Traceflow — User Guide

Version 2.0 · April 2026

What Is Traceflow?

Traceflow is a manufacturing traceability platform. It tracks the progress of physical products through their entire manufacturing lifecycle — from contract award to final delivery — and gives everyone involved (your company, your client, and any contractors) a single place to see what is happening, what has been approved, and what needs attention next.

The core structure is simple:

Contract → Purchase Orders → Products → Components
                                     → Phase Reviews (Engineering, Manufacturing, Inspection…)
                                     → Documents
                                     → Reports

A Contract is the top-level agreement between you and a client. Inside a contract there are one or more Purchase Orders (POs). Each PO contains one or more Products. Each product has Components (the individual parts), goes through a series of Phases (Engineering, Manufacturing, Inspection, etc.), and generates Documents that need client approval.

Roles Overview

| Role | Who | What they can do | |---|---|---| | GlobalAdmin | Platform owner | Everything — create companies, users, contracts | | Vendor Admin | Your manufacturing company's admin | Create and manage contracts, POs, products, users, documents, reports | | Vendor Staff | Your team members | View and update contracts they are assigned to | | Client Admin | Client company admin | View all client contracts, manage client users, approve/reject phases | | Client Staff | Client reviewers | View and approve/reject on assigned contracts | | Contractor | Third-party contractors | Limited view and upload access |

Key point: The Vendor Admin is the central coordinator. The GlobalAdmin creates your account. After that, you manage everything yourself.

Part 1 — Getting Started

1.1 Logging In

Go to https://app.traceflowapp.com. Enter your email and password, then click Sign in.

If you forgot your password, click Forgot password? and a reset link will be emailed to you.

After logging in, you land on the Contracts page — your main dashboard showing all contracts you have access to.

1.2 Setting Up Your Profile

Go to Settings (sidebar, bottom) → Profile tab.

Enter your first name, last name, and a display name (this is what appears in the header instead of your email address)
Upload a profile photo (optional — it appears in communications and the sidebar footer)

Click Save changes.

1.3 Uploading Your Company Logo

Go to Settings → Company Management tab.

Upload your company logo. It appears in the header bar and on exported reports.

1.4 Choosing Your Theme

Go to Settings → Appearance tab.

Choose from:

System — follows your device's light/dark setting (default)
Light — always light
Dark — always dark

Your preference is saved and persists across sessions.

Part 2 — Setting Up Your Team

Before creating contracts, set up the people who will work on them.

2.1 Adding Users

Go to Settings → Users & Roles → select your company from the left panel.

Fill in the Add User form:

Email — their login email
Password — a temporary password they can change later
First name / Last name — optional but recommended
User type:
- Admin — sees all contracts, can manage resources
- Staff — sees only contracts you explicitly assign them to

Click Add User.

2.2 Assigning Contract Access to Staff

After creating a Staff user, their row appears in the users list. Click Contract Access on their row to assign them to specific contracts.

A panel opens showing all contracts. Check the ones this person should see.

2.3 Restricting Staff to Specific POs or Phases

For tighter control over what a Staff user can do within a contract:

Go to Settings → Permissions tab.

PO Scope — restrict a staff member to only see specific Purchase Orders within a contract
Phase Scope — restrict a staff member to only work on specific phases (e.g., only the ITP phase)

This is useful if you have specialists who only handle one stage of the manufacturing process.

Part 3 — Creating a Contract

There are three ways to create a contract. Use whichever fits your situation.

Option A — Guided Wizard (recommended)

Go to Import (sidebar) → click Guided Wizard.

Step 1 — Contract Information

Contract ID (e.g. CT-2026-001) — your internal reference number
Contract name (e.g. Pump Assembly Supply — Q1 2026)
Client company — select from the dropdown
Vendor (your company)
Award date and delivery deadline

Step 2 — Phase Weights

Define how much each manufacturing phase contributes to the overall progress percentage. The default split is:

| Phase | Default Weight | |---|---| | Engineering | 20% | | Procurement | 20% | | Component Manufacturing | 20% | | Product Manufacturing | 20% | | ITP (Inspection & Test) | 10% | | Packaging & Dispatch | 10% |

Adjust these to reflect your contract's actual effort split. They must always total 100%.

