PQM Free – Wprowadzenie i przewodnik użytkownika
PQM Free – Wprowadzenie i przewodnik użytkownika
PQM Free is the entry-level version of Production Queue Manager. It helps small production teams organize tasks, statuses, departments, basic customer communication, calendar visibility and simple production reports directly inside WordPress.
Table of contents
What is PQM Free?
PQM Free is a lightweight production workflow tool for WordPress. It is designed for teams that need to track production jobs, internal stages, basic departments and task progress without implementing a full external ERP system.
It can be used by print shops, small manufacturers, advertising workshops, service teams, order fulfillment departments and companies that need a clear production queue inside WordPress.
Installation
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard as an administrator.
- Go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for Production Queue Manager, or upload the ZIP package if you are installing it manually.
- Click Install and then Activate.
- After activation, a new PQM menu item should appear in the WordPress admin area.
After the first activation, go to PQM settings and check whether the default statuses, options and required database tables were created correctly. If your website uses aggressive caching, clear WordPress and browser cache after installation.
First setup
The first configuration should reflect your real production process, but it should not be too complex. Start with a simple workflow, test one task from start to finish, and only then expand the structure.
Recommended minimal setup
- Statuses: New, In Progress, Waiting for Approval, Completed, Cancelled, Complaint.
- Departments: Preparation, Production, Finishing, Packing, Shipping.
- Permissions: administrators manage settings, staff users work with tasks, customers only see the customer panel.
- Notifications: message when a task is created and message when a task is completed.
Creating and managing tasks
A task in PQM represents a real production job, customer order, internal work item, production stage or service case. A good task should contain all information required by the person who will actually execute the work.
Typical task information
- task title or job name,
- order number or internal job number,
- customer details,
- production description,
- deadline,
- status,
- assigned departments,
- labor and material costs,
- internal notes and customer communication.
Example task flow
- A staff member creates a new task.
- The task starts with the New status.
- Production reviews the details and changes the status to In Progress.
- Departments update notes, time or cost information.
- The task moves to Waiting for Approval or Ready.
- After completion or delivery, the task is marked as Completed.
Production statuses
Statuses are the foundation of PQM. They show where each task is in the production process and allow teams to filter the production queue. Good statuses should be simple, clear and based on the language your team already uses.
| Status | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New | The task has been created but production has not started yet. | A good default starting point. |
| In Progress | The task is currently being worked on. | Use only when production has actually started. |
| Waiting for Approval | The task requires approval from staff or customer. | Useful for design, proofing and quality control. |
| Completed | The job has been finished. | Usually counted as closed in reports. |
| Cancelled | The task will not be completed. | Should be separated from completed tasks. |
| Complaint | The task requires review, rework or complaint handling. | Useful for quality tracking. |
Departments
Departments divide work into production stages. In a print shop, departments may include DTP, digital printing, offset printing, UV printing, cutting, folding, packing and shipping. In another production business, they may represent design, assembly, quality control, warehouse and logistics.
Departments help you understand where work is currently located, which step creates the most cost and where bottlenecks appear.
Customer panel in PQM Free
The customer panel lets customers check basic information about their job status. In PQM Free, use the Free-version shortcode:
[procuma]Create a dedicated WordPress page, for example /order-status/ or /customer-panel/, and place the shortcode in the page content. Then test the page in an incognito browser window.
The customer panel should never reveal internal costs, margins, private production notes, labor costs or information about other customers. Always test the customer-facing view as a non-admin user.
What should the customer see?
- task or order number,
- current status,
- basic description,
- deadline if used,
- customer-facing messages,
- completion information.
Reports and calendar
PQM Free provides basic calendar and reporting capabilities. The goal is to help the team see how many tasks are open, which tasks are completed, what is planned and which jobs require attention.
Best practices
- Do not create too many statuses at the beginning.
- Decide who is responsible for changing task statuses.
- Close completed tasks regularly.
- Separate customer-facing messages from internal notes.
- Test the customer panel before sending links to real customers.
- Use one test task to validate the full workflow.
Best simple start: one test task, five statuses, five departments and one test customer. Expand only after the whole process works smoothly.