Overview
This guide walks you through creating a new Work Order in the Washstacks mobile app. The same workflow is available on the Washstacks website — the screens look slightly different on a desktop browser, but the fields, options, and steps are the same.
In this example you will: open the Add Work Order form, fill in the details, attach a photo of the broken part, save the work order, and then re-open it to add a note.
Step 1 — Open the Add Work Order form
Tap Work Orders in the bottom navigation bar to open the Work Orders list.
Tap the orange + button in the bottom-right corner of the screen to start a new work order.
Step 2 — Fill in the work order details
The Add Work Order form opens. Required fields are marked "Required." Work through them from top to bottom:
Summary — a short title describing the issue (e.g., "Replace Tire Shine guard").
Location — tap to choose the site where the work is needed (in this example, "Waves HQ").
Type — defaults to Reactive. Change it if the work order is preventive or for another category your site uses.
Priority — choose Low, Medium, High, or Critical based on how urgent the repair is.
Scheduling Window — leave at Any Time unless the job needs to happen during a specific window.
Step 3 — Add a description and assign the work order
Scroll down to finish the form:
Description — write a detailed explanation of what is wrong, where it is, and any helpful background information. In this example: "Plastic guard on driver side tire shine broke. We have a new one in the back room."
Assigned To — tap the field and pick a person from the list of team members. You can assign yourself or another technician.
A clear, specific description helps the assignee resolve the issue faster.
Step 4 — Attach a photo
Photos make a work order much easier to act on. Underneath the Assigned To field you will see the "Upload images / attachments" section.
Tap Click to upload files. Your phone will present its picture sources. You have two options here:
Take a new picture of the item right now using the phone's camera, or
Upload a picture you have already taken from your photo library.
In this example we chose upload. Either option works — pick whichever is easier in the moment. The form accepts up to 10 images, file types .png, .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, or .heic, with a 10 MB max size per file.
💡 Tip: Wait for the upload to finish before tapping Create. The form shows "Please wait to submit... still uploading images." while the file is transferring, then changes to "1 of 10 uploaded" with a Remove option when the upload is complete.
Step 5 — Tap Create
When all the required fields are filled in and any photos are fully uploaded, tap the blue Create button at the bottom of the form. Washstacks creates the work order and returns you to the Work Orders list. Your new work order will appear in the list with its summary, location, priority, and a Pending status badge.
Step 6 — Re-open the work order to add notes
You can return to a work order at any time to add notes, attach more photos, or update parts used. This is useful for capturing follow-up information after the work order has been created.
From the Work Orders list, tap the row for the work order you want to update.
The work order detail screen opens, showing Status, Priority, Location, Scheduling Window, Assignee, Created By, Days Open, and your Description.
Scroll down past the description and photo until you see the Parts and Notes sections.
Tap inside the Add a note... field and type your note. In this example: "We will be there in the morning to install new guard."
Tap the blue SAVE button under the note field. Your note will appear below, stamped with your name, the date, and the time. You can use the EDIT or DELETE links underneath if you need to change or remove it later.
💡 Adding more photos later: The note screen also shows an "Upload images / attachments" section (up to 4 files per note). If you have additional pictures you want to attach to the work order — for example, photos taken once you arrive on site — upload them here the same way you did when creating the work order. As before, you can either take a new photo or upload one already saved to your phone.
Doing this on the website
Everything shown above can also be done from the Washstacks website on a desktop or laptop browser. Sign in, click Work Orders in the navigation, and click the Add (+) button to open the same form. Photos can be dragged into the upload area or selected from your computer's file picker, instead of using your phone's camera.
Quick-reference checklist
Open Work Orders → tap the orange "+" button.
Summary: a short, clear title.
Location: pick the correct site.
Type, Priority, Scheduling Window: set as needed.
Description: detailed explanation of the issue.
Assigned To: select the responsible person.
Photo: take a new picture OR upload an existing one (wait for upload to finish).
Tap Create.
Re-open the work order any time to add notes or attach more photos.