Szkolenia Działu PQM
Szkolenie PQM / Departments and Workflow Steps
Production Flow
Departments and Workflow Steps
Model real production stages so every task has responsibility, direction and reportable workflow data.
Production OSWordPress CoreRole-based workflowTraining Center
Training pages
Training HomeProduction DashboardCore ConfigurationTasks and Add TaskDepartments and WorkflowCalendar and Standard GanttEmail Queue and CommunicationReports and KPIModules / MarketplaceSetup WizardLicense and Demo ModeHelp and TrainingAdmin PanelClient PanelEmployee Worker PortalShop Manager / SupervisorImplementation Checklist
Purpose in plain language
Departments describe how work moves through a real company. A department can be a team, machine area, service stage or responsibility group. In a printing company it may be graphic design, digital printing, offset printing, finishing, packaging and shipping. In another production company it may be preparation, assembly, quality check and delivery.
For a beginner, departments answer: who owns the next step? Without departments, tasks become a flat list and nobody knows where the bottleneck is.
Where to click
Open WordPress admin as administrator or manager with configuration rights.
Go to PQM → Departments or open the department section from Core Configuration/Admin Panel.
Add or edit departments using names that employees recognize.
Assign workers/managers to departments if the build includes role or user assignment.
Create a test task and move it through departments to confirm the sequence is understandable.
How to design departments
| Question | Good answer | Bad answer |
|---|---|---|
| Is this a real stage? | Yes, a real person or team can say “this is our job”. | No, it is only a vague idea like “processing”. |
| Can someone be responsible? | Yes, a manager can assign a worker/team to this stage. | No, nobody knows who should update it. |
| Is it useful in reports? | Yes, management can see workload or bottlenecks by this department. | No, it creates noise and many empty report rows. |
| Is the name clear? | “Digital Print”, “Finishing”, “Packing”. | “Dept 1”, “Other”, “General”. |
Department setup step by step
List the real production stages outside PQM first. Ask a worker: “Where does the job go after this?”
Create a department for every stage that needs separate responsibility or reporting.
Keep the first version simple. It is better to start with 5 useful departments than 25 confusing ones.
Assign users if the plugin screen allows it. Workers should not see unrelated work unless the business wants them to.
Define the normal direction of work: which stage usually comes first, which comes last, and which stages may repeat.
Create one task and move it department by department. Write down where employees ask questions — that is where training or UI labels need improvement.
Example department models
Small print shop
- Customer service
- Graphic preparation
- Digital print
- Finishing
- Packing / shipping
Manufacturing / assembly
- Planning
- Material preparation
- Machine production
- Quality control
- Warehouse / dispatch
Workflow rules
| Rule | Why it matters | Practical example |
|---|---|---|
| Every open task should have a department | Otherwise nobody knows who should act. | A task without department should appear as configuration/manager cleanup. |
| Department change should reflect reality | Reports and portals depend on correct assignment. | Do not move to finishing before printing is really done. |
| Blocked tasks need visible reason | Managers need to know whether delay is internal or customer-related. | “Waiting for customer proof approval” is better than just “waiting”. |
| Completed tasks should stop normal editing | History and reports must remain stable. | Use a controlled reopen/complaint process if work returns after completion. |
Good practice
- Use department names from daily language, not from accounting or development terminology.
- Do not create departments only because you may need them someday.
- Train workers that updating their department stage is part of the job, not extra administration.
- Review department workload weekly after real data appears.
Screenshot reference
How to use screenshots
Click any screenshot to open it in a new tab. This is useful for zooming in while following the step-by-step instructions.
Departments and Workflow
Departments screen reference. Use it to explain production stages, responsibility and workflow setup.
Who should use this screen?
AdministratorConfigures PQM, licenses, modules, health checks, capabilities and technical maintenance. This role should be limited to trusted users.
Manager / Shop ManagerControls daily production, creates tasks, checks reports, follows deadlines and supervises employee work without changing technical settings.
Production EmployeeWorks mainly in the frontend Employee Portal and updates assigned production stages without using the WordPress admin area.
Troubleshooting for beginners
| Symptom | Simple explanation | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| The page looks empty | The system may have no demo data yet, or the current user may not have access to the required role/capability. | Create one test task, assign a department, then refresh the screen. Also check the user role. |
| A button opens a login page or My Account | The visitor is not logged in or the page is using a frontend-safe route that requires authentication. | Log in with a test user that has the expected role. Check whether the shortcode/page is visible only to logged-in users. |
| Data exists but does not appear in a report/chart | Filters, date range, status rules or completion dates may exclude the task. | Clear filters, expand the date range and verify that the task has the status/date required by the report. |
| Something changed but the screen still shows old data | Browser cache, WordPress cache or AJAX response cache may show old information. | Refresh the page, clear cache for this page and test in an incognito window before debugging code. |
| The layout is broken on a small screen | Wide tables and timelines need horizontal space; this is normal if the content remains readable. | Use the mobile breakpoint, keep cards in one column and allow horizontal scroll only inside tables/timelines. |
Readiness checklist
A beginner can explain what this screen is for after reading the first two sections.
The correct role can open the screen and restricted roles cannot see unsafe actions.
There is at least one realistic test task visible in the screen.
Buttons and links go to the expected place.
The empty state explains what to do next instead of looking broken.
The page remains readable on tablet and mobile.
Related training pages
Training HomeTraining overview and recommended learning path.Production DashboardDaily command center, active tasks, metrics and quick actions.Core ConfigurationSystem settings, statuses, roles, capabilities and safe defaults.Tasks and Add TaskHow to create, read and update production tasks step by step.Calendar and Standard GanttDate planning, deadlines and visual timeline overview.Email Queue and CommunicationCustomer messages, email queue and communication templates.Reports and KPIKPI, margins, bottlenecks, exports and production analysis.Modules / MarketplaceOptional modules, activation state and upgrade path.