Step 3 — Purchase Orders

Add each PO:

PO number / ID
PO name (e.g. Pump Units — Batch 1)
Deadline

You can add multiple POs. Each PO will contain its own products.

Step 4 — Milestones

Add the key contractual milestones (e.g. Engineering Package Submission, Factory Acceptance Test, Delivery to Site).

For each milestone:

Phase it belongs to
Baseline date (original planned date)
Deadline (contractual due date)
Actual date (leave blank until achieved)

Step 5 — Review & Submit

Review everything and click Create Contract.

Option B — Spreadsheet Editor (for bulk data)

Go to Import → Spreadsheet Editor.

This opens a multi-tab grid (like a spreadsheet) where you can enter all data at once:

Contracts
Purchase Orders
Products
Components
Manufacturing Processes
Purchased Components

Fill in the rows across tabs and click Save All. Good for entering several contracts at once or when you already have data in a spreadsheet.

Option C — CSV Upload (for migrating existing data)

Go to Import → CSV Upload.

A 6-step wizard guides you through uploading separate CSV files:

Contract information
Contract milestones
Custom milestones
POs and Products
Components
Review and upload

Each step shows the expected column headers. The system imports everything in the background and reports any errors.

Part 4 — The Contracts Dashboard

The home page (Contracts) is your command centre. It shows all your contracts at a glance so you can immediately see what's on track and what needs attention.

[Screenshot: Contracts dashboard showing KPI strip and contract cards]

4.1 The KPI Strip

At the top of the page, four summary tiles show:

Total Contracts — how many contracts you have
In Progress — contracts currently active
At Risk / Delayed — contracts behind schedule
Avg Progress — the average completion percentage across all contracts

4.2 Contract Cards — What Each Section Means

Each contract is displayed as a card. Here's what each part of the card tells you:

Header:

Contract ID and name
Company name
Status badge (Not Started / In Progress / Delayed / Completed)

Info section (coloured dots):

Days remaining until deadline (or days overdue)
Number of Purchase Orders (and how many are delayed)
Risk level (On Track / At Risk / High Risk) — calculated automatically from schedule

Progress ring: A circular chart showing the overall completion percentage. The colour indicates health:

Green = 80% or more
Blue = 40–79%
Red = below 40%

AI Risk Gauge (only shown if an AI report has been generated): A semicircular gauge showing an AI-generated risk score from 1 to 10.

1–3 = low risk (green)
4–6 = medium risk (amber)
7–10 = high risk (red)

See Part 8 for more about AI Risk Reports.

Progress trend sparkline: A small line chart showing how the contract's overall progress has moved over the past 12 weeks. A flat or declining line is a warning sign worth investigating.

Phase progress bars: Horizontal bars showing how far along each manufacturing phase is (Engineering, Procurement, Component Manufacturing, Product Manufacturing, ITP). Colour-coded the same way as the progress ring.

Delayed PO alerts: If any Purchase Orders are delayed, they appear as notification chips at the bottom of the card. Click the card to investigate.

4.3 Searching and Filtering

Use the Search box at the top of the page to filter cards by contract ID, contract name, or company name. The cards update in real time as you type.

4.4 Clicking Through to a Contract

Click View Dashboard → on any card to open the full contract dashboard for that contract.

Part 5 — Managing a Contract

After clicking through to a contract, you see the full contract view.

5.1 Updating Contract Status

In the contract header, use the status dropdown:

Not Started — contract awarded, work not yet begun
In Progress — active manufacturing
Delayed — behind schedule
Completed — delivered and closed

5.2 Milestones

The milestones panel shows each key contractual milestone with:

Baseline — the original planned date
Deadline — the contractual due date
Actual — the date it was actually achieved (blank until done)
Deviation — how many days early or late (calculated automatically)

Click any milestone row to edit it. Set the Actual date when a milestone is achieved.

Custom Milestones — These are milestones you define yourself (not tied to the standard phase structure). They include a % complete field you update manually. Use these for tracking project-specific checkpoints that don't fit the standard phases.

5.3 Phase Weights

If the original phase weights no longer reflect reality (e.g. engineering is taking much longer than expected), click Phase Weights and adjust the percentages.

They must always sum to 100%. Changing these weights immediately recalculates the overall progress percentage.

