How it works
Each rule you create answers three questions:
• Which work order type does this rule apply to? (e.g. Shop Drawings, Production, Installation)
• What labor activity should trigger the move? (a labor item starting, a specific labor item completing, or all labor completing)
• Which workflow step should the work order move to when the trigger fires?
The Step Rules listens for those triggers and updates the work order’s step automatically. Your team continues to clock in and clock out of labor exactly as they always have no extra clicks, no new buttons on the floor.
Trigger types at a glance
Trigger | When it fires |
Labor begins | A team member starts the first piece of labor on the work order, or starts a specific labor item you’ve named in the rule. |
Labor completes | A specific labor item is marked complete. |
All labor completes | Every labor item on the work order has been marked complete. |
Step-by-step: Configure your first rule
Before you start
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1. Open the Work Order Step Rules
1. From the main INNERGY menu, navigate to Company Profile.
2. Find the Step Rules Tab.
3. Open the Step Rules (this is the section that replaces the legacy Innfinergy setup).
Verify the menu path on your tenant
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2. Add a new rule
4. Click the + Create button on the rules grid and give the Step Rule a Name.
5. Choose the Work Order Type this rule applies to. Each work order type can have its own independent set of rules.
6. Select the trigger type: Labor begins, Labor completes, or All labor completes.
7. If the trigger requires a specific labor item (the begin and complete triggers do), select which labor item it applies to.
8. Select the Destination Step this is the workflow step the work order will be moved to when the trigger fires.
9. Save the rule.
3. Repeat for each transition you want to automate
Most teams configure a small set of rules per work order type that mirror the natural progression of the work. Three to five rules per type is typical.
4. Test the rule on a real work order
10. Pick a low-stakes work order that matches the type you just configured.
11. Have a team member start the relevant labor item.
12. Confirm the work order moves to the destination step on the kanban board. If it doesn’t move, check that the labor item, work order type, and destination step in your rule match what’s actually on the work order.
Recommended starter rules
These three rules from the INNERGY product team give you immediate value on day one. Adapt the step names to match your own workflow.
Rule 1 Move to In Corrections when correction work begins
Field | Value |
Work order type | Shop Drawings (or whichever type uses a Corrections labor item) |
Trigger | Labor begins on a specific item |
Labor item | Corrections |
Destination step | In Corrections |
Why it matters: the moment a drafter clocks in on Corrections, the work order is visibly in corrections for everyone watching the board. No status messages, no Slack pings.
Rule 2 Move to Send to Production when corrections complete
Field | Value |
Work order type | Shop Drawings |
Trigger | Labor completes on a specific item |
Labor item | Corrections |
Destination step | Send to Production |
Why it matters: completed corrections automatically queue up for the production handoff, so nothing sits in limbo waiting for a manual move.
Rule 3 Move to Staged when all labor is complete
Field | Value |
Work order type | Production (or any type where staged is the end state) |
Trigger | All labor completes |
Labor item | (not applicable for All-labor triggers) |
Destination step | Staged |
Why it matters: the work order can’t reach Staged until every last labor item is checked off. That’s exactly the gate you want.
Limitations to know about
Forward only movement
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• One destination per rule. Each rule moves a work order to one specific step. If you need a single trigger to send work orders to different destinations under different conditions, build separate rules per work order type.
• Rules are scoped by work order type. A rule built for Shop Drawings does not affect Installation work orders. This is by design it lets you keep distinct workflows clean.
• Trigger fires once. When labor on the same item is started, paused, and re-started, the rule re-evaluates only on the genuine begin and complete events captured by INNERGY’s time tracking, not on every clock action.
Best practices
• Audit your workflows first. If your steps don’t already reflect how work actually flows through the shop, fix that before you build automation on top of them.
• Standardize labor item names. Triggers reference labor items by name. Corrections and Correction are different items be consistent or the rule will never fire.
• Document your rules outside INNERGY too. Keep a short internal cheat sheet of which triggers move which work order types where. New project managers will thank you.
• Watch the kanban for a week. If work orders pile up at a step, the rule that should pull them out probably has a typo or a misnamed labor item. The board tells the truth.
• Layer slowly. Roll out three to five rules per work order type and watch them work before adding more. Automation that misfires is worse than no automation.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
Work order isn’t moving when labor starts. | Check the work order type on the rule matches the work order type on the actual work order. Confirm the labor item name on the rule matches exactly. Confirm the destination step exists in the workflow for that type. |
Work order moved to the wrong step. | You may have two rules with overlapping triggers. Open the Step Manager and review every rule for that work order type only one rule should match a given trigger. |
Need to move a work order backward after the rule fired. | Move it manually on the kanban board. The Step Manager is forward-only by design. |
Don’t see the Step Rules tab. | A new permission for this feature ships with the release. Ask your INNERGY admin to confirm the permission is granted for your role. |
Rule fires for some users but not others. | Check whether all users are actually clocking labor into the same labor item. Close enough labor item names will not trigger the rule it has to match. |
Frequently asked questions
Does this replace the Innfinergy function?
Yes. The Work Order Step Rules is the direct replacement for the legacy Infinity auto-step function. Existing Infinity setups should be reviewed and rebuilt as Step Rules to take advantage of the new per type configuration.
Can the Step Manager move work orders backward?
No. The current release only moves work orders forward through the workflow. Backward moves remain manual.
Can I have different rules for different work order types?
Yes and you should. Rules are configured per work order type. Shop Drawings, Production, and Installation can each have their own independent rule set tailored to how that team actually works.
What happens if I don’t configure any rules?
Nothing changes. Work orders will continue to move only when someone moves them manually which is exactly how the system behaved before this release. The Step Rules is opt-in: it only acts on the rules you create.
Where do I report issues or request enhancements?
Submit feedback through the INNERGY Ideas portal or post in the INNERGY Peak Community. Backward movement support, for example, is the kind of enhancement worth adding to the portal so the product team can prioritize it.