THE GRID — Help Guide

Clarkson's Electrical — Internal Use

Clarkson's Electrical

Welcome to THE GRID

THE GRID is your all-in-one ERP platform — connecting Triage, Jobs, Dispatch, Finance, H&S, and People management in one system built for Clarkson's Electrical.

End-to-End Business Flow

Every job follows the same path through THE GRID — from the first call to the final invoice. Click any module below to jump to its guide.

What's in THE GRID

🚨

Triage

Incoming alarms, calls and emails — acknowledge, assign and create jobs.

● Guide available

🔧

Job Management

Track every job from creation through to completion and invoicing.

● Guide available

📅

Dispatch Board

Schedule and drag-drop technicians across the week.

● Guide available

🤝

CRM

Customers, sites, contacts and account history.

● Guide available

💰

Quoting

Build, send and track quotes linked to jobs.

● Guide available

📦

Purchase Orders

Raise POs from the field or office with approval workflow.

● Guide available

🧾

Invoicing

Generate and email invoices from jobs or contracts.

● Guide available

📊

AP / AR

Accounts payable with 3-way match, GL coding and aged summary.

● Guide available

📑

FM Contracts

Facilities management contracts with recurring jobs and PPM billing.

● Guide available

⏱

Timesheets

Field clock-in/out, approval workflow and payroll feed.

● Guide available

👥

HR Hub

Staff records, leave, licences and certifications.

● Guide available

🎓

Classroom

Training courses, assignments and completions — synced to HR.

● Guide available

📦

Stock Control

Van and warehouse stock, stocktakes and usage tracking.

● Guide available

🦺

Health & Safety

Contractor inductions, SWMS, certifications and H&S register.

● Guide available

📈

Finance Dashboard

Live KPIs, branch P&L, WIP and revenue by division.

● Guide available

🕐

Activity Log

Full audit trail of every team action across all modules.

● Guide available

Can't find what you need? Use Ask David AI in the sidebar — it answers questions about any module, process, or policy in plain language.

Test Team Guide

Demo Scenarios

These scenarios walk the test team through the key workflows in THE GRID. Follow each scenario in order — they build on each other. Open THE GRID in a separate tab while following these steps.

Before starting: Log in as david@clarksons.co.nz / ChangeMe123! for full Admin access. The server must be running on localhost:3000.

Scenario 1 Full Job Lifecycle — Alarm to Invoice ~15 min

Tests the core end-to-end flow from incoming alarm through to invoicing.

Triage: Go to Triage → New Ticket → Log an alarm for "Auckland Central — Power fault". Set priority to Urgent. Assign to M. Tane.
Triage → Job: Open the ticket → click "Create Job". Verify the job number is generated and customer/site are pre-filled.
Dispatch: Go to Dispatch Board → find the new job in the unscheduled queue (bottom panel). Drag it to M. Tane's row on today. Confirm the time slot.
Field Portal: Open field.html → log in as M. Tane → confirm the job appears in My Jobs → Start timer.
Job Complete: In the desktop Job Management, open the job → mark as Complete.
Quote: Go to Quoting → New Quote → link to the job → add Labour (4hrs @ $145) and a materials line. Send to customer.
Invoice: Go to Invoicing → convert the accepted quote to invoice → click Send → verify the email preview link appears.

✓ Expected result: Job status = Invoiced. Invoice appears in Invoicing module with Sent status. Appears in AR Aged Summary.

Scenario 2 AP Invoice with 3-Way Match Mismatch ~8 min

Tests the accounts payable approval workflow including a PO variance that requires manager override.

Purchase Order: Go to Purchase Orders → raise a new PO for "Cable Supply Co" — 50m of 6mm TPS @ $12/m = $600 total. Submit.
AP Invoice: Go to AP/AR → AP Approval tab → click Upload Invoice → enter supplier "Cable Supply Co", amount $680 (deliberate mismatch of $80). Link to the PO just raised.
3-Way Match: The invoice should show in the Pending tab with a red ⚠ Variance badge. Click Review.
Review Modal: Verify the PO box shows $600 and Invoice shows $680. Variance bar should be red (>$50 threshold).
Override: Enter a note "Supplier increased cable pricing — approved verbally by Mike". Click Override & Approve.
History: Switch to History tab — confirm the invoice shows as Approved with your name and timestamp.

✓ Expected result: Invoice moves from Pending to History. GL code and branch are recorded. Override note is visible.

Scenario 3 Dispatch Board — Schedule + Duration Intelligence ~6 min

Tests the smart dispatch board including duration suggestions and conflict detection.

Open Dispatch: Go to Dispatch Board. Confirm the current week shows with technicians across the top.
Queue: Scroll to the unscheduled jobs queue. Filter by branch. Verify jobs show with due date colour coding (red = overdue).
Duration Intelligence: Click the brain icon (🧠) on any job in the queue. Verify it suggests a duration from Quote, History or AI pattern.
Schedule: Drag a job from the queue to a tech's time slot. Confirm the duration bar appears correctly.
Conflict test: Try to drag a second job into the same tech's slot at the same time. Verify a conflict warning appears.
Late tab: Click the Late tab — confirm any jobs running past their scheduled end time appear here.

✓ Expected result: Board shows a full week of scheduled jobs. Duration intelligence returns a suggestion. Conflict is flagged. Late tab updates in real time.

Scenario 4 FM Contract — Recurring Jobs + Period Invoice ~8 min

Tests facilities management contract management including auto-generated recurring jobs.

Contracts: Go to FM Contracts → open any active contract (e.g. Countdown Supermarkets PPM).
Recurring Jobs: Click the Recurring tab inside the contract. Verify the schedule shows (Monthly/Quarterly/Annual jobs).
Period: Open the current billing period. Confirm jobs are listed as Scheduled or Complete.
Generate Invoice: Click Generate Invoice on the period. Verify an invoice is created and linked to the contract.
SOR PO: Go back to a job linked to this contract — confirm the SOR rates are applied and a PO can be raised against the contract SOR.

✓ Expected result: Period invoice is generated with correct contract billing amount. Linked to the contract in Invoicing module.

Scenario 5 Activity Log — Full Audit Trail ~4 min

Verifies that all team actions are recorded in the audit trail.

Open Activity Log: Go to Activity Log from the sidebar.
Filter by module: Use the Module filter to show only "AP" actions. Verify the override from Scenario 2 appears.
Filter by user: Filter by your own name. Confirm your actions from Scenarios 1–4 are all logged.
Timeline: Switch filter to "Today" — confirm entries are grouped under Today with timestamps.
Search: Type a job number in the search box — verify matching entries are highlighted.

✓ Expected result: Every action from Scenarios 1–4 is visible in the log with correct user, module, record reference, and timestamp.

Getting Started

Roles & Access

THE GRID uses role-based access control. What you can see and do depends on your role.

Role Hierarchy

Role	Who	Access Level
Admin / God	David Clarkson, IT	Full access — all modules, user management, system settings, override everything
Executive	General Managers	All modules read/write, Finance, Reports, HR — no system settings
Manager	Branch Managers	All operational modules, approvals, staff management for their branch
Supervisor / Lead	Team Leaders	Jobs, Dispatch, Timesheets, POs up to spend limit, Triage
Office	Admin Staff	CRM, Invoicing, Quoting, Finance — no payroll or HR sensitive data
Technician	Field Staff	Field Portal only — My Jobs, Timesheets, POs, Messages

Spend Limits

Purchase Orders and Quotes enforce spend limits per role. If a submission exceeds your limit it is automatically held for manager approval.

Role	PO Limit	Quote Limit
Technician	$500	—
Supervisor	$2,000	$5,000
Manager	$10,000	$50,000
Executive / Admin	Unlimited	Unlimited

Spend limits are configured per user in Staff Admin → Permissions. Managers can adjust limits for their team.

Getting Started

Navigation

THE GRID uses a consistent layout across all modules — sidebar on the left, content on the right, with breadcrumbs and action buttons in the topbar.

The Sidebar

The left sidebar is your main navigation. Modules are grouped by function — Operations, Finance, and People. The active module is highlighted with a red left border. Click any item to navigate. Use Ask David AI at the bottom for plain-language help.

Topbar

Every page has a topbar showing where you are (breadcrumb), plus quick-action buttons on the right: Help Guide (opens this page in a new tab), Feedback (send a suggestion or bug report), and page-specific actions like New Job or Upload Invoice.

Module Tabs

Most modules have tabs across the top — for example Dispatch has Week View, Day View, and Late. Triage has Open, Pending, Resolved. Click tabs to switch views without leaving the module.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
? or /	Open this Help Guide
Esc	Close any open modal
Ctrl + K	Focus search / filter bar

All modals can be closed by clicking the × button or pressing Escape. Data is not lost when a modal is closed unless you click Save or Submit.

Operations

Triage

The front door of THE GRID. Every incoming alarm, call, and email lands here first. Acknowledge, prioritise, assign, escalate — then create the job.

How Triage Works

Step-by-Step

Open Triage
Go to Triage in the sidebar. You land on the Open tab — all unacknowledged tickets. The count badge shows how many are waiting.

✓ You see a list of open tickets with priority colour coding — red = Critical, orange = High.

Log a New Ticket
Click the New Ticket button (top right, red). A modal opens.

• Customer: type 3+ characters to search. If nothing comes up, the customer needs to be added in CRM first — stop here and do that.
• Site: auto-populates once customer is selected. Change it if the fault is at a different site.
• Priority: Critical (SLA: 1hr) / High (4hr) / Medium (24hr) / Low (48hr)
• Description: enter the fault details as reported. Be specific — techs rely on this.
• Assign to: pick the tech or leave blank if you're not sure yet.

✓ Ticket is created and appears in the Open tab with a red SLA timer counting down.

⚠ If the customer account is On Hold or Suspended, a red warning banner appears. You can still create the ticket but flag it for your manager.

Acknowledge the Ticket
Click Acknowledge on the ticket card. This records that someone has taken ownership.

The ticket moves from Open → Pending. The SLA timer pauses acknowledgement and starts the resolution timer.

✓ Ticket status badge changes from Open to Pending. Other team members can see it's being handled.

Assign a Technician (if not done at creation)
Open the ticket → click the Assign field → search and select a tech. Click Save Assignment.

✓ The tech sees the job in their Field Portal immediately. If they're already on site somewhere, consider calling to check availability first.

Attach Files (if needed)
Drag a file onto the ticket detail panel, or click Attach File. Supported: PDF, JPG, PNG, DOCX.

Useful for: alarm reports, site photos emailed by the customer, previous service records.

✓ File appears in the Attachments panel on the ticket. Techs can view attachments from the Field Portal.

Create a Job (if work is needed)
Click Create Job inside the ticket detail. A new job is created with customer, site, and ticket reference pre-filled.

You don't need to enter those details again — they carry across automatically.

✓ Job appears in Job Management. Ticket status updates to show the linked job number. You can click the job number to open it.

Resolve the Ticket
Once the work is done (or the issue is resolved without a visit), click Resolve. Add a resolution note.

