Work, Inspections & Checklists

What a work item is

A work item is a job on a car. Think of it like writing up a line on an RO. Every repair, service, or task lives here — from an oil change to a full detail.

Each work item moves through a set of states. Here’s the flow:

Created → Needs Estimate → Pending Approval → Pending Work → Done
                                                           ↘ Declined

State	What it means
Created	The item exists. No price yet.
Needs Estimate	Someone flagged it needs a cost before it can be approved.
Pending Approval	Priced and waiting for a manager to say yes or no.
Pending Work	Approved. The tech can start.
Done	The tech marked it complete.
Declined	A manager rejected it. It stays on record but won’t be done.

Every work item on a vehicle is visible to the team in the Work tab. Managers see all items. Techs see items assigned to their area.

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Adding a work item

You can add a work item to any vehicle in recon. Open the car, go to the Work tab, and tap Add.

1. Open a vehicle from the board.
2. Tap the Work tab.
3. Tap Add work item.
4. Pick an item from your service menu, or type a custom description.
5. Tap Save.

The item lands in the Created state. If it needs pricing before it goes to a manager, it moves to Needs Estimate. Once you add a price, it’s ready for approval.

You can also add a note to any work item. Tap the item, then tap the Notes area. Good for “waiting on part” or similar updates.

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Pricing it

Each work item has four pricing fields:

Field	What to enter
Parts	Cost of parts in dollars
Hours	Labor hours estimated
Labor rate	Your shop’s rate per hour
Total	Calculated automatically

The total calculates from parts plus hours times the labor rate. You don’t type it in — it updates as you fill in the other fields.

Some service-menu items require a parts price before you can save. If the Save button stays grayed out, check the Parts field — it may need a value.

There is no dollar cap on a single work item. Enter whatever the job actually costs.

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Manager approves or declines

Once a work item is priced and in Pending Approval, a manager can act on it.

Managers see all pending items on the Work tab of any vehicle. They can also pull up the approval queue to see everything across the board at once.

To approve or decline:

1. Open the vehicle or the approval queue.
2. Tap the work item.
3. Tap Approve or Decline.
4. Add a note (required if declining).
5. Tap Confirm.

Need to clear a batch? Use Bulk Approve — select multiple items and approve them all at once.

Declined items stay on record. Nothing is deleted. The decline reason shows in the item’s notes.

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Tech marks it done

Once a work item is approved and in Pending Work, the tech can mark it done.

Open the vehicle, go to the Work tab, find the approved item, and tap the checkbox. The item moves to Done.

Caution

You can’t mark work done before it’s approved. Ask your manager to approve it first.

If the checkbox isn’t there, the item is still waiting for approval. Tag your manager in a note with @mention so they see it fast. See Notes & Notifications for how @mentions work.

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Customize your service menu

Your service menu is your library of common jobs with default pricing. Instead of typing a job name, hours, and parts cost from scratch every time, a tech picks it from the list and the fields fill in.

Set it up once and save time every day.

To build your service menu:

1. Go to Admin.
2. Tap Service Menu.
3. Tap Add template.
4. Enter the job name, default parts cost, hours, and labor rate.
5. Tap Save.

Add your most common jobs first — oil changes, tire rotations, alignments, detail packages. You can edit or delete any template later.

Note

The service menu is set per rooftop. Your rooftop admin manages it. See Admin & Help for who can make changes.

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Running an inspection

An inspection finds problems and turns them into work. Run one when a car comes in. The tech goes point by point, flags anything off, and EasyRecon offers to create work items from the findings.

Choose a preset that fits the car and how much time you have. There are six presets:

Preset	Items	Use it for
Express	20	Quick lot check. Safety items only.
Standard	57	Most used-car recon. Full safety + mechanical basics.
Comprehensive	105	Deep-dive on any retail unit. All standard sections expanded.
Full	133	Comprehensive plus drivetrain, suspension, and ADAS. Use on trucks and newer tech vehicles.
CPO	141	Everything. Every item in the library. Use for certified pre-owned prep.
Wholesale	12	Auction lot only. Title, start, drive, tires, body — that’s it.

To run an inspection:

1. Open a vehicle.
2. Tap the Inspections tab.
3. Tap Start inspection.
4. Pick a preset.
5. Go through each item. Tap Pass, Fail, or Advisory.
6. At the end, review flagged items. Tap Create work items to add them to the Work tab.

On mobile, use Swipe & Speak mode. Swipe left or right to pass or fail each item. Tap the mic to add a voice note. Fast when your hands are dirty.

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Inspection vs. Checklist — which to use

Both inspections and checklists are point-by-point lists. But they serve different jobs.

What	Inspection	Checklist
Purpose	Find problems. Create work items.	Confirm a step was done right. Gate the move to the next step.
Attached to	A vehicle, on demand. Run it when you want.	A workflow step, automatically. It opens when someone tries to move the car.
Outcome	Creates work items from failed or advisory items.	Blocks the move until all required items are checked off.

Use an inspection when a car first arrives or when you want to dig into its condition. Use a checklist on a step when you need to make sure every tech follows the same process before moving the car forward.

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Setting up checklists

A checklist is attached to a step in your workflow. When a tech tries to move a car out of that step, the checklist drawer opens. They check off each item. If the checklist is required, the car can’t move until every item is done.

1. Go to Admin → Checklists.
2. Tap New checklist.
3. Name it. Add items line by line. Tap Save.
4. Go to Admin → Steps.
5. Open the step you want to attach it to.
6. Under Checklist, pick the one you just made.
7. Toggle Required on to block the move until it’s done.
8. Tap Save.

Good uses for checklists: Detail step (interior cleaned, exterior washed, windows done), Photos step (all angles shot, no blurry frames), Frontline step (sticker in window, keys on board).

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Permissions summary

Who can do what with work items, inspections, and checklists.

Action	Tech / Detail / Parts	Vendor	Manager	Rooftop Admin
Create a work item	Yes	Yes (their cars only)	Yes	Yes
See pricing	Yes (their items only)	No	Yes	Yes
Approve a work item	No	No	Yes	Yes
Mark a work item done	Yes (once approved)	Yes (their own, once approved)	Yes	Yes
Delete a work item	No	No	Yes	Yes
Run an inspection	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Set up the service menu	No	No	No	Yes
Set up checklists	No	No	No	Yes

For a full breakdown of roles and what each one covers across the whole app, see Admin & Help.