save. The job card on the calendar updates with a Waiting Approval badge. The job remains in the Planning phase.
To resume: Open the job detail panel and change the status to Ready for Service once the customer has confirmed. Add a note confirming the customer’s authorisation.
Jobs in Waiting Approval still occupy their bay time slot on the calendar if one was assigned. If the wait is expected to last more than one day, consider whether to release the bay slot and reschedule the job when the customer confirms — this frees the bay for other bookings.
Parts Not Available
Use when: The job is scheduled and ready to proceed, but the required parts have not arrived at the workshop. The vehicle may or may not already be on the premises.
Open the job detail panel
Click the job card.
Change the status to Waiting Parts
Select Waiting Parts from the status dropdown.
Record the expected parts arrival date in the note
For example: “Front brake caliper (LH) — ordered from Tanaka Auto. ETA 8 April. Job scheduled for 9 April 08:00.” This lets the parts team and the advisor cross-check arrival against the scheduled date without pulling up the order separately.
Leave the job on the calendar
Waiting Parts jobs should typically remain on the calendar if the parts are expected before the scheduled date. The slot is pre-reserved for when parts arrive.
When parts arrive: Change the status from Waiting Parts to Ready for Service. The technician can start the job at the scheduled time without any further action — the job is already on the board with a bay and time slot.
If parts arrive late — after the scheduled time has passed — the job will need to be rescheduled to a new bay slot. Open the job detail panel, change the status to Ready for Service, and move the job card to a new available slot. Check whether the delay affects the customer’s promise time and contact them if so.
Waiting on Sublet Services
Use when: The job depends on an external sublet service (e.g., wheel alignment, glass replacement, specialist machining) that has not yet been completed or confirmed.
Open the job detail panel
Click the job card to open the panel.
Change the status to Waiting Sublets
Select Waiting Sublets from the status dropdown.
Add a reason note (strongly recommended)
Record the specific sublet dependency — for example: “Wheel alignment sublet — waiting for Tanaka Auto Service mobile unit. ETA Wednesday morning.” or “Awaiting windscreen replacement from glass specialist.”
Save the change
The job card updates with a Waiting Sublets badge. This makes waiting jobs immediately identifiable on the calendar without needing to open each one.
Advisor responsibility: Make a habit of reviewing all waiting jobs at the start of each working day. A job that sits in Waiting Sublets for two days without resolution is a promise-time risk. If the sublet cannot be resolved by the time the job’s promise falls due, escalate: contact the supplier or reschedule.
To resume: When the sublet is confirmed or completed, open the job and change the status to Ready for Service. Update the note to confirm when and how the dependency was resolved.
Paused Jobs
Use when: A job that is already in production (In Progress) needs to be temporarily stopped. The technician cannot continue right now — perhaps they need to consult with the advisor, a tool is unavailable, or they are being pulled to another urgent job temporarily.
Open the job detail panel
Click the in-progress job card.
Change the status to Paused
Select Paused from the status dropdown or use the Pause button on the step.
Choose a resume time
Paused jobs offer resume options:
- Resume immediately (+0 mins) — the pause was momentary
- Resume in 30 minutes (+30 mins) — short break or consultation
- Resume in 60 minutes (+60 mins) — longer interruption
Add a note explaining the pause
Record why the job was paused so the team has context.
To resume: Open the job and change the status back to In Progress. If the pause reason was a longer-term issue (parts needed, approval required), move the job back to the appropriate planning status (Waiting Parts, Waiting Approval, or Waiting Sublets) instead.
Promise Time at Risk
BayWise automatically flags jobs where the scheduled completion time extends past the customer’s Promise Time. These jobs display a red flag indicator on the job card.
A red flag does not change the job’s status — it is an advisory indicator. The team member must decide what to do.
When you see a red flag:
Identify the gap
Click the flagged job card to open the detail panel. The panel shows the Scheduled End Time and the Promise Time side by side, so you can see exactly how large the gap is.
For example: James Okafor’s full engine rebuild at Santos Body Works — scheduled completion 17:30, promise time 15:00. The gap is 2.5 hours.
Assess your options
You have three options:
Option A — Expedite the job. Can you start the job earlier? Is there a more efficient technician available who could take this job over? Can any steps be parallelised? If so, reschedule or reassign to close the gap.
Option B — Call the customer to revise the promise. If the gap cannot be closed operationally, contact the customer before the original promise time passes. An early call is far better received than a late call. Document the new agreed time in the job notes.
Option C — Update the Promise Time in BayWise. Once a new time is agreed with the customer, open the job detail panel and edit the Promise Time field to reflect the revised commitment. This clears the red flag and keeps the board accurate.
Update the Promise Time
In the job detail panel, click the Promise Time field. Enter the revised date and time. Click Save. The red flag clears if the scheduled completion now falls within the new promise.
Promise time flags refresh automatically as the job progresses. If a job that was flagged at-risk moves faster than estimated and is now on track to complete within the original promise, the flag clears without any action from the advisor.
Quality Rework
Quality checks (Inspection, Washing, Road Test) are the final gate before a job is marked Delivered. If an inspector or senior technician identifies a quality issue during the quality phase, the job must be returned for rework. Use the status override to move the job back to In Progress so the rework is tracked in the job history.
Open the job detail panel
Click the job card. If the job is in the quality or completion phase, it may be in the Day Close queue or the job list — search for the job number if needed.
Use the status override to return to In Progress
Open the status dropdown and use the override to move the job back to In Progress. This is logged with the user’s name and timestamp.
Add a description of the issue
Describe the specific issue found — for example: “Left rear brake caliper bolt not torqued to spec. Discovered during road test. Tech: Priya Nair. Inspector: James Okafor. WO-2041 — Santos Body Works.”
The note becomes part of the job’s permanent history.
Return the job to the technician
The technician assigned to the job sees it back in their active jobs. The job card reappears on the calendar in the tech’s queue.
Mark complete after rework
Once the rework is complete and the job passes reinspection, advance the status through the quality checks again and proceed with the normal delivery flow.
Time spent on rework is tracked separately from the original job time. If a tech spends 45 minutes on rework, that time is recorded and factored into the job’s actual duration — and into the tech’s efficiency metrics for that service type. Ensure rework is tracked accurately rather than absorbed silently into the job timer.
Summary: Exception Quick Reference
| Situation | Status to use | Bay slot action | Customer contact needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awaiting customer approval | Waiting Approval | Keep if wait is short; release if extended | Yes — follow up to confirm decision |
| Parts not yet arrived | Waiting Parts | Keep — pre-reserves the slot | Only if delay may affect promise time |
| External sublet not complete | Waiting Sublets | Keep | Maybe — if it affects promise time |
| Short-term production interruption | Paused | Keep | No — unless it affects promise time |
| Job will miss promise time | (red flag — no status change) | Possibly reschedule | Yes — call before promise time passes |
| Job failed quality check | Override back to In Progress | Job re-enters production queue | Only if delivery will be delayed |