Tickets in the Resolved tab are read-only — they can be re-opened if needed by clicking Re-open.

✓ Ticket moves to the Resolved tab. SLA timers stop. Resolution time is recorded for reporting.

Try It — Practice Task

Log a Test Ticket

Go to Triage → click New Ticket
Search for 'Countdown' — select Countdown Sylvia Park
Set Priority to High, description: 'DB trip on Level 2 — no power to office area'
Assign to M. Tane → click Save
Click Acknowledge on the ticket you just created
Click Create Job — verify the job number appears linked to the ticket

👤 Supervisor / Manager

Supervisors see an extra Escalate button on tickets. Use this to bump a ticket to Critical and notify the on-call manager. Managers can see all branches in Triage — use the Branch filter (top right) to view your branch only.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Entering a customer name manually instead of searching — always search first so the customer links to CRM correctly.

Leaving Priority blank — every ticket needs a priority. Critical and High tickets trigger SLA timers that management monitors.

Creating a job before checking if one already exists for this customer/fault — search Job Management first to avoid duplicates.

Connected Modules

Job ManagementDispatch BoardCRMActivity Log

Operations

Job Management

The operational core of THE GRID. Every piece of work — from a 30-minute fault fix to a multi-week FM project — lives here as a job with a full lifecycle from creation to invoice.

Job Lifecycle

Step-by-Step

Create a New Job
Click New Job (top right). Fill in:

• Customer — search by name. If the customer has a Suspended account, creation is blocked.
• Site — the physical location where work is happening.
• Job Type — Fault, PPM, Install, Project, etc. Affects billing type and reporting.
• Description — what needs to be done. Be specific — techs see this in the Field Portal.
• Priority / Due Date — sets urgency and feeds into the Dispatch queue colour coding.
• Branch / Division — critical for P&L reporting. Check with your manager if unsure.

✓ Job is created with a unique job number (e.g. J-0842). Stage = Pending. Appears in the Dispatch unscheduled queue.

⚠ Most jobs come from Triage — use Create Job from within the ticket so the customer/site/ticket reference are pre-filled automatically.

Link to a Contract (FM jobs)
If this is an FM job, click the Contract field and search for the contract. Once linked:

• WO reference auto-fills from the contract
• SOR rates become available for POs and quotes
• The job is included in the contract's billing period

✓ Contract name and period appear at the top of the job detail. A WO Ref badge shows beside the job number.

⚠ If the contract isn't showing, check that the customer/site matches the contract — a job can only link to a contract for the same site.

Assign a Technician
Click the Assign Tech field and search for a technician. Or go to Dispatch Board and drag the job to the tech's calendar (recommended — you can see their existing schedule before assigning).

✓ Job stage moves from Pending → Scheduled. Tech sees the job in their Field Portal.

Add a Purchase Order (if materials needed)
Inside the job, click the Purchase Orders tab → New PO. The job reference pre-fills. Add the supplier, line items, and quantities.

If the amount exceeds your spend limit, the PO goes to Pending Approval — a manager must approve before it is sent to the supplier.

✓ PO appears in the POs tab of the job, and in Purchase Orders module for tracking.

Mark as In Progress
When the tech clocks in via the Field Portal, the job automatically moves to In Progress. You don't need to do this manually — it happens when the timer starts on the tech's phone.

✓ Stage badge changes to amber In Progress. Timesheet entry starts recording.

Mark as Complete
Once the tech finishes, either the tech submits from the Field Portal or you click Mark Complete in the desktop. Add completion notes if anything relevant happened on site.

✓ Stage moves to Complete. Job now appears in the Quote / Invoice queue. WIP value is recorded.

⚠ Do not mark Complete until the tech confirms all work is done. Reversing a Complete status requires a manager.

Create Quote or Invoice
From the completed job, click Create Quote to build a quote first (for larger jobs or fixed-price contracts) or Create Invoice to invoice directly.

For FM contract jobs, the invoice is generated at the end of the billing period — don't invoice individually.

✓ Quote/Invoice linked to the job. Job stage updates to Invoiced once the invoice is sent.

Try It — Practice Task

Create and Complete a Test Job

Click New Job — search for any customer in CRM
Set Job Type = Fault, Priority = High, add a description
Set Branch to Auckland Central, Division to Service
Save — note the job number assigned
Click the Purchase Orders tab → New PO → add 1 item ($50) — confirm it saves
Click Mark Complete → add a note 'Test completed'

👤 Role Access

Supervisors can see all jobs in their branch without a filter. Technicians only see jobs assigned to them in the Field Portal — they cannot see all branch jobs from their device.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Not setting Branch and Division — these fields are mandatory for Finance reporting. Jobs without them don't appear in the P&L.

Creating a job directly instead of from the Triage ticket — this breaks the ticket-to-job link and the ticket won't show as resolved.

Marking Complete before the tech is actually done — reversing requires a manager override and creates confusion in the dispatch board.

Connected Modules

TriageDispatch BoardQuotingInvoicingPurchase OrdersTimesheetsAP / AR

Operations

Dispatch Board

Smart scheduling for the whole team. Drag jobs to technicians, check conflicts instantly, let Duration Intelligence suggest how long each job will take.

How Scheduling Works

Step-by-Step

Open the Dispatch Board
Click Dispatch Board in the sidebar. The default view is Week View — Mon to Fri with each technician as a column across the top.

The unscheduled jobs queue sits in the bottom panel. These are all Pending jobs that haven't been given a date and time yet.

✓ Week view loads showing current week. Scheduled jobs appear as coloured blocks on the board. Unscheduled queue shows count of waiting jobs.

Find the Right Job to Schedule
In the unscheduled queue, use the filters:
• Branch — show only your branch's jobs
• Division — FM vs Service vs Projects
• Sort — by due date to see most urgent first

Jobs are colour-coded: green = on track, amber = due today, red = overdue.

✓ Queue filters down. Overdue jobs show with a red 🔴 dot.

Check Duration Intelligence
Click the 🧠 brain icon on any job in the queue. A panel shows the suggested duration from up to 3 sources:

• Quote — labour hours from an accepted quote (most accurate)
• History — average of past jobs at the same site
• AI estimate — based on the job name/type (e.g. 'Generator service = 5h, 2 people')

The confidence level (High/Medium/Low) tells you how reliable the suggestion is.

✓ Duration suggestion appears with source and confidence. Use this to decide what time slot to book.

Drag the Job to a Tech's Slot
Drag the job card from the queue up to a cell in the calendar grid — the intersection of a technician and a time slot.

• A time selector appears — set the start and end time based on the duration suggestion.
• The calendar shows that tech's existing commitments so you can see gaps.

✓ Job moves from queue to calendar. Block appears on the board in the tech's column.

⚠ If the slot is already partially taken, a yellow ⚠ conflict warning appears — don't ignore this, it means the tech is double-booked.

Multi-Tech Assignment (for bigger jobs)
For jobs requiring 2+ technicians, hold Shift and click a second tech while hovering over the job block. A Gantt panel opens showing both techs on a shared timeline.

Both techs must be free for the same time slot — the conflict checker runs for all assigned techs.

✓ Job block shows multiple tech avatars. Both techs see the job in their Field Portal.

Handle the Late Tab
Click the Late tab at the top of the board. This shows any jobs where the current time has passed the scheduled end time — the tech may be overrunning.

From here you can: extend the end time, send a message to the tech, or reassign follow-up work to another tech.

✓ Late tab shows count of overrunning jobs. Click any entry to see the job details and take action.

Navigate Weeks
Use the ← → arrows to move forward/backward in the week. Click Today to jump back to the current week. Switch to Day View for a more detailed single-day view of all techs.

✓ Board updates to show the selected week. Unscheduled queue always shows all pending jobs regardless of the week being viewed.

Try It — Practice Task

Schedule a Job Using Duration Intelligence

Open Dispatch Board — confirm you can see the current week
Find any job in the unscheduled queue — click the 🧠 icon
Note the suggested duration and source (Quote/History/AI)
Drag the job to M. Tane's column on tomorrow
Set start time to 09:00, use the suggested duration for end time
Save — confirm the job block appears on the board
Click the Late tab — check if any jobs are showing as overdue

👤 Branch Visibility

Supervisors can only see and schedule techs in their branch. Managers and Admins can see all branches and can filter by branch using the dropdown. The Branch filter also affects the unscheduled jobs queue.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Ignoring the conflict warning — a double-booked tech will miss one of the jobs. Always resolve conflicts before saving.

Scheduling without checking Duration Intelligence — guessing at time slots leads to overruns and late tabs filling up.

Scheduling in the past — jobs can be dragged to past dates but the tech won't get a notification. Only schedule future dates.

Not using the Late tab during the day — it only helps if someone is watching it. Check it at least twice during business hours.

Connected Modules

TriageJob ManagementTimesheetsField Portal

Operations

CRM

The source of truth for every customer and site. Before a job can be created, the customer and site must be here. Every invoice, quote, and triage ticket links back to CRM.

Customer & Site Management

CRM is the source of truth for every customer Clarkson's works with. Before a job can be created, the customer and site must exist here. Every invoice, quote, and triage ticket links back to a CRM record.

Step-by-Step

Find a Customer
Click CRM in the sidebar. Use the search bar — type the company name, email, phone number, or suburb. Results filter live as you type.

If nothing comes up, the customer is not yet in the system — see Step 2.

✓ Results show with account status badge (Active/On Hold/Suspended) and the number of open jobs.

Add a New Customer
Click New Customer. Fill in:
• Company Name — use the full legal name
• Account Type — Commercial, Residential, or Contractor
• Primary Contact — name, email, phone
• Billing Email — where invoices are sent (may differ from contact)
• Account Status — set to Active
• Branch — which Clarkson's branch manages this account

✓ Customer record created with a CRM ID. You can now add sites and create jobs.

Add a Site
Inside the customer record, click the Sites tab → New Site. Each site needs:
• Site Name — e.g. 'Countdown Sylvia Park'
• Address — full street address
• Site Contact — the on-site FM or building manager
• Access Notes — e.g. 'Access via side gate, code 1234, ask for John'

Access notes appear on the job in the Field Portal so the tech sees them before arriving.

✓ Site appears in the Sites list. It's now available when creating Triage tickets and Jobs.

Add Contacts
Go to the Contacts tab → New Contact. Add all relevant contacts — FM manager, accounts payable, site supervisor, etc.

Set the role for each contact (Invoice Recipient, Primary Contact, Site Contact). Quote and invoice sends use the Invoice Recipient contact by default.

✓ Contact available in quote/invoice send dropdowns.

Set Account Status
The Account Status controls whether new jobs can be created. To change it:
• Open the customer record
• Click the status badge → select Active / On Hold / Suspended
• Add a note explaining why (e.g. 'On Hold — overdue invoices >90 days')

On Hold: jobs can still be created but with a warning
Suspended: job creation is blocked entirely

✓ Status badge updates. Triage will show a warning if a suspended customer calls in.

