Use Work Plans when multi-step field work needs a shared, signed checklist — a pre-pour QA/QC, a mockup review, a critical lift. Build the sections and items, name who signs each one, hold later work until an inspector signs, and download a signed PDF record when it's done.
Start here
- I build the plan: Create a work plan → Build the outline, sign-offs, and hold points → Publish a work plan.
- I do or inspect the work: Work an item and add proof of work → Sign off an item.
- I authorize or accept the plan: Authorize or accept a plan.
- I close out and keep the record: Close a plan → Download the signed PDF.
- I set up plan types for the project: Set up work plan types and custom fields.
- Something is missing or blocked: Start with Troubleshooting Work Plans.
Common task recipes
- Set up a pre-pour checklist: Open Work Plans, select New plan, enter a Title, pick "Quality: Pre-pour" as the Type, then Create draft. Use Add section and Add item to build the outline, add people under Sign-offs on every item, and select Publish.
- Stop the pour until the special inspector signs: On the inspection item, add the inspector under Sign-offs, set Holds to The rest of the plan, and pick the inspector under Released when this person signs.
- Sign your item from the field: Open the plan from My Ball-in-Courts on the project Dashboard, open the item, add your notes under Proof of work and photos under Attachments, then select Sign, type your name, tick the confirmation, and Sign.
- Hand the owner a signed record: After everyone accepts, select Close plan, then open the actions menu and select Download PDF.
Understand access and workflow
Understand how Work Plans work
Work Plans sits under Field Tools, just below Inspections. Each plan is a numbered outline: sections group the items people perform, and every item names the people who sign it off against its Acceptance criteria.
Draft → Awaiting authorization → In progress → Awaiting acceptance → Closed
- Draft is where you build the plan. Sections, items, sign-offs, hold points, and the people under Authorization and Acceptance can only change while the plan is a draft.
- Awaiting authorization happens only when someone is listed under Authorization. Items stay locked until every authorizer signs.
- In progress is when the work happens. People change item status, write proof of work, add attachments, and sign their sign-offs. An item closes on its own when its last sign-off is in.
- Awaiting acceptance starts automatically when every item is closed. People under Acceptance sign to accept the completed plan.
- Closed is the finished record. Someone with write access selects Close plan once every acceptor has signed.
A plan with nobody under Authorization goes straight from Draft to In progress when you publish. A plan with nobody under Acceptance still stops at Awaiting acceptance so someone can review it and select Close plan.
Ball-in-court — whose turn it is to act — follows the stage. While a plan is awaiting authorization, it's in each unsigned authorizer's court. While it's in progress, it's in the court of everyone with an unsigned sign-off on an item that isn't locked by a hold point. While it's awaiting acceptance, it's in each unsigned acceptor's court. Those plans show up in My Ball-in-Courts on the project Dashboard and in Global Dashboard's ball-in-court list, typed as Work Plan.
Every signature is typed: you enter your full name and tick a confirmation statement, and we save the name, the time, and the statement. Signatures can't be edited afterward.
Permissions, visibility, and platform availability
Work Plans needs the Project Management or Financial package. On a Field-package organization the tool doesn't appear under Field Tools, and work plans don't appear in ball-in-court lists.
Inside the tool, access splits into these permissions:
- View work plans opens the tool. Its "Level of work plan access" setting is either "All work plans" or only published plans where you or someone at your company authorizes, signs an item, or accepts.
- Work on items: change status, write proof of work, add and remove attachments covers the work itself. Its "Which items" setting is either "All items" or only items that you or someone at your company signs.
- Create work plans, edit drafts, publish and close plans covers New plan, everything in a draft, Publish, and Close plan.
- Edit published work plans, which moves them back to Draft and deletes their signatures shows Edit plan on a plan that's already been published.
- Delete work plans shows Delete plan.
- Record signatures on someone else's behalf turns other people's sign-offs, authorizations, and acceptances into Record signature buttons for you.
- Manage work plan types and templates shows Work Plan Settings.
Signing your own sign-off, authorization, or acceptance doesn't need any of the permissions beyond View work plans — being the named person is what counts.
By default, administrators, managers, and employees see all work plans and can create, edit drafts, publish, and close. Administrators and managers can work on every item; employees can work on items that someone at their company signs. Editing published plans, deleting, recording signatures for someone else, and managing types default to administrators and managers. Subcontractor, consultant, and owner roles see only published plans their company is named on, and can work on only the items their company signs.
