Understanding Boards in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

📋 Understanding Boards in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

⚡️ Executive Summary: Understanding Boards in Ontraccr
 

• Boards are flexible visual workflows used to manage operational processes across field, office, and project teams (e.g., estimating pipelines, service dispatch, recruiting funnels).
• Every board includes:
  • Board Settings (statuses, permissions, offline access, email notifications)
  • Card Design (layout and fields inside each card)
  • Automations (trigger tasks, moves, creations, form launches)
  • Views (Card, List, Timeline)
  • Board Card Tabs (Tasks, Forms, Notes, Timeline, Attachments, Analytics)
• You can create boards for:
  • Global workflows (e.g., CRM, estimating, onboarding, procurement)
  • Project-specific or division-specific boards (e.g., a service tracker for a site or region)
• Boards integrate across the platform:
  • Link to projects, clients, users, equipment, and materials
  • Trigger forms, tasks, notifications, cost entries, and project creation
  • Serve as the operational "front end" for tracking business-critical workflows
• Well-built boards create visibility, accountability, and automation across all teams.

🧭 What Are Boards in Ontraccr?

At the heart of Ontraccr’s operational tools, Boards are visual pipelines that track cards through customizable stages.

Boards allow you to manage:

• Estimating workflows
• Purchase order and procurement tracking
• Project tracking (preconstruction, construction, closeout)
• Service and maintenance dispatch
• Equipment inspections and repairs
• HR recruiting and onboarding pipelines
• CRM lead intake and client onboarding

Every board is a live, customizable workflow environment tailored to fit your company's operational needs.

🎯 Why Use Boards?

Boards allow you to:

• Visualize work as cards moving through stages
• Assign ownership and due dates across team members
• Trigger tasks, emails, or follow-up automations
• Link work to projects, clients, users, or assets
• Audit progress over time with full history and reporting
• Work offline (with offline board access for mobile users)

In short: Boards give structure, visibility, and automation to your business operations.

🛠️ How Boards Function Conceptually

A board in Ontraccr is made up of five building blocks:

Each board acts like a dynamic project management system:

• Cards move between stages
• Users are assigned work
• Automations trigger downstream activity
• Full audit trails are maintained

🧩 How Boards Fit Inside the Ontraccr System

Boards connect to every major part of the platform:

In Ontraccr, Boards are the front-end interface for real operational control.

🏗️ Types of Boards

There are two major styles of boards you can build:

The type depends on whether you want the board accessible to all users or segmented by division.

🔁 How Boards Drive Automation

Boards automate work by:

• Creating tasks when cards enter certain statuses
• Sending email notifications when cards update or assignments change
• Moving or copying cards across boards as work progresses
• Creating customers or projects based on card activity
• Triggering form submissions tied to card events
• Color-coding cards based on time-in-status thresholds
• Assigning reminders and follow-up activities

Boards transform manual project management into live, automated workflows.

📈 Why Boards Matter (Beyond Just Moving Cards)

Without boards, work tracking would stay fragmented across emails, spreadsheets, and side conversations.

Boards in Ontraccr create a centralized, real-time operational system where:

• Everyone knows what stage work is in
• Accountability is tied to cards, users, and deadlines
• Tasks, forms, costs, and communications are tied to each workflow
• Full auditability and reporting are built into every card’s lifecycle

🧠 Best Practices for Using Boards

• Use clear, consistent statuses that match your real operational flow
• Design card layouts thoughtfully with only the fields needed per workflow
• Use conditional logic to simplify cards for different roles
• Set up automations for task creation, email alerts, and follow-up activities
• Use timeline and list views when detailed reporting or scheduling is needed
• Assign cards and tasks explicitly to drive accountability
• Use offline access for field-heavy workflows
• Regularly review automations and board settings as your operations evolve

📌 Quick Summary