View Job History
Click the Jobs tab on a customer record to see all historical and current jobs. Filter by date range, stage, or branch.

Useful before a tech visits a repeat customer — they can see what's been done before.

✓ Full job history with job numbers, dates, stages, and total value.

View Outstanding Invoices
Click the Finance tab on a customer record. Shows all invoices — paid, outstanding, and overdue — and total AR exposure for this customer.

✓ Current balance and overdue amounts. Link through to individual invoices.

Try It — Practice Task

Add a New Customer and Site

Click CRM → New Customer
Enter: Company Name = 'Test Property Ltd', Type = Commercial, Status = Active
Add a Primary Contact with your name and email
Save — then click the Sites tab → New Site
Enter Site Name = 'Test Property — Level 3', add an address and access note
Save — then go to Triage and try creating a ticket for this new customer

👤 Access Levels

Technicians cannot access CRM — they see customer/site details only within their assigned jobs in the Field Portal. Office staff can add customers and sites but cannot change account status — that requires Supervisor or above.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Creating a customer without a site — you can't create jobs without a site. Always add at least one site before leaving a new customer record.

Using a nickname instead of the full company name — 'Countdown' vs 'Countdown Supermarkets NZ Ltd'. Use the full legal name so invoices are correct.

Not adding an Invoice Recipient contact — quotes and invoices default to this contact. If it's missing, sends will fail.

Setting a customer to Suspended without adding a note — the next person to look up this customer won't know why.

Connected Modules

TriageJob ManagementInvoicingFM ContractsAsset Manager

Operations

FM Contracts

Standing maintenance agreements — recurring jobs, PPM schedules, SOR pricing, and consolidated period invoicing. The backbone of Clarkson's FM business.

What is an FM Contract?

An FM Contract is a standing agreement with a customer to maintain their buildings over time. Unlike one-off jobs, FM contracts generate recurring work automatically — monthly inspections, quarterly generator services, annual compliance checks — and bill at the end of each period.

Step-by-Step

View Active Contracts
Click FM Contracts in the sidebar. The list shows all contracts with status (Active/Expired/On Hold), billing type, and the current period's completion status.

The period progress bar shows how many of this period's scheduled jobs are complete — a quick health check on whether the team is on track.

✓ Contract list with status and period progress visible at a glance.

Open a Contract
Click any contract row to open the detail view. The top section shows:
• Contract number and customer
• Billing type: Fixed / SOR / Hybrid
• Billing frequency: Monthly / Quarterly / Annual
• Sites covered and spend limit
• Start/end date and renewal date

✓ Full contract detail with tabs: Overview, Sites, SOR Rates, Periods, Recurring Jobs.

Check the Schedule of Rates (SOR)
Click the SOR Rates tab. This is the pre-agreed price list for this contract — specific work types with agreed unit rates.

When a tech raises a PO for an FM job, these rates auto-fill the line items. No manual pricing needed.

✓ SOR table showing work type, unit, rate, and last updated date.

Open the Current Period
Click the Periods tab → click the current period (shown as the most recent open period). You'll see all jobs scheduled for this period, their status, and the total value to date.

✓ Period detail with job list, completion status, and running invoice total.

Generate a Period Invoice
At the end of the billing period, click Generate Invoice inside the period view. The system creates a consolidated invoice covering all work done in the period.

Review the line items before confirming — they're pulled from the completed jobs' timesheets and POs.

✓ Invoice created and linked to the contract. Appears in Invoicing module ready to send.

⚠ FM invoices should not be created job-by-job. Wait for the period to close and use Generate Invoice to get the consolidated billing.

Manage Recurring Jobs
Click the Recurring Jobs tab. This shows the PPM schedule — what jobs are auto-generated and when.

Jobs marked Monthly are created on the 1st of each month. Quarterly on the quarter start. Annual on the contract anniversary.

To add a new recurring job: click Add Recurring Job, set the frequency, description, and estimated duration.

✓ Recurring jobs appear in the Dispatch unscheduled queue automatically on their due date.

Raise a PO Against the Contract
When ordering materials for an FM job, open the job → PO tab → New PO → link to the contract. The SOR rates are available as line items.

POs on FM jobs are checked against the contract's spend limit — if you're close to the limit, a warning appears.

✓ PO created and tracked against the contract's spend. Feeds into the AP Approval workflow.

Try It — Practice Task

Explore an FM Contract

Click FM Contracts — open any Active contract (e.g. Countdown Supermarkets)
Click the SOR Rates tab — note the rates for PPM Inspection and Generator Service
Click Periods → open the current period — how many jobs are complete?
Click the Recurring Jobs tab — what is the monthly job scheduled for?
Go back to the period and click Generate Invoice — review the line items that appear
Cancel (don't save) — you've seen the full contract billing workflow

👤 Access Levels

Office staff can view contracts and generate invoices but cannot create or edit contract terms — that requires Manager or above. Technicians can see which contract a job is linked to in their Field Portal but cannot see SOR rates or billing periods.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Generating invoices before all period jobs are marked Complete — incomplete jobs won't be included and you'll need to raise a supplementary invoice.

Raising individual invoices for FM jobs instead of using period billing — this causes duplicate billing and reconciliation headaches.

Not linking a job to the correct contract — the job then won't appear in the period and will be missed in the billing cycle.

Ignoring the spend limit warning on POs — going over the contract spend limit without approval is a breach of contract terms.

Connected Modules

Job ManagementDispatch BoardInvoicingPurchase OrdersQuoting

Operations

Asset Manager

Every piece of equipment Clarkson's maintains — generators, switchboards, UPS, lifts — linked to sites, tracked through service history, and flagged when due.

What Are Assets?

Assets are the physical equipment Clarkson's maintains — switchboards, generators, UPS systems, lifts, fire panels, HVAC, and more. Every asset is linked to a specific site in CRM. When a tech visits, they can look up the asset to see its full service history before touching it.

Step-by-Step

Find an Asset
Click Asset Manager in the sidebar. Search by:
• Serial number — most precise, use this when a tech calls in about a specific unit
• Asset type — e.g. 'Generator' shows all generators across all sites
• Customer or site — shows all equipment at that location

Results show asset name, type, site, last service date, and next service due.

✓ Asset list filtered to your search.

View Asset Detail
Click any asset row to open the detail. You'll see:
• Make, model, and serial number
• Installation date and warranty expiry
• Last service date and next service due
• Condition rating (Good / Fair / Poor / Critical)
• The tech who last serviced it

✓ Full asset record with all technical details.

Check Service History
Click the History tab on an asset. Every job ever linked to this asset appears here — date, tech, job description, and outcome.

This is invaluable before a tech visits: they can see what was done last time, what parts were replaced, and any recurring issues.

✓ Full service history in chronological order.

Register a New Asset
Click New Asset. Fill in:
• Site — which site it's installed at (must exist in CRM)
• Asset Type — select from the standard list
• Make / Model / Serial — from the equipment nameplate
• Installation Date — when Clarkson's installed or took over maintenance
• Service Frequency — how often PPM is required (sets the next service due date)
• Condition — initial condition assessment

✓ Asset registered and available for linking to jobs and PPM schedules.

Link an Asset to a Job
When creating or editing a job, click the Asset field and search for the asset being worked on. Once linked, the job appears in the asset's service history automatically.

✓ Asset field shows on the job. Service history updated after job is completed.

Check Due for Service
Click the Due for Service tab. Shows all assets whose next service date is within the next 30 days.

Use this to proactively create jobs and schedule them in Dispatch — don't wait for the customer to call about missed services.

✓ List of assets grouped by urgency. Creates a to-do list for proactive scheduling.

Update Condition Rating
After a service visit, update the asset's condition rating if it has changed. If an asset is in Critical condition, it should trigger a quote for repair or replacement — use the Create Quote button on the asset record.

✓ Condition updated. If Critical, a flag appears on the asset in the customer's CRM record.

Try It — Practice Task

Explore the Asset Register

Click Asset Manager — search for 'Generator'
Open any generator asset — check the Make, Model, and Last Service date
Click the History tab — how many times has it been serviced?
Click the Due for Service tab — are any assets overdue?
Open one overdue asset — click Create Job and see how the asset details pre-fill

👤 Access Levels

Technicians can view asset details for their assigned jobs in the Field Portal but cannot create or edit asset records. Office and Supervisor roles can register new assets. Only Managers can delete or archive asset records.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Not linking assets to jobs — the service history won't build up and you lose the maintenance record.

Entering the wrong serial number — serial numbers are used to identify assets in disputes and warranty claims. Double-check against the equipment nameplate.

Ignoring the Due for Service tab — missed PPM services are a contract breach for FM clients and a risk for compliance-critical assets like fire systems.

Leaving condition as 'Good' after a service reveals problems — always update the condition accurately so managers can see what needs attention.

Connected Modules

CRMJob ManagementFM ContractsHealth & Safety

Operations

Health & Safety

Contractor management, inductions, SWMS, certifications and the H&S register. Ensures Clarkson's meets its obligations as a PCBU under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Key Areas

Contractor Register — All subbies and external contractors. Each record shows their induction status, insurance expiry, licence type, and whether they are cleared to work on Clarkson's sites.

Inductions — New contractors must complete a site induction before being cleared. Track completion date and expiry (usually annual).

SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement) — Required for high-risk work. Attach SWMS documents to jobs before the tech starts on site.

Certifications — Track electrician licences, first aid, working at heights, confined space, and other certifications for all staff and contractors. System flags expiring certs 30 days out.

Key Actions

Check Contractor Status — Before assigning a subbie to a job, check their H&S status. Cleared = green. Expired = red — do not dispatch until renewed.

Record an Incident — Go to H&S → Incidents → New. Record what happened, where, who was involved, and corrective actions.

Expiry Alerts — The Expiring Soon tab shows all certs and inductions due within 30 days. Send renewal reminders from here.

A contractor with an expired induction or licence must NOT be dispatched. The system will warn dispatchers, but it is the supervisor's responsibility to verify status before site entry.

Finance

Quoting

Build and send professional quotes linked to jobs and customers. Line items, materials, labour, margins — all in one place. Accepted quotes convert directly to invoices.

Quote Workflow

Quoting is how Clarkson's prices work before it's committed. Every quote links to a job and a customer — accepted quotes feed directly into invoicing. Use the price book to keep margins consistent.

Step-by-Step

Open Quoting — Click Quoting in the sidebar. The list shows all quotes with status (Draft / Sent / Accepted / Declined) and GP%.

✓ Quote list loads. Colour-coded by status — green = Accepted, red = Declined, amber = Sent awaiting response.

Create a New Quote — Click New Quote. Select the customer (search 3+ chars), site, and link to the job if already created. Set a quote reference and expiry date.

✓ Quote created in Draft status. Customer and site populate the header automatically.

⚠ If the job doesn't exist yet, create it first — quotes must link to a job for WIP and reporting to work correctly.

Add Line Items — Click Add Line. Search the price book or enter a custom line. Each line needs: description, quantity, unit rate. Labour and materials are separate line types.