Work Plans runs on desktop web, mobile web, and the native app.
- On desktop, the plan opens with the outline on the left and the selected item or overview on the right.
- In the app, the outline and each item open as separate screens; tap Overview at the top of the outline for the plan details and the Authorization and Acceptance lists. New plan is the plus (+) button in the header, and Edit plan, Download PDF, and Delete plan are in the plan's header actions menu.
- Work Plan Settings is only in the web Work Plans header.
When something happens on a plan you're named on, we notify you through the Work Plans channel. You hear about it when a plan you authorize is published, when your items open for work, when a hold point that was locking your item is released, and when a plan you accept is ready for acceptance or closed. The plan manager hears about it when the plan goes to acceptance and when everyone has accepted. Choose how much of that reaches you under My Account → Notification Preferences → Channels; see Choose notification activity.
Troubleshooting Work Plans
Most surprises here come from the stage the plan is in, a hold point, or a missing permission. Find your symptom and work through the checks in order.
Work Plans is missing from Field Tools
Check the package first: Work Plans needs the Project Management or Financial package, so a Field-package organization never shows it. Then ask an administrator to confirm your role has View work plans under Work Plans in Project Settings → Roles and Permissions.
I can't see a plan a teammate is talking about
If your role sees only plans your company is involved in, you won't see drafts at all, and you'll see a published plan only when you or someone at your company authorizes it, signs an item, or accepts it. Also check the filter at the top of the list — Open hides closed plans; use All.
New plan is missing
You need Create work plans, edit drafts, publish and close plans. View access opens the list but doesn't create plans.
Publish didn't publish the plan
When something is still missing, Publish opens Before you publish and shows a message that the plan isn't ready instead of publishing. Work through the unchecked rows: every section needs at least one item, every item needs a title, and every item needs at least one person under Sign-offs. The rows link straight to the items that need attention.
I can't sign an item
Check these in order:
- The plan has to be In progress. While it's Awaiting authorization, your row reads Opens after authorization.
- The item might be locked by a hold point. Your row reads Locked by hold point, and the item explains who has to sign first.
- The sign-off has to be yours. Someone else's row shows whose court it's in unless you have Record signatures on someone else's behalf.
- If every item is already closed, the plan has moved to Awaiting acceptance and sign-offs can't be added. Changing an item back to an open status returns the plan to In progress.
Hold point settings are missing on an item
Hold point appears under Sign-offs only after the item has at least one person to sign it, and only while the plan is a draft. Add the inspector or signer first.
Proof of work or Attachments are read-only
You can edit them only while the plan is In progress, the item isn't locked by a hold point, and your permission to work on items covers that item — some roles can work only on items someone at their company signs. In a draft, those panels don't appear at all.
Edit plan deleted our signatures
That's what editing a published plan does. Moving it back to Draft permanently deletes every authorization, sign-off, and acceptance, reopens the items those sign-offs closed, and everyone has to sign again after you republish. The confirmation tells you how many signatures will be deleted before you continue.
Work Plan Settings is missing
It's on the web Work Plans header, not in the app, and needs Manage work plan types and templates.
Build the plan
Create a work plan
Start a plan as a draft, then build it out before anyone is asked to sign. Only a title is required to get started.
- Open Work Plans under Field Tools.
- Select New plan in the header. In the app, tap the plus (+) button.
- In New Work Plan, enter a Title — something like "Level 4 Deck Pour: Pre-pour QA/QC".
- Optionally pick a Type and a Location. The type decides which custom fields the plan carries.
- Select Create draft.
The plan opens as a Draft with the next available number. You can change the number later in Overview; if another plan already uses it, you'll see Another plan shares this number.
New projects start with these types: General, Quality: Pre-pour, Quality: Mockup, Quality: Inspection, Quality: Pre-install, Safety: Critical lift, and Commissioning. Your project may have a different list if someone has changed it in Work Plan Settings or the project was created from a template.
You now have a draft plan ready for its outline.
Build the outline, sign-offs, and hold points
The outline is the plan: what gets done, in what order, what "done" means, and who signs for it. Everything below can only change while the plan is a Draft.
Start with Overview at the top of the outline. That's where you set the Number, Title, Type, Plan manager, Location, and Description. If the type has custom fields, they appear in their own panel named after the type — select Edit on that panel to fill them in.
Then build the outline itself:
- In Outline, select Add section and name it — "Pre-pour preparation," for example. Naming a new, empty section adds its first item for you.
