Saving Time on Repeat Customer Work Orders with Layout Templates

If you work with repeat customers, you probably see the same style of work-order spreadsheet over and over:
same columns, same header row, same way of naming parts. Only the quantities and a few details change.

The work is familiar, but the review still takes time. Every new file means reapplying filters, rebuilding
formulas, and manually checking that all the right parts are there for this job. That is exactly where
Work Order Checker and its layout templates can save hours every month.

Why repeat work orders still waste so much time

A typical repeat customer might send you dozens of nearly identical work orders per year. The spreadsheet
structure is the same, but to review each one you still need to:

• Find the key columns you care about (part number, description, material, routing, quantity)
• Build filters to isolate certain product families or thicknesses
• Count how many of each part family you have in this specific work order
• Check that critical parts (for example all shelf and front panels) are present

Doing this manually in Excel is repetitive and easy to get wrong. One missed filter or typo in a formula can
hide a missing part until it shows up on the shop floor.

What is a layout template in Work Order Checker?

In Work Order Checker, a layout template is a saved setup that remembers the way you like to
review a particular style of work order. A template can include:

• The list of columns to show and their order
• The strings to check (for example SHF, 3.0T, Shelf panel, Front panel)
• All your search rules that combine a column with a string, like “Part Number contains SHF”

Once you save a layout template, you can apply it to any future work order that uses the same column headings
and general format. Instead of rebuilding your review logic from scratch, you load the template and start
reviewing results immediately.

Step‑by‑step: Build your first layout template

Here is a simple way to create your first template for a repeat customer or product line.

1. Pick a representative work‑order file

Choose a work-order spreadsheet that represents the typical format from this customer or ERP export. It should
include all the columns you normally care about and at least one example of each part family you want to track.

Open that file in Work Order Checker using the
Browse… button. The app will read the header row automatically and, for CSV or TSV files, will detect
the correct delimiter so the columns line up properly.

2. Select the columns that matter

Under Columns to show, add the headers you need to see whenever you review this kind of work
order — for example:

• Part Number
• Description
• Revision
• Material
• Finish / Coating
• Qty
• Routing Operation

Use the Up and Down buttons to put the columns in the order that makes sense for how you read work orders.
This layout will be stored inside the template so every future file opens with the same familiar column order.

3. Add the strings you always look for

Next, think about the patterns you always scan for in this style of work order. Common examples include:

• Part number prefixes like SHF for shelf panels or SUP for support brackets
• Thickness markers like 3.0T or 1.5T
• Keywords in the description, such as “Shelf panel”, “Front panel”, or “Rear rail”

Add these values to the Strings to check list. You can reuse them in as many search rules as you
need.

4. Turn your review logic into search rules

Now create the rules that you would normally implement with a stack of Excel filters. For each check you want to
run, add a rule such as:

• Part Number contains SHF – find all shelf panels
• Part Number contains 3.0T – find all 3 mm parts
• Description contains Front panel – confirm all front panels are present

Every rule gets its own filtered grid, plus contributes to the Statistics view, so you can quickly see how many
rows matched each rule.

5. Save the current layout as a template

When you are happy with the columns, strings, and rules, open the Templates… menu and choose
Save Current Layout. Give the template a clear name, such as the customer name or product line:
“Customer A – Panel System” or “ERP Export – Standard Sheet Metal”.

From now on, that template will be available in the Templates dialog so you can apply it to other work orders
that use the same format.

Applying a layout template to new work orders

The real time savings happen the second, third, and tenth time you see a similar work-order file.

1. Load the new file

When a new work order arrives, open the spreadsheet in Work Order Checker with Browse… just as before.
Wait for the file to load and for the default “All Rows” grid to appear.

2. Apply the template

Open Templates…, select the layout you created earlier, and click Load. The
app will:

• Switch the Columns to show to your saved list and order
• Restore your list of strings
• Rebuild all the search rules exactly as you saved them

In a few seconds, you have the same review setup you used for the original job, without touching a single Excel
filter.

3. Watch for missing or changed columns

If this new work order uses slightly different headers, some rules may target columns that no longer exist.
Work Order Checker will simply show an empty grid for those rules, which is a useful hint that the column name
changed or was removed. Update the rule or the template to match the new header, then resave the layout so it
stays correct for the future.

Sharing layout templates with your team

Layout templates really shine when the whole team uses them. Instead of everyone inventing their own review
habits, you can standardize how your company checks certain work orders.

Work Order Checker lets you import and export templates as small JSON files
(.uwoc-template.json). You can:

• Create a “golden” template for a customer’s work-order format
• Export it and share the file in your engineering or production channel
• Ask teammates to import the template so they review work orders the same way

When a template is updated, you can overwrite it in the Templates dialog. The app keeps backup copies in the
background so you can recover previous versions if needed.

Layout templates as part of standard work

In lean manufacturing, the idea of standard work is to document the best known way to perform a task and
make it easy for everyone to follow. Layout templates in Work Order Checker are a simple way to standardize how
you review work orders:

• Everyone sees the same columns in the same order
• Everyone uses the same rules to check for critical part families
• New team members can adopt the review process quickly

Over time, you can refine each template as you discover better checks, then share the updated template with your
team. This keeps your work-order review process improving without adding complexity.

Try layout templates on your next repeat work order

The next time a familiar customer sends you a work-order spreadsheet, use it as the basis for your first layout
template. Capture the columns, strings, and rules you already rely on, save the template, and apply it to the
next job.

After a few cycles, you will see that reviewing these repeat work orders has gone from a manual spreadsheet slog
to a quick, reliable, three‑click routine.

You can download Work Order Checker for free from the Microsoft Store here:
Work Order Checker – Universal Work‑Order Checker.