✓ Line items added. Total, subtotal, and GP% calculate live as you type.

Apply Markup and Discounts — Set the overall markup % (default pulls from price book). Discounts require authorisation above 10%. The GP% column shows margin in real time — target 35%+ for most work.

✓ Totals update. GP% shown at the bottom — flag to manager if below threshold.

⚠ Discounts above 10% require Admin approval before the quote can be sent.

Send the Quote — Click Send Quote. Preview the PDF — it pulls your company header, line items, T&Cs, and expiry date. Confirm the recipient (uses Invoice Recipient contact from CRM). Click Send.

✓ Quote emailed to customer. Status moves to Sent. Entry appears in Email Log.

Track the Response — Quote status updates when the customer responds. Use Mark Accepted or Mark Declined manually if they reply by phone. Add a note if declined — useful for win/loss reporting.

✓ Status updates. Accepted quotes show a Generate Invoice button.

Generate an Invoice — From an accepted quote, click Generate Invoice. Quote lines carry across to the invoice automatically. Review, adjust if needed, and send.

✓ Invoice created and linked to the quote. Quote status moves to Invoiced.

Try It — Practice Task

Price and Send a Quote

Open Quoting → New Quote
Link to an existing job and customer
Add 2 labour lines (call-out + hourly) and 1 materials line
Check GP% is above 35%
Click Send Quote — preview the PDF before confirming
Mark the quote Accepted and Generate Invoice

👤 Quote Authorisation

Estimators and Supervisors can create and send quotes. Admins can override pricing and apply discounts above 10%. Technicians cannot access Quoting.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Sending without checking GP% — below 30% needs manager sign-off before it goes out.

Not linking the quote to a job — WIP report will miss this revenue.

Marking Accepted without a written PO from the customer — creates disputes at invoice time.

Forgetting to set an expiry date — quotes stay open indefinitely and cause confusion.

Connected Modules

JobsInvoicingProductsCRMFinance Dashboard

Finance

Purchase Orders

Raise POs from the field or the office. Linked to jobs, approved against spend limits, and fed into the AP approval workflow when the supplier invoice arrives.

Purchase Order Workflow

POs track every material purchase against the job that needs it. Linking POs to jobs keeps job costs accurate and feeds the 3-way match in AP. Field staff can raise POs from their phones — office staff approve from the desktop.

Step-by-Step

Raise a PO from a Job — In Job Management, open the job → PO tab → New PO. The job number and customer pre-fill. Select the supplier and add line items from the price book or manually.

✓ PO created and linked to the job. Appears in the job's PO tab and the Purchase Orders module.

Raise a Field PO — In the Field Portal, open your current job → POs tab → New PO. Same form — optimised for mobile. PO is auto-linked to the active job.

✓ PO submitted from the field. Status = Pending Approval. Office sees it immediately.

⚠ Field POs above the technician's spend limit go straight to the approval queue — they cannot self-approve.

Set Supplier and Lines — Search for the supplier (3+ chars). Add line items: description, quantity, unit cost. If the job has a linked FM contract, SOR rates auto-fill when you select a work type.

✓ Lines added. PO total shown. If above spend limit, Approval Required badge appears.

Submit for Approval — Click Submit PO. POs at or below the user's spend limit auto-approve. POs above limit go to the Approval queue — a notification badge appears for the manager.

✓ Status = Awaiting Approval (if above limit) or Approved (if within limit).

Approve or Decline — Desktop: Purchase Orders → Approval tab. Review the PO details, linked job, and supplier. Click Approve or Decline with a reason.

✓ Approved: PO is active, supplier can fulfil. Declined: field staff notified with the reason.

Mark as Received — When goods arrive, open the PO → click Mark Received. Enter actual quantities received (may differ from ordered). Stock levels update automatically.

✓ PO marked Received. Stock movement logged. Ready for 3-way match in AP.

3-Way Match in AP — In AP / AR, when the supplier invoice arrives, link it to this PO. The system checks PO value vs delivery qty vs invoice amount. Green = match, amber = minor variance, red = mismatch — investigate before paying.

✓ Matched AP invoice ready for payment. Variances flagged for investigation.

Try It — Practice Task

Full PO Lifecycle

Open a job in Job Management → PO tab → New PO
Add a supplier and 2 material lines
Submit for approval (if above your spend limit, it will queue)
Approve it from the Purchase Orders → Approval tab
Mark the PO as Received
Go to AP / AR and link a supplier invoice to the PO — run the 3-way match

👤 Spend Limits & Approval

Technicians can raise POs up to their individual spend limit (set in Staff Admin). Supervisors approve POs up to their branch limit. Admins approve any amount. All spend limits are visible in Staff Admin → Permissions.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Raising a PO without linking to a job — job cost is understated, WIP report is wrong.

Not marking POs as Received — stock levels stay incorrect and 3-way match can't run.

Approving without checking the 3-way match — risk of paying incorrect supplier invoices.

Field staff raising POs for non-job materials — all POs must link to a job or contract.

Connected Modules

JobsAP / ARStock ControlFM ContractsField Portal

Finance

Invoicing

Generate professional invoices from completed jobs or accepted quotes. Email directly to customers with a PDF attachment. All invoices flow into the AR Aged Summary.

Invoice Workflow

Invoicing is the final step of every job's financial lifecycle. Invoices can be generated from jobs, accepted quotes, or FM contract periods. Each invoice links to the customer's AR record and syncs to Xero.

Step-by-Step

Generate from a Job — Open the job → Invoice tab → Generate Invoice. Line items pre-populate from approved timesheets and linked POs. Review before sending.

✓ Invoice created in Draft status. Job status moves to Invoiced automatically once sent.

⚠ Ensure all timesheets are approved and POs marked received before generating — missing lines mean an undercharged invoice.

Generate from a Quote — Open an Accepted quote → click Generate Invoice. Quote lines carry across exactly. Adjust quantities if the actual work differed from scope.

✓ Invoice linked to both the quote and the job. Quote status moves to Invoiced.

Generate an FM Period Invoice — FM Contracts → open a contract → Periods tab → current period → Generate Invoice. Consolidates all jobs completed in the period into one invoice.

✓ Single consolidated invoice for all period work. Period status moves to Invoiced.

Review Line Items — Check each line: description, quantity, unit rate, and total. Apply discounts if authorised. The GP% shows at the bottom — if below target, flag to manager before sending.

✓ Invoice totals confirmed. Tax calculated automatically at 15% GST.

Send the Invoice — Click Send Invoice. Select the recipient — defaults to the Invoice Recipient contact in CRM. Preview the PDF. Click Confirm Send.

✓ Invoice emailed. Status = Sent. Entry logged in Email Log with a preview link. AR aged summary updates.

Record Payment — When the customer pays, open the invoice → Mark Paid. Enter the payment date and reference. The invoice is removed from the AR aged summary.

✓ Invoice marked Paid. AR balance for the customer clears. Feeds into Finance Dashboard cash flow.

⚠ If a customer partially pays, use Mark Partial Payment — the remaining balance stays in AR.

Xero Sync — Paid invoices sync to Xero automatically (live API post-demo). GL codes assigned during invoicing map to Xero chart of accounts. Check the Xero tab for sync status and any mapping errors.

✓ Invoice appears in Xero with correct GL coding. Finance Dashboard pulls from Xero for P&L.

Try It — Practice Task

Invoice a Completed Job

Find a job with status Complete in Job Management
Open the job → Invoice tab → Generate Invoice
Review the pre-populated lines (timesheets + POs)
Check GP% — note the target is 35%+
Click Send Invoice, preview the PDF, confirm send
Check Email Log to confirm delivery
Mark the invoice Paid and verify the AR summary updates

👤 Invoice Permissions

Office staff with Invoicing permission can create and send invoices. Admins can apply discounts and override line items. Supervisors can view invoices for their branch but cannot send. Technicians have no access to Invoicing.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Generating before all timesheets are approved — hours missing from the invoice.

Sending to the wrong contact — check the Invoice Recipient role in CRM before sending.

Not setting a payment due date — customers default to paying whenever they feel like it.

Forgetting to record payment — AR aged summary overstates outstanding debt.

Connected Modules

JobsQuotingFM ContractsAP / ARFinance Dashboard

Finance

AP / AR & AP Approval

Accounts Payable with 3-way match and GL coding. Accounts Receivable with aged summary and drill-down. The full supplier-to-payment cycle in one module.

AP / AR Overview

AP (Accounts Payable) manages what Clarkson's owes suppliers — with a 3-way match process to prevent overpayment. AR (Accounts Receivable) tracks what customers owe — aged by 30/60/90/120+ days for cash flow management.

Step-by-Step

Enter a Supplier Invoice (AP) — AP / AR → AP tab → New AP Invoice. Enter supplier, invoice number, date, and amount. Link to the matching PO for 3-way match.

✓ AP invoice created. System checks it against the linked PO. Status shows Match, Variance, or Mismatch.

⚠ Always link to the PO. Unlinked AP invoices bypass the 3-way match and create payment risk.

Assign GL Codes — Each line on the AP invoice needs a GL account code (e.g. 6100 – Materials, 6200 – Subcontractors). The system suggests codes based on the PO lines. Override if needed.

✓ GL codes assigned. Invoice ready for approval. Coding flows directly into the P&L report in Financial Reports.

Run the 3-Way Match — Click Check Match on any AP invoice. System compares: (1) PO quantity and value, (2) goods received record, (3) supplier invoice. Green = match, amber = within tolerance, red = mismatch.

✓ Match result shown. Green and amber proceed to payment. Red requires investigation before payment.

Approve for Payment — AP invoices that pass 3-way match show Approve for Payment. Approved invoices are batched into the payment run. Finance Admin processes the batch and exports to the bank.

✓ Invoice status = Approved. Included in next payment batch. Xero sync updates the AP ledger.

View AR Aged Summary — Click the AR tab. The aged summary shows all outstanding customer invoices grouped: Current, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 120+ days. Filter by branch or customer.

✓ Full AR position visible at a glance. Overdue balances highlighted in amber (60d) and red (90d+).

Chase Overdue Accounts — Click any overdue customer. You see their contact details, all outstanding invoices, and total balance. Click Send Reminder to email a statement. Activity logged automatically.

✓ Reminder sent. Email logged. Customer statement shows all outstanding invoices.

⚠ Accounts 90+ days overdue should be escalated to the Branch Manager and flagged in CRM as On Hold.

Month-End Reconciliation — At month end, run the AP/AR Reconciliation from Financial Reports. This confirms AP liabilities match the ledger and AR balances are correctly aged. Export to Xero.

✓ Reconciliation report generated. Any discrepancies flagged for investigation before Xero close.