- Select Add item under a section for each step. Items are numbered by section: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1.
- Open an item to give it a title, write its Acceptance criteria — what has to be true before it's signed off — and set a Due date.
- Under Sign-offs, use Add person to name everyone who does or inspects the work. An item closes when all of them have signed.
Use the three dots next to a section to Rename, Add item, Move up, Move down, or Delete section. Deleting a section that still has items asks Delete this section? first. On an item, Item actions offers Move up, Move down, Duplicate, and Delete item. Duplicate copies the title, criteria, due date, sign-offs, and hold point into a new item right below it. Delete item removes the item without asking.
Add a hold point where later work has to wait. A hold point stops later work from being signed off until one person signs this item — a special inspection before a pour, a mockup approval before production.
- Open the item and add at least one person under Sign-offs. Hold point appears below them.
- Under Holds, choose The rest of this section or The rest of the plan. Nothing turns the hold point off.
- Under Released when this person signs, pick the sign-off that releases it. It starts on the first person you added.
In the outline, a hold point marker sits under the item so everyone can see where the line is.
Last, name who authorizes and accepts. On Overview, add people under Authorization (they sign before work starts) and Acceptance (they sign at the end). Both lists are optional. Leaving Authorization empty means items open for work as soon as you publish.
You now have a complete outline with signers, criteria, and any hold points in place.
Who should be under Authorization versus Acceptance?
Put the people who approve the plan as written — the project manager, the engineer of record — under Authorization. Put the people who accept the finished work — the owner's rep, the quality manager — under Acceptance.
Can I add someone outside our company as a signer?
Yes. Sign-offs, authorizers, and acceptors can be anyone on the project team or in your organization, so you can name subcontractor, consultant, or owner contacts on the project. They'll see the plan once it's published. The Plan manager comes from your own organization.
Publish a work plan
Publishing locks the outline and opens the plan for signatures. Before you publish on the overview tracks what's left.
Before you publish checks three things:
- Add the items to perform — at least one item, and no section left empty
- Name every item — every item has a title
- Assign who signs each item — every item has at least one sign-off
When it reads Ready to publish, select the button next to the stage badge. It reads Publish when nobody is under Authorization, and Publish for authorization when someone is.
- With no authorizers, the plan moves to In progress and the people who can sign first are notified.
- With authorizers, the plan moves to Awaiting authorization and they're notified.
If something is still missing, the button takes you to Before you publish with a message instead of publishing.
You now have a live plan your team can work and sign.
Do the work
Find work plans and what's in your court
The Work Plans list shows every plan you can see on the project, with the ones waiting on you a tap away.
Open Work Plans and pick a filter: Open, My ball in court, Closed, or All. Each shows a count. Open is the default and hides closed plans. Search with Search work plans.
The list shows #, Title, Status, Ball in court, Progress, Type, Location, Manager, and Last updated. Progress counts closed items against the total.
Inside a plan, a button next to the stage badge jumps to the next item waiting on your signature, and Ball in your court marks Overview when you owe an authorization or acceptance.
Plans in your court also appear in My Ball-in-Courts on the project Dashboard and in Global Dashboard's ball-in-court list. Their due date is the earliest due date among the items waiting on you.
Work an item and add proof of work
While the plan is In progress, record what you did on each item so the signers — and the final PDF — have the evidence.
- Open the plan and select the item in the outline.
- Under Status, select the status badge and choose the new status: Open, In progress, Delayed, or Closed.
- Under Proof of work, describe how the work meets the criteria — what was checked, anything that changed. It saves when you click away.
- Under Attachments, upload files or add photos already in the project. Use Download to get every attachment on the item as a ZIP.
An item closes on its own when its last sign-off is in, so you rarely need to set Closed yourself. If you do close an item while sign-offs are still missing, the outline shows a warning icon beside it and the item shows a "Closed with gaps." notice until those people sign. Those people can still sign while the plan is In progress.
Note: When the last open item closes, the plan moves to Awaiting acceptance and missing sign-offs can't be added anymore. Close an item with gaps only when you mean to accept it that way.
If a hold point earlier in the plan hasn't been released, the item shows a lock icon in the outline and a notice naming who has to sign first. You can't change its status, proof of work, or attachments until that person signs.
Sign off an item
Your sign-off is your name on the item: you're confirming it meets its acceptance criteria. You need only view access and to be the person named on the sign-off.
