Job Categories and Priorities

Organize and prioritize your work effectively using Buildefine's category and priority systems to improve workflow management and resource allocation.

Job Categories Overview

Categories help organize jobs by type, department, or workflow requirements. They provide structure and enable specialized handling for different kinds of work.

Purpose of Categories

Organization: Group similar types of work together
Workflow Specialization: Apply specific processes to job types
Resource Planning: Allocate appropriate skills and tools
Reporting: Analyze performance by work type
Custom Fields: Configure type-specific information collection

Image Prompt: Screenshot of jobs dashboard with jobs grouped by category tiles/cards, each showing category name, color, and job count. Include installation, maintenance, repair, and consultation categories.

Common Category Examples

Service Industries:

Installation
Maintenance
Repair
Inspection
Consultation
Emergency Response

Construction:

Residential
Commercial
Industrial
Renovation
New Construction

Professional Services:

Audit
Training
Consulting
Development
Support

Setting Up Categories

Category Properties

Each category includes:

Basic Information:

Name: Clear, descriptive category title
Description: Detailed explanation of category purpose
Color: Visual identifier for quick recognition

Management Settings:

Active/Inactive: Control category availability
Sort Order: Determine display sequence
Company Scope: Categories are company-specific

Image Prompt: Screenshot of category configuration form showing name field, description textarea, color picker, toggle switches for active/inactive, and sort order input.

Creating New Categories

Navigate to Settings → Job Categories
Click "Create New Category"
Enter category details:
- Descriptive name
- Clear description
- Appropriate color
Set display order
Save and activate

Category Best Practices

Naming Conventions:

Use consistent terminology
Keep names short but clear
Avoid overlapping definitions
Consider user understanding

Color Selection:

Use distinctive colors for easy identification
Maintain consistent color meanings
Consider accessibility for colorblind users
Avoid overly similar shades

Organization Strategy:

Start with broad categories
Subdivide as needed
Avoid too many categories (5-15 optimal)
Regular review and cleanup

Custom Fields by Category

Categories can have specialized data collection requirements:

Field Types Available

Text Fields:

Short text (single line)
Long text (paragraph)
Rich text (formatted)

Selection Fields:

Dropdown lists
Checkboxes
Radio buttons

Data Fields:

Numbers (with validation)
Dates and times
Currency amounts

File Fields:

Document attachments
Image uploads
Multiple file support

Image Prompt: Screenshot of custom fields configuration interface showing different field types being added to a category, with field properties and validation options.

Custom Field Examples

Installation Category:

Equipment Type (dropdown)
Serial Number (text)
Warranty Period (number)
Installation Date (date)
Photos (file upload)

Maintenance Category:

Last Service Date (date)
Service Type (dropdown)
Parts Replaced (text)
Next Service Due (date)
Maintenance Photos (file upload)

Job Priorities System

Priorities help teams focus on the most important work and manage resource allocation effectively.

Understanding Priority Levels

High Priority:

Urgent deadlines
Critical client requests
Emergency situations
Revenue-impacting work

Medium Priority:

Standard timeline work
Scheduled maintenance
Routine projects
Regular client requests

Low Priority:

Non-urgent tasks
Internal improvements
Training projects
Nice-to-have features

Image Prompt: Screenshot showing a job list with priority badges (High in red, Medium in yellow/orange, Low in green/blue) clearly visible next to job names.

Priority Configuration

Priority Properties:

Name: Clear priority level description
Color: Visual indicator for quick identification
Sort Order: Determines priority ranking
Default: Automatically assigned to new jobs

Example Priority Setup:

1. Emergency (Red) - Sort: 1
2. High (Orange) - Sort: 2  
3. Normal (Blue) - Sort: 3 (Default)
4. Low (Green) - Sort: 4
5. When Possible (Gray) - Sort: 5

Priority Guidelines

Emergency Priority Usage:

True emergencies only
Safety-related issues
System down situations
Client escalations

Avoid Priority Inflation:

Not everything is "high priority"
Regular review of priority assignments
Train team on proper priority usage
Management oversight for emergency priority

Filtering and Search

Category Filtering

Dashboard Filters:

Quick category buttons
Multi-select capability
Combined with other filters
Saved filter presets

Advanced Search:

Text search within categories
Date range filtering
Status combinations
Custom field searches

Image Prompt: Screenshot of the jobs dashboard filter panel showing category checkboxes, priority dropdown, date pickers, and search field with applied filters showing filtered results.

Priority-Based Views

Priority Workspaces:

High priority dashboard
Team priority queues
Escalation monitoring
SLA tracking views

Sorting Options:

Priority then date
Category then priority
Custom sorting rules
User-specific preferences

Reporting and Analytics

Category Analytics

Performance by Category:

Completion rates
Average duration
Resource utilization
Profitability analysis

Trend Analysis:

Category volume over time
Seasonal patterns
Growth areas
Declining categories

Image Prompt: Screenshot of analytics dashboard with pie chart showing job distribution by category and bar chart showing completion rates by category over time.

Priority Metrics

Priority Distribution:

Current priority breakdown
Priority trends
Escalation patterns
Resolution times

SLA Monitoring:

Priority-based targets
Performance tracking
Alert thresholds
Compliance reporting

Workflow Integration

Category-Specific Workflows

Different categories may require:

Unique Status Progressions: Installation vs. maintenance workflows
Specialized Tasks: Category-specific task templates
Different Approvals: Category-based approval processes
Varied Documentation: Category-specific requirements

Priority-Based Automation

Automatic Escalation:

Priority-based SLA rules
Automatic status updates
Notification triggers
Resource allocation

Queue Management:

Priority-based task assignment
Workload balancing
Skill-based routing
Capacity planning

Troubleshooting

Common Category Issues

Categories Not Appearing:

Check if category is active
Verify user permissions
Confirm company scope
Clear browser cache

Custom Fields Missing:

Ensure category is selected
Check field activation status
Verify field configuration
Test with different users

Priority Problems

Priority Not Saving:

Check required fields
Verify user permissions
Look for validation errors
Try different priority level

Incorrect Priority Display:

Clear browser cache
Check priority configuration
Verify color settings
Test in different browsers

Best Practices Summary

Category Management

Start Simple: Begin with basic categories, expand as needed
Regular Review: Quarterly assessment of category effectiveness
User Training: Ensure team understands category purposes
Consistent Usage: Enforce category selection requirements

Priority Management

Clear Definitions: Document what each priority means
Regular Audits: Review priority assignments periodically
Escalation Procedures: Define when to escalate priorities
Performance Tracking: Monitor priority-based metrics

System Maintenance

Regular Cleanup: Remove unused categories/priorities
Color Coordination: Maintain consistent visual standards
Documentation: Keep category descriptions current
Feedback Loop: Gather user input for improvements