Try It — Practice Task

3-Way Match on a Supplier Invoice

Go to AP / AR → AP tab → New AP Invoice
Enter a supplier and link to an existing approved PO
Assign GL codes to each line (system suggests based on PO)
Click Check Match — confirm it shows green
Click Approve for Payment
Switch to AR tab — check the aged summary and find any 60+ day invoices
Click Send Reminder on an overdue customer

👤 AP / AR Access

Accounts Payable staff can enter and code AP invoices. Finance Admins run payment batches and perform reconciliations. Supervisors can view AR for their branch. Branch Managers can chase debtors. Technicians have no access.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Entering AP invoices without linking to a PO — 3-way match can't run, overpayment risk.

Using wrong GL codes — P&L misclassification that persists into Xero and management reports.

Not running the aged AR report weekly — 90+ day debts become very hard to collect.

Approving a mismatched AP invoice — always investigate red matches before payment.

Connected Modules

Purchase OrdersInvoicingFinancial ReportsFinance Dashboard

Finance

Finance Dashboard

Live KPIs, branch P&L, WIP, aged debtors, and revenue by division — all in one view. Updated in real time from job, invoice, and timesheet data.

Dashboard Tabs

Tab	What It Shows
Overview	KPI cards: Revenue MTD, GP%, WIP value, Outstanding AR, Overdue invoices
Branch P&L	Revenue, Cost, and GP% by branch for the selected period. Export to CSV/PDF.
WIP	Work in progress — jobs that are complete but not yet invoiced, with accrual values
Year on Year	Monthly revenue and GP% compared to prior year. Shows trend arrows.
Aged AR	Outstanding customer invoices by age bucket. Drill down to see individual invoices.

Filters

Use the Period picker (MTD / QTD / YTD / Custom) and Branch filter at the top of the Finance Dashboard to slice the data. Division filter is available on Branch P&L.

Exporting

Every tab has Export to CSV and Print / Save as PDF buttons. The monthly Management Report can be generated and emailed from the Generate Report button.

The Finance Dashboard pulls from live job, invoice, and timesheet data. Numbers update as jobs are completed and invoices are sent — no need to refresh manually.

Finance

Financial Reports

Eleven pre-built financial report templates matching Clarkson's Xero report structure. When Xero integration goes live, these will pull directly from Xero.

Available Reports

Report	Description
Profit & Loss	Revenue, COGS, Gross Profit, and Overheads by month
Balance Sheet	Assets, Liabilities, and Equity snapshot
Cash Flow	Operating, investing, and financing cash flows
Aged Receivables	Outstanding customer invoices by age (matches AR in Finance Dashboard)
Aged Payables	Outstanding supplier invoices by age
Branch P&L	P&L broken down by branch — matches Xero Tracking Category
Division P&L	P&L by division (FM, Projects, Service, Install)
WIP Report	Unbilled work in progress with accrual values
Stock Valuation	Inventory value by location at a point in time
Stock Variance	Stocktake variance — book vs physical count
Super 12	Top 12 customers by revenue for the period

All reports can be exported to CSV or printed as PDF. The Xero integration (Phase 2) will pull live data directly from Xero instead of the demo database.

People

Timesheets

Field clock-in/out from the Field Portal, automatic job linking, desktop approval workflow, and payroll export. No paper, no manual entry.

Timesheet Workflow

Timesheets flow from the field to the desktop in real time. Techs clock in and out from the Field Portal — GPS captures location. Supervisors approve on the desktop before timesheets feed into payroll.

Step-by-Step

Field Clock-In — Tech opens Field Portal → selects their job → taps Start Timer. The timer runs live. GPS location is captured at clock-in and periodically while on site.

✓ Timer running. Supervisor can see the tech is clocked in on the job in real time.

⚠ If the tech is at the wrong location, GPS will flag it during approval. Tech should note access issues in job comments.

Field Clock-Out — Tech taps Stop Timer when work is complete. They can add a note (e.g. "Generator serviced, replaced filters"). Timesheet is submitted automatically.

✓ Timesheet entry created with start time, end time, duration, and GPS points. Status = Pending Approval.

View Pending Timesheets — Desktop → Timesheets in the sidebar → Pending tab. See all timesheets awaiting approval. Filter by Branch and Division to see your team.

✓ Pending timesheets listed with employee name, job, date, hours, and GPS status.

Review a Timesheet — Click any timesheet to open the detail. Review: hours worked, job linked, site address, GPS match (did they actually go to the site?), and any tech notes.

✓ Full timesheet detail visible. GPS match shown as On-Site, Near-Site, or Off-Site.

Approve or Send Back — Click Approve to accept. Click Send Back if hours are wrong or GPS shows off-site — add a reason. Tech is notified and can resubmit.

✓ Approved: timesheet feeds into payroll calculation. Sent Back: tech notified with the reason.

⚠ Off-site GPS doesn't automatically reject — some sites have poor signal. Use judgement and the tech's notes.

Adjust Hours (if needed) — Supervisors can edit hours before approving. Click Edit Hours, enter the corrected time, and add a mandatory note explaining the change. This creates an audit record.

✓ Hours adjusted. Audit trail shows original and corrected hours with reason. Tech can see the change.

Export to Payroll — Approved timesheets automatically flow into Payroll. Go to Payroll → New Pay Run to see this week's approved hours pulled in per employee. No manual entry needed.

✓ Pay run pre-populated from approved timesheets. Check for gaps before processing.

Try It — Practice Task

Clock In, Out, and Approve

Open the Field Portal → select a job → tap Start Timer
Wait 30 seconds, then tap Stop Timer and add a note
Switch to the desktop → Timesheets → Pending tab
Find the timesheet you just submitted
Review the GPS status and hours
Click Approve — confirm it disappears from Pending
Open Payroll to verify the hours appear in the pay run

👤 Timesheet Roles

Technicians submit their own timesheets from the Field Portal. Supervisors approve timesheets for their branch only. Branch Managers can approve any timesheet in their region. Admins see and can edit all timesheets.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Tech forgetting to stop the timer — shows as a very long shift. Check for open timesheets at end of day.

Approving without checking GPS — defeats the purpose of GPS verification.

Running payroll before all timesheets are approved — some employees will have missing hours.

Editing hours without adding a note — creates unexplained discrepancies in the audit trail.

Connected Modules

Field PortalPayrollJobsDispatch BoardActivity Log

People

Payroll

Weekly pay runs, payslips, leave balances, and deductions. Feeds from approved timesheets. Payslips are emailed directly to staff.

Pay Run Process

Payroll runs weekly. Approved timesheets flow in automatically — no manual entry. The pay run calculates gross pay from hours and rates, generates payslips, and emails them. Leave management is integrated.

Step-by-Step

Check Approved Timesheets — Before running payroll, go to Timesheets → Pending tab. Ensure all timesheets for the week are approved. Any pending timesheets will be missing from the pay run.

✓ All timesheets for the pay period approved. Zero items in Pending (or known exceptions noted).

⚠ If a timesheet is stuck in Pending, approve it or mark it as an exception before starting the pay run.

Start a New Pay Run — Payroll → New Pay Run. Select the pay period (current week auto-selected). Click Create. The system pulls all approved timesheets for the period per employee.

✓ Pay run created. Employee list shown with: regular hours, overtime hours, leave, and calculated gross pay.

Review Each Employee — Click any employee row to see their breakdown: regular hours × hourly rate, overtime at 1.5×, any approved leave. Check for anomalies — zero hours (sick? absent?), unusually high overtime.

✓ Each employee's gross pay confirmed. Deductions (KiwiSaver, student loan) calculated automatically.

Add Manual Adjustments — If needed, click Add Adjustment on any employee — for bonuses, expense reimbursements, or corrections from prior pay runs. Add a note for the audit trail.

✓ Adjustment added to the employee's pay slip. Net pay recalculated.

Approve the Pay Run — Once all employees reviewed, click Approve Pay Run. This locks the pay run — no further edits. Payslips are generated as PDFs for each employee.

✓ Pay run approved and locked. Payslips generated. Ready to email and export to bank.

Email Payslips — Click Email All Payslips. Each payslip is emailed to the employee's registered email address. Email Log records each send. Employees can also access payslips from HR Hub.

✓ Payslips emailed. Email Log shows delivery confirmation for each employee.

Manage Leave Balances — Leave tab: view each employee's Annual Leave, Sick Leave, and TOIL balances. Approve or decline leave requests. Approved leave blocks the tech's calendar in Dispatch Board automatically.

✓ Leave balances updated. Dispatch Board shows the tech as unavailable on leave days.

Try It — Practice Task

Run the Weekly Pay Run

Check Timesheets → Pending tab — confirm 0 pending for this week
Payroll → New Pay Run → select current week → Create
Review 3 employees — check their hours and gross pay
Add a $50 bonus adjustment to one employee with a note
Click Approve Pay Run
Click Email All Payslips — check Email Log for confirmations
Leave tab: find an employee with Annual Leave balance and approve a leave request

👤 Payroll Access

Payroll Admins can create, edit, and approve pay runs. HR Admins can view pay runs and manage leave. Branch Managers can view their branch payroll but cannot approve. Employees can see their own payslips in HR Hub.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Running payroll with unapproved timesheets — employees get underpaid this week, creating corrections next week.

Not reviewing overtime — a tech who worked 60 hours triggers significant overtime cost that should be flagged.

Forgetting to email payslips — employees are entitled to receive payslips each pay period.

Approving leave without checking Dispatch — the tech might be scheduled for a job on that day.

Connected Modules

TimesheetsHR HubDispatch BoardFinance Dashboard

People

HR Hub

Staff records, employment details, leave management, training, licences, and certifications — all 150 Clarkson's staff in one place.

What's in HR Hub

HR Hub is the single source of truth for every Clarkson's employee — from employment details and certifications to documents and disciplinary records. It links directly to Staff Admin for system access and to Payroll for pay rates.

Step-by-Step

Find an Employee — Click HR Hub in the sidebar. Search by name, branch, role, or certification type. Results show employment status (Active / On Leave / Terminated) and branch.

✓ Employee list filtered to your search. Click any row for the full profile.

View the Employee Profile — The Overview tab shows: employment type (Full Time / Part Time / Contractor), start date, branch, division, manager, and pay rate. Certifications and licence details are shown with expiry dates.

✓ Full employee record visible. Expiring certifications highlighted in amber (30 days) or red (expired).

Update Certifications — Certifications tab → Add Certification. Enter the licence type (Electrical, First Aid, Height Safety, BWOF IQP, etc.), licence number, and expiry date. System will flag it 30 days before expiry.

✓ Certification recorded. Employee appears in the Expiring Certs report when approaching expiry.

⚠ BWOF IQP certifications are critical — Clarkson's cannot perform BWOF work without a current IQP licence on site.

Manage Documents — Documents tab → Upload. Attach employment agreements, induction forms, SWMS sign-offs, or any HR document. Documents are stored securely and date-stamped.

✓ Document stored against the employee record. Role-controlled access — only HR Admin and above can view sensitive documents.

Record a Note — Notes tab → Add Note. Record warnings, commendations, performance notes, or one-on-one summaries. Every note is date-stamped, has an author, and is write-once (no editing after save).

✓ Note recorded. HR Admin and Branch Managers can view notes. Supervisors see their direct reports.

