Track work that has left the building
One board for every order out at a supplier, and what is late.
What this is for
Once work leaves your shop it stops being visible on the floor — nobody walks past it. Out at suppliers is the one screen that shows every outsource order, what stage it is at, and which ones are past the date you need them back.
What is on this screen
Each part of the screen above, top to bottom, and what changing it affects.
Out at suppliers
- Summary · All suppliers · Late only
- How many orders are out and late; filter by supplier or to late only.
- To send · Waiting on the supplier · At the supplier · On its way back · Back with us
- Columns an order moves across: not sent yet, sent but unconfirmed, confirmed, sent back to you, received.
- Card — PO · value · supplier · Job · customer · Due back / Was due · Supplier says · days, no reply
- The date you need it against the date the supplier gave, and how long a sent order has gone unanswered. Late cards have a red edge and sit at the top.
Step by step
- 1
Open Purchasing → Out at suppliers, or the Outsourced tab beside the production timeline and floor boards.
- 2
Each card is one outsource order, grouped by where it has got to: to send, waiting on the supplier, at the supplier, on its way back, and back with you.
- 3
Anything past the date you need it back reads Was due and is flagged late. Chase from here rather than finding out when the job is due.
- 4
Ordered through the supplier's own website or by email? Open the order and press Supplier has it to move it to At the supplier, then Supplier has sent it back when it ships. Record receipt moves it to Back with us. Pressed one by mistake? Move back a step undoes it.
- 5
Click a card to open the purchase order for the full history. Its back link returns you to Out at suppliers.
Tips & gotchas
- A supplier who has not acknowledged is not the same as a supplier who is late — the board separates the two, because one needs a phone call and the other needs a nudge.
- Supplier says is the supplier's own date from their link. When it is later than the date you asked for, chase it before it turns late.