Core Workflow Overview¶

Hardhat Flow organizes work around a linear lifecycle: a Bid is created and approved, which automatically generates a Job, which is worked and completed, which triggers Invoicing, and finally Payment closes the loop.

Each entity — Bid, Job, Invoice — has its own independent status. The dashboard surfaces all three simultaneously so your team always knows where a piece of work stands.

Full Lifecycle at a Glance¶

[Bid Created]
     │
     ▼
[Bid Awaiting PO]  ──── PM or Owner submits bid, awaiting purchase order
     │
     ▼
[Bid Approved]     ──── Owner or Accounting adds PO number and approves
     │
     ▼ (automatic)
[Job: Ready to Start]
     │
     ▼
[Job: In Progress]  ──── PM advances when work begins
     │
     ▼
[Job: Completed / Needs Invoice]  ──── PM marks complete
     │
     ▼
[Invoice Submitted]  ──── Owner or Accounting creates invoice
     │
     ▼
[Partially Paid]    ──── First payment recorded, balance > 0
     │
     ▼
[Paid]              ──── Balance reaches zero
     │
     ▼
[Workflow Complete] ──── System-set automatically

Step-by-Step Lifecycle Description¶

1. Bid Creation¶

A Project Manager or Owner creates a bid with all project details: client, location, scope, pricing, and assigned personnel. The bid enters New Bid status.

2. Bid Submitted for PO¶

When the PM or Owner is ready to move the bid forward, they advance it to Bid Awaiting PO — signaling that a purchase order is expected from the client before final approval.

3. Bid Approval¶

Once the PO number is received, an Owner or Accounting user enters it and approves the bid. Status changes to Bid Approved.

4. Automatic Job Creation¶

The moment a bid is approved, the system automatically creates a linked Job. No manual step is required. The job inherits key details from the bid and starts at Ready to Start.

5. Job Execution¶

The PM advances the job to In Progress when field work begins. Supervisors and Badge Workers log updates and photos throughout. When work wraps up, the PM marks it Completed / Needs Invoice.

6. Invoice Creation¶

An Owner or Accounting user creates the invoice against the completed job. The invoice number is auto-generated and the tax rate is pulled from company settings.

7. Payment Recording¶

Payments are recorded individually against the invoice. Each payment reduces the balance due. If the balance remains above zero, the invoice moves to Partially Paid. When the balance hits zero, the system automatically sets the status to Paid and then Workflow Complete.

Full Status Transition Table¶

Bid Statuses¶

From Status	To Status	Who Can Trigger	Conditions
New Bid	Bid Awaiting PO	PM, Owner	None
Bid Awaiting PO	Bid Approved	Owner, Accounting	PO number must be entered
Bid Approved	(auto) Job Created	System	Triggers automatically on approval
New Bid	Bid Rejected	Owner	None
Bid Awaiting PO	Bid Rejected	Owner	None
New Bid	Bid Cancelled	Owner	None
Bid Awaiting PO	Bid Cancelled	Owner	None
Bid Approved	Bid Cancelled	Owner	Only if no job work has begun

Job Statuses¶

From Status	To Status	Who Can Trigger	Conditions
(Bid Approved)	Ready to Start	System	Auto-created from approved bid
Ready to Start	In Progress	PM	None
In Progress	Completed / Needs Invoice	PM	None
Ready to Start	Job Cancelled	Owner	None
In Progress	Job Cancelled	Owner	None

Invoice / Payment Statuses¶

From Status	To Status	Who Can Trigger	Conditions
(Job Completed)	Invoice Submitted	Owner, Accounting	Job must be at "Completed / Needs Invoice"
Invoice Submitted	Partially Paid	Owner, Accounting	First payment recorded, balance > 0
Partially Paid	Paid	Owner, Accounting	Payment recorded, balance reaches 0
Paid	Workflow Complete	System	Set automatically when balance_due = 0

Dashboard and Status Visibility¶

No single unified status

The dashboard displays Bid, Job, and Invoice statuses independently. There is no single "project status" field. You can always see at a glance where each entity is in its own lifecycle — for example, a job can be In Progress while its originating bid is read-only in Bid Approved state.

Blocked and Priority Flags¶

Both Bids and Jobs support two operational flags that work across the workflow:

Blocked Flag¶

Can be set on a Job by a PM or Owner.
Indicates work cannot proceed (waiting on materials, access, inspection, etc.).
Setting the blocked flag triggers an SMS notification to the PM and Owner.
Clearing the flag triggers an SMS notification to the PM.
The blocked flag does not change job status — it is an overlay indicator.

Priority Flag¶

Can be set on a Bid or Job by a PM or Owner.
Marks the work as high-priority for scheduling and field attention.
Setting the priority flag triggers an SMS notification to the PM and Supervisor.
Visible on dashboard lists so dispatchers and managers can sort and triage quickly.

Use these flags liberally

Blocked and Priority flags are designed to be lightweight signals — set and clear them freely as field conditions change. They do not affect status transitions or lock any records.