Onboard a New Employee — Click New Employee. Fill in: personal details, employment type, branch, division, start date, pay rate, and manager. Link to Staff Admin to create their system login and set permissions.

✓ Employee created in HR Hub. If linked to Staff Admin, they can log into THE GRID immediately with their assigned permissions.

⚠ Always set Branch and Division on onboarding — missing these breaks branch P&L reporting and Dispatch Board visibility.

Compliance Report — Top-right → Compliance Report. Shows all employees with certification status: Valid, Expiring (30 days), or Expired. Filter by certification type. Export to CSV for audit purposes.

✓ Compliance snapshot across all staff. Use this before any compliance audit or site visit requiring specific licences.

Try It — Practice Task

Onboard a New Employee

HR Hub → New Employee
Fill in: name, branch (Auckland Central), role (Technician), start date, employment type (Full Time)
Add an Electrical Licence certification with a future expiry date
Upload a dummy document as their employment agreement
Add a Note: "Induction completed 22 June 2026"
Link to Staff Admin — assign Technician permissions
Run the Compliance Report and confirm the new employee appears

👤 HR Hub Access

HR Admins see all records including pay rates, disciplinary notes, and sensitive documents. Branch Managers see their team including notes but not pay rates. Supervisors see their direct reports' basic profiles and certifications. Employees can view their own profile, certifications, and payslips — nothing else.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Not setting Branch and Division — breaks Dispatch Board visibility and P&L branch reporting.

Leaving certifications unrecorded — compliance risk; a tech doing BWOF work without a current IQP is a serious liability.

Not linking to Staff Admin when onboarding — employee can't log in, creating delays and IT support load.

Editing notes after the fact — notes are write-once by design; if you need to clarify, add a new note referencing the original.

Connected Modules

Staff AdminPayrollTimesheetsDispatch Board

People

Classroom

THE GRID's built-in training system — courses, assignments, and completions for all 220 staff, with safety training feeding straight into HR's training records. Built as a native replacement for the separate TalentLMS subscription.

What Classroom Is (and why it isn't TalentLMS)

Clarkson's previously ran training through a standalone subscription at clarksons.talentlms.com. Classroom brings the same idea — a course catalogue, assignments, and completion tracking — natively into THE GRID, so office staff and field technicians use one login instead of two, and a completed safety course lands directly in the employee's real HR training record instead of a separate, disconnected system. This mirrors the project's general rule: don't run a second, parallel system next to an existing one (the same reasoning behind keeping one customer table, one PO system, and one time-tracking system).

How it fits together

Piece	What it does
Course Catalogue	The list of available training — title, category (Safety, Vehicles, IT & Security, Fuel Systems Technical, etc.), whether it's mandatory, and whether it expires and needs a refresher.
Assignment	Managers assign a course to specific employees or to a whole audience (All Staff / Office / Field). An optional due date makes it show as Overdue once passed.
Completion	The employee starts the course (opens the content, marks In Progress) and then marks it Complete. For courses with an expiry, completing it sets a fresh expiry date automatically.
HR sync	Every completion writes a real row into the employee's HR — Training Records (the same table HR Hub already shows on an employee's profile) — automatically. No one has to double-enter safety training into two systems.

Step-by-Step — Completing Training (all staff)

Open Classroom — Click Classroom in the sidebar (desktop) or the HR tab → My Training card in the Field Portal (technicians). Both show the same assignments — one login, one record.

✓ "My Training" shows everything assigned to you, split into To Do, Overdue, and Completed.

Start a Course — Click Start on an assigned course. This opens the training content and marks the course "In Progress" against your name.

✓ Status changes to In Progress. Your manager can see this in the course roster.

Mark Complete — Once you've finished the content, click Mark Complete. If the course has a pass score or quiz, enter it when prompted.

✓ Course marked Completed. A matching entry appears immediately on your HR Hub profile under Training. If the course expires (e.g. a 12-month safety refresher), the next-due date is set automatically.

⚠ Mandatory courses (marked with a red "Mandatory" chip) are tracked on manager reports — don't mark complete unless you've actually done the training.

Browse & Self-Enrol — The "Available" / "Browse & self-enrol" section lists courses nobody has assigned to you yet. Click Start / Self-enrol on anything relevant to your role.

✓ Course added to your list and tracked the same way as an assigned course.

Step-by-Step — Assigning Training (managers)

Manage & Assign tab — Classroom → Manage & Assign (visible to Manager role and above). Shows every course with its assignment and completion counts.

✓ Full course list with an Assign button per course.

New Course — + New Course. Set title, category, audience, whether it's mandatory, and whether it expires (with a refresher period in months). Paste in a content link (document, video, or an external TalentLMS course link while content is still being migrated).

✓ Course added to the catalogue, immediately visible to staff in "Browse & self-enrol".

Assign — Click Assign on a course. Pick "Everyone" / "All Office" / "All Field", or select individual employees. Set an optional due date.

✓ The course appears in each selected employee's "My Training" immediately, on both desktop and Field Portal.

Reports tab — Classroom → Reports (Supervisor role and above). Shows completion rate by category and a live overdue list (who, department, course, due date).

✓ Use this before a compliance audit or H&S review to confirm mandatory training is current across the team.

Classroom's starter course list was named after Clarkson's old TalentLMS subscription (clarksons.talentlms.com) — the same course names and categories staff already recognise (Security Awareness episodes, HSE/site inductions, Mental Health Awareness, Toolbox Talks, vehicle and fuel-systems training, etc.), but TalentLMS itself is being retired. Each seeded course starts as an empty shell with no file attached. Upload the real video, PDF, Word document, PowerPoint, or image directly into Classroom via Manage & Assign → Edit → Upload file — courses show a red "Not uploaded" warning until you do. Files are stored on THE GRID itself, not linked out to any external system.

👤 Classroom Access

All Staff (office and field) can see and complete their own assigned training, and browse/self-enrol in optional courses. Managers and above can create courses and assign them to individuals or whole audiences. Supervisors and above can see the Reports tab (completion rates, overdue list) for their team.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Marking a course complete without actually doing the training — mandatory/safety completions feed straight into your HR record, so this creates a false compliance record.

Forgetting to set "requires expiry" on a genuine refresher-cycle course (e.g. site inductions) — without it, the system won't know to prompt a re-do.

Assigning to "Everyone" for a field-only course (e.g. vehicle or fuel-systems training) — use the Field or Office audience filter instead so office staff aren't chased for irrelevant training.

Connected Modules

HR HubField PortalHealth & Safety

People

Stock Control

Warehouse and van inventory, stock movements, stocktakes, and usage tracking. Know what's where at any time.

Stock & Inventory Workflow

Stock Control manages warehouse inventory, van stock, and site materials. Every movement is tracked against a location and, where applicable, a job. Stocktakes confirm physical counts and generate variance reports.

Step-by-Step

Browse Inventory — Click Stock Control in the sidebar → Inventory tab. Filter by location (Main Warehouse, Auckland Van, Wellington Van, etc.) or search by item name or SKU. Items at or below reorder point show in amber or red.

✓ Full inventory list with quantities on hand, reorder points, and location. Low stock items highlighted.

Record a Stock Movement — New Movement. Select: item, from-location, to-location, quantity, and reason (Job Use / Restock / Transfer / Damage / Return). Link to a job if the reason is Job Use.

✓ Movement recorded. Inventory counts updated immediately. If linked to a job, the cost posts to the job's materials.

⚠ Always link Job Use movements to the correct job. Unlinked job-use costs don't appear in job profitability.

Transfer Between Locations — Use reason Transfer to move stock from warehouse to a van or between vans. Set from-location and to-location. The transfer is recorded as two movements: a deduction and an addition.

✓ Stock moved. Warehouse count decreases, van count increases. Both movements visible in history.

Run a Stocktake — Stocktake tab → New Stocktake. Select the location. The system lists all items expected at that location. Enter the physical count for each item. Submit when complete.

✓ Stocktake saved. Variance report generated automatically — shows items over/under expected count.

Van Stocktake (Field Portal) — In the Field Portal → Van Stock tab → New Stocktake. Tech counts their van inventory from their phone. Submission syncs to the desktop Stocktake tab.

✓ Van stocktake submitted. Variance report available on desktop for supervisor review.

Review Variances — After a stocktake, click Variance Report. Items with negative variance (less than expected) may indicate theft, loss, or unrecorded usage. Investigate before adjusting.

✓ Variance report shows item, expected qty, actual qty, and variance. Adjust or create a movement to reconcile.

⚠ Variances above $500 total should be reported to the Branch Manager and investigated before adjustment.

Reorder from Low Stock — Reorder tab shows all items at or below their reorder point. Click any item → Raise PO. Creates a PO pre-filled with the item and reorder quantity.

✓ PO raised directly from the reorder alert. Stock replenishment tracked through the standard PO process.

Try It — Practice Task

Full Stock Cycle

Stock Control → Inventory tab → filter by Main Warehouse
Find any item and check its quantity on hand
New Movement: move 5 units of cable from Warehouse to Auckland Van (Transfer)
Stocktake tab → New Stocktake → select Auckland Van
Enter physical counts (deliberately make one item short by 2)
Submit → view the Variance Report — confirm the short item shows as -2
Reorder tab → raise a PO for any item below reorder point

👤 Stock Control Access

Technicians can submit van stocktakes and view their own van inventory from the Field Portal. Supervisors can record movements and view all locations. Warehouse Managers run stocktakes, review variances, and raise restock POs. Admins can adjust inventory counts and configure reorder points.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Not linking stock movements to jobs — job cost understated, margin reports are wrong.

Skipping monthly stocktakes — variance compounds month to month and becomes very hard to untangle.

Adjusting variances without investigating — masks theft or process failures.

Not using the Reorder tab — van stock-outs cause job delays and emergency purchases at higher cost.

Connected Modules

JobsPurchase OrdersFinance DashboardField PortalFinancial Reports

People

Activity Log

A complete, tamper-evident audit trail of every action taken by every team member across all modules. Essential for compliance, dispute resolution, and management visibility.

What Gets Logged

Every significant action in THE GRID creates an audit entry: creating or updating a job, approving a PO, sending an invoice, approving a timesheet, changing a user's permissions, overriding an AP invoice, and more. The log cannot be edited or deleted.

Reading the Timeline

The Activity Log is grouped by day, with the most recent entries at the top. Each entry shows:

Field	Meaning
Who	The user who took the action
Action	What they did (e.g. "Approved AP invoice", "Completed job")
Module	Which part of the system (colour-coded chip)
Record	The specific job number, invoice number, or ticket reference
Branch	Which branch the action relates to
Time	Exact timestamp

Filtering

By Module — Show only AP, Jobs, Payroll, etc. Useful for a finance audit.

By User — Show all actions by a specific team member. Useful for performance reviews or investigating an issue.

By Date — Today, Yesterday, This Week, or All. The default is Today.

Search — Type a job number or invoice number to find all activity related to it across all modules.