- Open the item. The next sign-off button in the header, labeled with an item number, jumps to the next one waiting on you.
- Under Sign-offs, select Sign on your row.
- Review the Acceptance criteria shown in the dialog.
- Under Signature, type your full name.
- Tick "I confirm this item meets its acceptance criteria."
- Select Sign.
When yours is the last sign-off, the item closes. When you're the person who releases a hold point, your signature unlocks the items behind it and their signers are notified.
To sign for someone else, you need Record signatures on someone else's behalf. With it, other people's rows show Record signature. Type their full name; we save the signature as theirs and record you as the person who captured it. Use this for the inspector who signed a paper form on site.
You now have a signed, timestamped sign-off on the item.
Authorize or accept a plan
Authorizers sign before work starts; acceptors sign after every item is closed. If you're named, the button appears in the plan header when it's your turn.
- Open the plan. Select Authorize plan or Accept plan next to the stage badge. You can also select Authorize or Accept on your row in Overview.
- Type your full name under Signature.
- Tick the statement — "I authorize this plan to be performed as written." or "I accept the completed plan."
- Select Authorize or Accept.
When the last authorizer signs, the plan moves to In progress and the first signers are notified. When the last acceptor signs, the plan manager is notified that it's ready to close.
Rows read Opens after the plan is published or Opens when every item is closed until it's that list's turn.
What happens if someone reopens an item after I accepted?
Changing any item's status while the plan is awaiting acceptance sends it back to In progress and deletes the acceptance signatures. If anyone has already accepted, the person changing the status sees Reopen this item? first. You'll need to accept again once every item is closed.
Close a plan
Close the plan once the work is accepted. It's the last step and makes the record final.
Close plan appears next to the stage badge when the plan is Awaiting acceptance and everyone under Acceptance has signed — or right away if nobody is under Acceptance. Select it and the plan moves to Closed. The acceptors are notified.
Closed plans leave the Open filter. Find them under Closed or All.
You now have a closed, fully signed plan ready to export.
Change, export, or remove
Edit a published plan
The outline is locked once a plan is published. To change it, you move the whole plan back to Draft — and every signature on it is deleted.
- Open the plan and select the actions menu next to the stage badge. In the app, it's in the header.
- Select Edit plan.
- Read Edit this plan? — it tells you how many signatures will be deleted.
- Select Move to Draft and edit.
The plan is a draft again, with the outline open for changes. Items that were closed by sign-offs reopen. Publish it again when it's ready, and everyone signs again.
This works at any stage after Draft, including Closed. On a draft, Edit plan just opens Overview and needs only Create work plans, edit drafts, publish and close plans.
Download the signed PDF
The PDF is the record you file or send to the owner: every item, every signature, and the history behind them.
- Open the plan.
- Select the actions menu next to the stage badge. In the app, it's in the header.
- Select Download PDF.
The PDF includes the overview and type details, the Authorization and Acceptance signatures, every section and item with its status, due date, criteria, proof of work, file names, sign-offs with signing times, and hold points, followed by an activity log. Photos attached to items are added on pages at the end once the plan is published.
You can download it at any stage. Unsigned rows read "Not signed," so the PDF also works as a progress snapshot.
Delete a work plan
Delete a plan that shouldn't stay on the project — a duplicate, or one started on the wrong job.
- Open the plan and select the actions menu next to the stage badge. In the app, it's in the header.
- Select Delete plan.
- Confirm Delete this plan?.
The plan leaves the Work Plans list. There's no restore on screen.
Configure plan types
Set up work plan types and custom fields
Types let each kind of plan capture its own details — a pour's mix design and placement area, a lift's crane and load. Set them up on desktop web.
- Open Work Plans.
- Select Work Plan Settings in the header. The menu lists your Work Plan Types.
- Pick a type to open its settings, or select Add work plan type, enter a Name, and save.
- Use Add Field or Add Section to build the fields plans of that type carry.
- Use Rename to change the type's name.
Archive removes a type from the Type picker for new plans. Plans that already use it keep showing it. Archived types stay in the Work Plan Settings menu, where Unarchive brings them back.
Filling in custom field values on a plan uses Create work plans, edit drafts, publish and close plans and happens in the draft. Building the fields uses Manage work plan types and templates.
A project created from a template copies the template's active work plan types and their custom fields. It doesn't copy work plans.
Set your types once and every plan of that kind asks for the same details.