A work order is the container for everything you're doing to one boat for one customer. It holds the jobs, the paperwork you hand the tech, and the invoices that come out the other end.
Service is in product beta. Everything described here is live and supported. Where a capability isn't built yet, we say so and give you the workaround we use with other yards.
Create the work order
Go to
Service > Work Ordersand click Add new.Search for the customer and select their boat. Both are required. If the customer isn't in Dockwa yet, you can create them — and add their boat — without leaving this screen.
Fill in Request Description — what the customer actually asked for, in their words. This prints on the paperwork and is the fastest way for anyone picking the job up later to understand the ask.
Click Create Work Order. Dockwa assigns a work order ID and opens it.
Good to know: You don't need a contract, a reservation, or a slip to raise a work order. Transient customers and one-off walk-ins work exactly the same way as your annual tenants.
What's on the work order
Status band at the top, with Schedule and Close Work Order.
Contact and boat — pulled from the customer record, including the boat photo, registration, insurance and vessel details, so the tech can check documents without leaving the page.
Dates — created, scheduled, work started, closed, and time to close.
Jobs — the work itself. See Manage jobs on a work order.
AutoPay and Billing & Payments — see Invoice a work order.
Work order status
You never set the work order's status directly — it rolls up from the jobs underneath it. Start one job and the whole work order reads as in progress; finish them all and it reads as complete.
Open → In Progress → Work Complete → Closed
Schedule a work order
Click Schedule in the status band and pick a date — today or any date ahead. On the work order list you can then filter by Scheduled and Unscheduled to see what's booked and what's still floating.
Heads up: A work order can only be scheduled while it's still Open. Once work has started, the Schedule button is gone — so book the date before the first job starts.
Find a work order
The Work Orders list searches by work order ID, customer name or boat name. Filter by Status and by Scheduled, and sort by created, scheduled, closed or time to close. The Job Progress column shows how far through the jobs each work order is without opening it.
Print for the customer and for the tech
Click Print at the top of the work order and choose a version:
Version | What it is |
Customer Copy | Boater-facing document with the scope, jobs, pricing and billing status. While any job is still uninvoiced it reads as an estimate; once every job has been invoiced, the totals read as a final bill. |
Tech Worksheet | One job per page with the work order details at the top and room for extra line items, time logging and notes. No pricing on it. |
The customer copy is how most yards send a quote today — print or PDF it, send it, and record the customer's go-ahead yourself.
Close a work order
Closing is a manual step you take when the boat is done and out. Click Close Work Order and Dockwa shows you a readiness check — how many jobs are invoiced, and whether any invoices are still outstanding.
Outstanding invoices produce a warning but don't block you; accounts receivable keeps tracking them. Closing locks the work order from new work and takes it out of the active queue. You can still settle invoices and remove line items, and you can reopen the work order if something comes back.
Not available yet
Digital estimate approvals. Send the printed or PDF customer copy and record the approval on your side.
Photo and file attachments. Notes are the only place to record condition or damage today.
Boat location on the yard. Not captured on the work order yet — put it in the request description or a job note.
A work orders tab on the customer profile. Search the work order list by customer name instead.
Common questions
Can one work order hold several jobs?
Yes — as many as you need, each as its own collapsible section, with the work order status rolling up from them.
Can I edit the request description after saving?
Not currently. If the ask changes, capture it in a note on the relevant job so it lands in the activity feed with a timestamp.
Do work orders have a title?
No — they're identified by their sequential ID, the customer and the boat. The ID is unique to your marina and is what the search box expects.
Can the boater see the work order?
Not yet. Boaters see service through the invoice — by email and in the Invoices & Payments section of their account.