The Activity Log is read-only. Entries cannot be modified or deleted. If you believe an entry is incorrect, contact the system administrator.

Field

Field Portal

The mobile app for Clarkson's field technicians — your schedule, jobs, van stock, forms, and HR in one place at field.html, synced live with the desktop ERP. Six tabs along the bottom: Schedule, Jobs, Stock, Forms, HR, Me.

Getting Started

Sign In
Open field.html on your phone or tablet browser (no app download needed) and sign in with the email and password your supervisor gave you. You land on the Me tab — your home screen.

✓ You see "Good morning/afternoon/evening, [your name]" with today's date and your role badge.

Clock On
Every day starts here. On the Me tab, tap the big green Clock on button under Today's Clock. This starts your paid day.

✓ The card switches to show your hours worked live. When you finish for the day, come back to this same button (now red, "Clock off") and tap it.

⚠ Clocking on/off here is what feeds Timesheets and Payroll — if you forget, your hours won't be recorded and payroll will be wrong for that day.

Check Company News & Shout-outs
Scroll down on the Me tab for pinned announcements from the office and the team shout-outs feed. Tap 🎉 Shout-out (bottom right, on every screen) to recognise a teammate.

The Me tab also has your Quick Actions — Timesheets and HR & Leave — as shortcuts if you don't want to go hunting through the bottom tabs.

Schedule Tab — Your Day and Week

Day / Week toggle
Top right of the Schedule tab. Day view shows a single day's timeline hour-by-hour; Week view shows all 7 days at a glance so you can see what's coming up.

✓ Any job you're booked for shows as a coloured block at its scheduled time. "Nothing scheduled today" means exactly that — check with your supervisor if you were expecting work.

Open a scheduled job
Tap any job block to jump straight into that job's full detail — this is the same as opening it from the Jobs tab.

Jobs Tab — Running a Job Start to Finish

Find your job
The Jobs tab lists every job assigned to you. Use Open / Completed / All at the top to filter, or the search box to find one by job number, customer, or site. Each card shows the job number, customer, site address, and current stage (e.g. "In progress").

✓ Overdue jobs are flagged in red with how many days overdue — sort these out first.

Travel vs Work
Open the job. Tap 🚗 Travel when you leave for site, then 🔧 Work once you arrive and start the job. This is a separate clock from your daily Clock on/off — it tracks time against this specific job for job costing.

✓ The button you tapped turns solid/active. Tap it again to stop that clock when you move to the next stage.

⚠ Forgetting to start Work (or leaving Travel running all day) makes the job's recorded labour time wrong — check you're on the right one before you get stuck in.

Fill in required Forms
Scroll to the Forms card on the job — for Mobil/CBRE sites this lists every checksheet/audit that site requires (e.g. CSD Check, Buildings & Grounds Checksheet, Carwash Audit). Tap any form to fill it in against this job, or All forms to browse the full library.

✓ Completed forms are saved against the job and visible to the office — no more paper checksheets.

Report a hazard, add photos, take notes
Further down the job: Report Hazard / Near-miss for any H&S issue, + Add under Photos to capture site photos (multiple per job), and Internal Notes for anything the office needs to know (techs and office only — not customer-visible).

✓ Photos and hazard reports attach straight to the job — no separate app or email needed.

Site Assets
If the site has registered assets (e.g. a specific pump, dispenser, or switchboard), tap Scan QR to pull up that exact asset's history, or pick it from the dropdown.

Repair description, parts & labour
Tap Edit description to write what work was done — this text appears on the customer's work order and invoice, so keep it clear and factual. Use Add Labour and the rate chips under Parts & Labour to record billable time and any special rates (call-out fees, after-hours, travel zones) for this job.

Raise a Quote on Site
If you find extra work needed, tap 💰 Quote on Site (top of the job) to raise a quote linked to this job straight from site, instead of having to call the office.

Sign off and complete
Scroll to the bottom: capture your Tech signature, and the customer's signature if they're on site (optional). The status strip shows what's still missing (photos / checklist / description / signature) before you tap ✓ Complete Job. No signature on site? Use Complete without signatures.

✓ Job moves to Completed. The office sees it immediately and can raise the invoice.

Try It — Practice Task

Run a Job From Start to Finish

Clock on from the Me tab
Open the Jobs tab → open any In Progress job
Tap Travel, then tap Work
Add a photo and write one line in the repair description
Save your Tech signature
Tap Complete Job (or Complete without signatures if practising)

Stock Tab — Van Stock & Purchase Orders

View Stock
See exactly what's currently loaded in your van, with quantities, synced with Stock Control on the desktop.

Order Stock
Running low on something? Tap Order Stock to raise a restock PO — this goes straight into the office's purchasing queue, same as a PO raised from a job.

My Purchase Orders
Any PO you've raised (from Stock or from a job) is listed here so you can check its status without calling the office.

Forms Tab — Checksheets, Audits & Safety Forms

Health & Safety forms
HAHA — Hazard Report for reporting a hazard or near-miss on site, and SMILE — Safety Assessment for a full site safety observation with a risk rating. These are always available, independent of any specific job.

Customer/site-specific forms
Grouped by customer below H&S (e.g. Mobil's 9 forms — CSD Check, B&G Proactive Report, Carwash Audit, Emergency Light Check, MEWP Delivery form, and more). Use the search box at the top if you know the form name.

Forms filled in from inside a job (see Jobs tab above) are automatically linked to that job. Forms filled in from here directly are saved but not tied to a specific job — use the job's own Forms card when the work is for a job.

HR Tab — Training, Leave & Documents

My Training
Shows To do / Overdue / Completed counts. Tap View all to see everything assigned to you plus a Browse & self-enrol section for optional courses. Tap into a course to view its content, then Mark complete once you've gone through it.

✓ Completed training is recorded automatically on your HR record — no separate sign-off needed.

Leave Balances & Requests
See your annual and sick days left, and tap + Request leave to submit a request straight to your manager.

My Certifications
Your trade licences and certificates with expiry status — talk to HR if something's missing or about to expire, since expired certs can block being assigned certain jobs.

HR Documents
Your employment agreement, company policies, and induction checklist — available on your phone at any time, including on site.

👤 Role Access

Technicians only see jobs assigned to them and their own HR/training/leave records — not the whole branch. Supervisors and above see the same six tabs but with fuller data (e.g. Reporting, HR admin) on the desktop Grid instead.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Forgetting to Clock on/off on the Me tab — this is what actually feeds Timesheets and Payroll, separate from the Travel/Work buttons on a job.

Leaving Travel running instead of switching to Work once you're on site — makes the job's recorded labour time wrong.

Completing a job with no repair description — this is the text that goes on the customer's invoice, so a blank description causes billing queries later.

Filling in a site checksheet from the general Forms tab instead of from inside the job — it won't be linked to that job's record.

Connected Modules

Job ManagementTimesheetsPurchase OrdersHealth & SafetyClassroomHR Hub

Field

Messaging

Two-way messaging between the office and field technicians. Every message is threaded per job so conversations stay in context — no more lost texts or phone tag.

How Messaging Works

Messages are linked to specific jobs. When you send a message from the Job Management module, it appears in the technician's Field Portal under that job. When the tech replies, it appears back in the desktop job view.

For Office Staff

From a Job — Open any job → Messages tab → type your message → Send. The assigned tech is notified.

Global Inbox — The Messages module in the sidebar shows all job threads in one place. Filter by tech or job to find a specific conversation.

Unread Count — The Messages sidebar link shows a badge with unread count. Check it when you start your shift.

For Technicians (Field Portal)

Receive a Message — The Messages tab in the Field Portal shows new messages with a red badge count.

Reply — Tap the message thread, type your reply, tap Send. The office sees it immediately in Job Management.

Messages are job-specific — they are NOT a general chat system. For urgent matters, call the tech directly. Use messaging for job-related information: site access instructions, updated scope, parts status.

System

Ask David AI

Your built-in AI assistant for THE GRID. Ask plain-language questions about any module, process, policy, or data — and get instant answers without hunting through the system.

What Ask David Can Do

Type of Question	Example
Module how-to	"How do I raise a PO from the field portal?"
Process guidance	"What happens when an AP invoice has a variance over $200?"
Data lookup	"What jobs are overdue this week?"
Policy questions	"What is the spend limit for a supervisor?"
System navigation	"Where do I find the Aged Summary report?"

How to Get the Best Answers

Be specific — "How do I approve a timesheet?" works better than "How does approval work?"

Name the module — "In the AP Approval module, how do I..." gives a more precise answer than a vague question.

Ask follow-ups — Ask David remembers the context of your conversation. "What about for a supervisor?" after a previous question will understand the context.

What Ask David Cannot Do

Ask David answers questions — it cannot take actions on your behalf. It will not create jobs, approve invoices, or send emails. For those actions, use the relevant module directly.

Ask David is available from the sidebar on every page. Click the 🤖 Ask David AI link at any time. It works best for "how do I" and "where do I find" questions.

System

Products & Price Book

The master catalogue of products, materials, and labour rates. Price Book items auto-fill into Quotes and Purchase Orders — keeping pricing consistent across the business.

What's in the Price Book

Labour Rates — Standard hourly rates by trade type (Licensed Electrician, Apprentice, Supervisor). Contract-specific rates override these when a job is linked to an FM contract.

Materials — Common electrical materials with supplier codes, unit costs, and sell prices. Margins are pre-set per category.

Assemblies — Pre-built kits (e.g. "Single GPO supply and install") with multiple line items that add as a bundle to a quote.

Key Actions

Find a Product — Search by description, supplier code, or category. Filter by Active/Inactive.

Add to Quote — When building a quote, click Add Line Item → search the Price Book → select the item. Quantity and price auto-fill.

Update Pricing — Go to Products → find the item → Edit. Update the cost price when supplier prices change. The sell price recalculates based on the margin setting.

Add New Product — Click New Product. Enter description, supplier, unit, cost price, and target margin. Save — it is immediately available in Quoting.

Price Book items feed into job costing. If materials are recorded against a job from the Price Book, the cost flows into the WIP and Finance reports automatically.

System

Import Centre

Bulk import customers, jobs, stock, employees, and more from CSV files or directly from Simpro. Used during onboarding and for ongoing data synchronisation.

Supported Imports

Data Type	Source	Notes
Customers & Sites	Simpro / CSV	Matches on email or company name — updates existing records
Jobs	Simpro / CSV	Historical jobs — status, dates, technician
Employees	CSV	Bulk staff import for HR Hub
Stock / Inventory	CSV	Initial stock levels by location
Products / Price Book	CSV	Supplier catalogues and price lists
AP Invoices	CSV / Email scan	Historical payables import

Import Process

Download Template — Click the template link for the data type you're importing. Fill it in using the column guide provided.

Upload File — Drag the CSV onto the import panel or click Browse. The system validates the file format before processing.

Preview & Confirm — A preview shows the first 10 rows and any validation errors. Fix errors in the CSV and re-upload, or proceed if everything looks correct.

