Job status and the workshop board

What is a job status?

A word on the card that says where the job has got to. "Booked". "In progress". "Completed". It answers the question every customer asks on the phone: is my car ready?

Makers choose different sets. Checked on 9 November 2026, one maker's page says its product has "3 different statuses for each job card". They run Created, Work In Progress, then Completed¹. Another maker's board has six columns².

What is a workshop board?

A screen that shows every job at once, grouped by status. It's a digital version of the whiteboard or T-card rack that many workshops used before. One maker says "jobs on the Workboard are organised by status into separate columns" and that the board replaces a job board or whiteboard². Another guide says a work-in-progress schedule "helps you to instantly see the progress of each job"³.

What do the columns mean?

In the board described by that first maker, the columns run left to right: Booked, Arrived, In Progress, Completed, Invoiced and Collected². Their instructions are plain:

• Arrived is for when the owner has dropped the vehicle off.
• In Progress is for when the technician starts.
• Completed is for when the work is finished.
• Collected is the final stage, when the customer has picked the car up.

Each column heading carries a number in brackets, which is the count of jobs in it².

How does a job move between columns?

By hand, or automatically. On that board, each job is a tile that "can be dragged and dropped to update its status"². Staff can also change status from a dropdown inside the job.

Some moves are automatic. Invoicing sets the status to Invoiced, and that status can't be picked by hand. Once invoiced, a job can only move forward to Collected². On the maker's mobile app, a technician clocking on sets the status to In Progress².

What does a tile show?

Job number, customer name, vehicle details, the services within the job, any tags such as "waiting parts" or "waiting approval", and the initials of the technician allocated². Tags matter. A status says where the job is. A tag says what's holding it up.

Does the board keep itself current?

That maker's board refreshes itself every five minutes, which the page says suits a board shown on a TV in the workshop². Other products may update at different times, so check yours.

Do customers get told?

Often, if the software is set up for it. One maker's page says its software can send an email or SMS to the client each time a job card's status changes¹. Messages to customers raise privacy and marketing-consent questions that differ by country. The ICO, OAIC and FTC publish guidance, and a lawyer can advise on your case.

How should a small workshop use statuses?

Keep the list short. Staff need to agree what each status means, or the board lies. If "Completed" means "technician finished" to one person and "ready to collect" to another, the customer gets the wrong answer.

The closing and handover page covers the last three statuses.