In many real-world repair and manufacturing environments, work must progress in a strict sequence across stations. For example, an item must be tested before it can be cleaned, and it must be cleaned before it can be packed.
However, in standard Odoo workflows, confirming a Repair Order creates all related work orders and marks them as Ready simultaneously—even if upstream work hasn’t started. This leads to:
- Cluttered downstream queues (e.g., Packing shows items prematurely).
- Increased risk of errors due to miscommunication.
- Inefficient scheduling and tracking of in-progress tasks.
The Enforce Sequential Work Order Execution feature solves this by introducing strict predecessor-successor logic between work orders linked to the same Repair Order.
Key Functionalities
- True Sequential Gating
Downstream work orders remain in Waiting until their direct predecessor is completed. - Clean Operator Queues
Only actionable tasks are shown to each role, eliminating unnecessary clutter. - Automated Transitions
Status updates happen automatically as preceding tasks are marked done. - Error Prevention
Stops accidental starts or misordered task execution. - Shop Floor Compatibility
Integrates seamlessly with Odoo’s Shop Floor app. Only operations ready for execution will appear as active tiles.
Example Workflow
For a Repair Order with the steps:
Testing → Cleaning → Packing
- On confirmation, only Testing is marked as Ready.
- Cleaning and Packing remain in Waiting.
- When Testing is completed, Cleaning automatically transitions to Ready.
- After Cleaning is done, Packing becomes Ready, ensuring smooth, controlled progress.
Benefits
- Operational Clarity – Each team sees exactly what they need to work on next.
- Flow Fidelity – Digital status matches the real-world process flow.
- Higher Throughput – Operators spend less time sorting through irrelevant tasks.
- Quality and Compliance – Ensures mandatory steps aren’t skipped or reordered.
Conclusion
By enforcing strict, dependency-driven readiness, this feature transforms the work order process from a static task list into a real-time, dynamic workflow. It provides cleaner queues, fewer errors, and a more efficient and predictable path from initial processing to final completion.