Review Results — After import, a summary shows how many records were created, updated, and skipped. Download the error log if any rows failed.

Import Centre is Admin-only. A failed import can be rolled back from the import history — contact IT if an import creates incorrect data that needs reverting.

System

Email Log

A complete audit trail of every email sent through THE GRID — invoices, quotes, payslips, and system notifications. Proof of delivery and a preview of exactly what was sent.

What's in the Email Log

Every email sent through THE GRID is recorded here: the recipient, subject, which module triggered it (Invoice, Quote, Payroll, etc.), the send date and time, and whether it succeeded or failed.

Key Actions

Find an Email — Search by recipient email, subject, or record number (e.g. INV-0042). Filter by module or date range.

Preview Content — Click the Preview link on any log entry to see the exact HTML email that was sent. Use this to confirm what the customer received before chasing payment.

Failed Emails — Emails that failed to send show a red Failed badge. Click to see the error reason. Common cause: invalid recipient email address in CRM.

Resend — Failed emails can be resent after correcting the recipient address in CRM. Go to the original record (Invoice/Quote) and click Send again.

The Email Log is separate from the Activity Log. Activity Log tracks who did what in the system. Email Log tracks what was sent to customers and suppliers.

System

Staff Admin & Permissions

Manage user accounts, roles, spend limits, and module access for all THE GRID users. Admin-only. Changes take effect immediately — no restart required.

User Management

Add a User — Go to Staff Admin → New User. Enter name, email, role, and branch. A temporary password is set — the user must change it on first login.

Change a Role — Find the user → Edit → update Role. The sidebar and module access updates immediately. The user will see the new menu on their next page load.

Set Spend Limits — On the user record, set PO Limit and Quote Limit. Leave blank to use the role default. Set to 0 to block all submissions.

Deactivate — Set a user to Inactive to prevent login without deleting their history. All their past actions remain in the Activity Log.

Reset Password — Admin can reset any user's password from the Staff Admin panel. Send the new temporary password to the user directly.

Module Visibility

The sidebar modules shown to each user are controlled by their role. If a user should see a module their role normally hides, contact Admin — individual module overrides can be configured per user.

Only Admin (God) and Executive roles can access Staff Admin. Be careful when changing roles or spend limits — changes are immediate and affect live operations.

System

BMS Integration

Building Management System integration — connecting THE GRID to site BMS platforms for live alarm feeds, equipment status, and automated job creation.

🏢

BMS Integration Guide — Coming Soon

The BMS integration module is under development. When live, it will automatically create Triage tickets from BMS alarms at customer sites, with equipment details pre-filled from the Asset register.

Contact David Clarkson for the current integration roadmap.

Planned Capabilities

Feature	Status
Live alarm feed from BMS	Planned — Phase 2
Auto Triage ticket creation	Planned — Phase 2
Equipment status dashboard	Planned — Phase 3
Alarm history & trending	Planned — Phase 3

Reference

Glossary

Key terms used in THE GRID and in Clarkson's Electrical operations. If you see an unfamiliar term, look it up here first.

Term	Meaning
3-Way Match	The process of comparing a Purchase Order, Goods Receipt, and Supplier Invoice to verify they agree before paying. THE GRID automates this in AP Approval.
AP	Accounts Payable — money Clarkson's owes to suppliers. Managed in the AP/AR module.
AR	Accounts Receivable — money customers owe to Clarkson's. Tracked in the Aged Summary.
BWOF	Building Warrant of Fitness — a compliance certificate required for commercial buildings. Clarkson's manages BWOF inspections and IQP records for FM clients.
Division	A business line within Clarkson's — FM (Facilities Management), Projects, Service, or Install. Jobs and invoices are tagged with a Division for P&L reporting.
FM	Facilities Management — ongoing maintenance contracts for commercial buildings. Clarkson's holds FM contracts with major NZ retailers and property managers.
GL Code	General Ledger code — the accounting classification for a transaction. E.g. 400 = Revenue, 500 = Overheads. Maps to Xero chart of accounts.
GP%	Gross Profit Percentage — (Revenue − Direct Costs) ÷ Revenue × 100. The primary profitability metric in the Finance Dashboard.
IQP	Independent Qualified Person — a certified inspector who carries out BWOF inspections on behalf of the building owner.
KPI	Key Performance Indicator — a measurable target. THE GRID Finance Dashboard shows KPIs for Revenue MTD, GP%, WIP, and Overdue AR.
PCBU	Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking — the legal entity responsible for worker health and safety under the H&S at Work Act. Clarkson's is a PCBU.
PO	Purchase Order — a formal order raised to a supplier for goods or services. POs are linked to jobs and approved against spend limits.
PPM	Planned Preventive Maintenance — scheduled inspections and servicing carried out on a regular cycle (monthly, quarterly, annual). PPM jobs are auto-generated from FM contracts.
SLA	Service Level Agreement — a committed response or resolution time. In Triage, Critical tickets have a 1-hour response SLA. Breached SLAs show a red timer.
SOR	Schedule of Rates — a pre-agreed list of unit prices for specific work types on an FM contract. SOR rates auto-fill PO and Quote line items for contract jobs.
SWMS	Safe Work Method Statement — a document that identifies high-risk work and the controls in place to manage it. Required before starting high-risk jobs.
WIP	Work in Progress — jobs that have been completed but not yet invoiced. WIP value represents unbilled revenue. Tracked in the Finance Dashboard WIP tab.
WO / WO Ref	Work Order — a reference number assigned by the client (e.g. Countdown's FM system generates a WO number when they request work). Recorded on the Triage ticket and job.
Xero	Clarkson's accounting system. THE GRID will integrate with Xero in Phase 2 — invoices, payments, and payroll will sync automatically.

Reference

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Common questions and issues — and how to fix them. If you can't find your answer here, use Ask David AI or contact IT support.

Access & Login

I can't log in — Check your email and password are correct. Passwords are case-sensitive. If you've forgotten your password, contact your manager or IT to reset it. There is no self-service password reset in the current version.

A module is missing from my sidebar — Your role may not have access to that module. Contact your manager or Admin. Alternatively, your session may be stale — try logging out and back in.

I'm seeing someone else's data — You may be logged in as the wrong user. Check the top-right corner of the sidebar for your name. Log out and log back in with your own credentials.

Jobs & Dispatch

My job isn't showing in Dispatch — Only jobs with stage Pending or Scheduled appear in the unscheduled queue. Check the job's stage in Job Management. If it's Complete or Invoiced, it won't appear.

I can't create a job for a customer — The customer's account status may be Suspended. Check their CRM record. Only Admin can unsuspend an account.

The tech can't see their scheduled job in the Field Portal — Confirm the job is assigned to them in Dispatch (correct technician name on the schedule block). Also confirm the tech is logged in with their own account, not a shared login.

Finance & Approvals

My PO was rejected — it's under my spend limit — Check the PO total includes GST. Spend limits apply to the GST-inclusive total. If still under limit, contact your manager — they may have adjusted your individual limit.

An AP invoice is stuck in Pending — Someone with AP Approval permission needs to review it. Check the Pending tab in AP Approval. If it's been there more than 2 business days, escalate to the Finance Manager.

An invoice shows as Sent but the customer says they didn't receive it — Go to Email Log → find the invoice email → click Preview to confirm it was sent. Check the recipient email address in CRM — it may be incorrect. Correct the address and resend from the Invoice record.

A timesheet isn't appearing in the payroll run — Timesheets must be Approved before the payroll cut-off. Check the timesheet status in Timesheets → Pending Approval. If it's still Pending, approve it and rerun the payroll calculation.

Field Portal

The Field Portal isn't loading on my phone — Make sure you're connected to the same network as the server. The URL is http://[server-IP]:3000/field.html — ask the office for the current server IP address.

My timer isn't saving — You must have a job selected before starting the timer. If the browser closed mid-shift, the in-progress time may be lost — submit a manual timesheet entry for that period.

Reference

What's New

Recent updates to THE GRID. The system is actively developed — check here to stay up to date with new features and improvements.

June 2026 — v2.0

🆕

Activity Log — Full audit trail of every team action across all modules, with timeline view, module filtering, and user filtering.

🆕

AP / AR Module — Accounts Payable with 3-way match, GL coding with Branch/Division dimensions, Aged Summary with drill-down, and dedicated AP Approval queue.

🆕

Smart Dispatch Board — Full rebuild with Duration Intelligence (Quote/History/AI), multi-tech assignment, Gantt view, Late tab, and overrun cascade detection.

🆕

FM Contract Management — Full facilities management contracts with SOR pricing, PPM schedules, auto-generated recurring jobs, billing periods, and period invoice generation.

🆕

Rebuilt Help Guide — Comprehensive guide covering all 20+ modules with flowcharts, demo scenarios, glossary, and FAQ. Opens in a new tab so you can work and read simultaneously.

May 2026 — v1.5

✓

Branch & Division Tags — All jobs, quotes, invoices, and dispatch entries now carry Branch and Division tags for multi-dimensional P&L reporting.

✓

Stocktake — Van and warehouse stocktakes from both desktop and Field Portal, with variance reporting.

✓

Triage Upgrades — SLA timers, SWMS attachments, Create Quote button, customer/site search on new ticket, and WO reference field.

✓

Financial Reports — 11 report templates matching Clarkson's Xero structure, including Branch P&L, Division P&L, WIP, and Stock Valuation.

March–April 2026 — v1.0

✓

Initial Release — Core modules: Triage, Jobs, CRM, Dispatch, Quoting, Invoicing, Timesheets, Payroll, HR Hub, Stock, H&S, Messaging, and Field Portal.

Feature requests and bug reports can be submitted using the Feedback button on any page. All feedback goes directly to the development team.

Reference

Support & Contact

Who to contact when you need help — from a quick how-to question through to a system outage. Know the right escalation path before you need it.

Support Escalation Path

Check This Help Guide First — Most questions are answered here. Use the search box at the top of the sidebar or the FAQ page.

Ask David AI — Open the AI assistant from the sidebar. It can answer process and how-to questions instantly.

Ask Your Supervisor / Manager — For questions about approvals, access, or process decisions — your direct manager is the first point of contact.

Submit Feedback — Use the 💬 Feedback button on any page for non-urgent issues, suggestions, or bug reports. The development team reviews all submissions.

Contact IT Directly — For system outages, login issues, or data problems that need immediate attention, contact David Clarkson directly.

Contact Details

Contact	Role	For
David Clarkson	System Admin / Owner	System outages, access issues, data problems, anything urgent
Finance Manager	Finance Lead	AP/AR queries, invoice disputes, payroll issues
Your Branch Manager	Operations	Job approvals, dispatch decisions, staff access

Reporting a Bug

If you find something that's not working correctly, use the Feedback button and select the Bug category. Include: what you were trying to do, what happened instead, and the page you were on. A screenshot helps if you can take one.

The system is backed up automatically every night. If data appears to be lost or corrupted, contact IT immediately — do not try to re-enter the data yourself until IT has confirmed the backup status.