5.4 Purchase Orders and Products

The PO list at the bottom of the contract page shows all Purchase Orders. Click on a PO to expand it and see the products inside. Click a product name to open its detail page.

Part 6 — Products & Components

6.1 Opening a Product

From the contract view, expand a PO and click a product name.

6.2 Product Status

At the top of the product page, update the product's current status:

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Pending | Not yet started | | In Progress | Active work underway | | Component Mfg Completed | All parts have been manufactured | | Assembly Completed | Product has been assembled | | Testing | Under inspection or testing | | Completed | Fully complete |

6.3 Manufactured Components

The right column shows all components (parts) that make up this product.

For each component you can:

Set the quantity and deadline
Upload component images (photos of the actual part at various stages)
Upload component PDF specs (drawings, specification sheets)
Update the status using the same 6-stage dropdown as the product
View the progress history — a log of every status change, including who made it and when

6.4 Purchased (Bought-Out) Components

The left column shows purchased components — parts your company buys rather than manufactures.

Click + Add to add one:

Name (e.g. Bearing SKF 6205)
Supplier name
Quantity
Status (Pending / Ordered / In Transit / Delivered / Delayed / Cancelled)
Deadline

Update the status as parts move through the supply chain.

6.5 Manufacturing Processes

Scroll down on the product page to find Manufacturing Processes. These are the individual steps involved in making the product (e.g. Rough Machining, Heat Treatment, Final Assembly).

For each process:

Set the planned and actual dates
Update the status as work progresses

This gives you and the client a step-by-step view of how the product is being built, not just a single overall status.

6.6 Product Images and Documents

Product Images — Upload photos of the product at different stages. You can set one as the hero/primary image, which appears on the product card and in reports. Reorder images by dragging them.
Product PDFs — Upload product-level documents such as test certificates, data sheets, and drawing packages. These appear in the Documents hub.

Part 7 — Phase Reviews

Phase reviews are the formal approval workflow between you (the vendor) and the client. Every product goes through a series of phases. At each phase, you submit documents to the client for review. The client approves or rejects them. Work only proceeds to the next phase once approval is granted.

[Screenshot: Phase review tabs on a product page]

7.1 The Ten Phases

| Phase | What It Covers | |---|---| | Engineering — Design | Conceptual design submission | | Engineering — Document | General engineering documents | | Engineering — Drawing | Detailed drawings package | | Engineering — ITP | The Inspection & Test Plan document | | Engineering — Certificate | Material certificates and compliance documents | | Manufacturing Start | Confirmation that manufacturing has begun | | Manufacturing End | Confirmation that manufacturing is complete | | Final Inspection | Pre-shipment inspection sign-off | | ITP Execution | The actual test results from on-site inspection | | Dispatch | Shipping and delivery confirmation |

7.2 How to Submit a Phase Review

Go to the product page and click the relevant phase tab (e.g. Engineering — Drawing)
Click New Submission
Fill in:
- Subject — a brief description (e.g. Pump Drawing Package Rev A)
- Note — a message to the client explaining what you've submitted
- Recipients — auto-populated with contract stakeholders; add or remove as needed
- Attachments — upload the relevant PDF(s)
Click Send

The client receives an email notification and can log in to review the submission.

7.3 What Happens After Submission

The client reviews each attached PDF and responds with one of:

Approved — accepted as-is; the phase is complete
Approved with Comments — accepted, but with notes or a marked-up PDF attached
Rejected — not accepted; you must revise and resubmit

When the client responds, the notification bell in the header shows a badge. Click it to see what needs attention. Review the feedback, make changes, and resubmit if required.

You can undo a sent message within 10 seconds of sending. After that, you can delete it within 15 minutes.

7.4 ITP — Parsing, Results, and Pass/Fail

The ITP (Inspection & Test Plan) phase has additional capabilities beyond just document upload.

Parsing the ITP PDF:

After uploading your ITP document, click Parse ITP. The system reads the PDF and automatically extracts all the test items (test name, specification min/max, acceptance criteria) into a table.

Review the extracted table and correct any items the parser may have missed.

Filling in test results:

During inspection, fill in the actual test values for each item in the table and mark each one Pass or Fail. This creates a live record of your inspection results, not just a static PDF.

Submitting results to the client:

Once all items are filled in, submit the ITP results to the client for sign-off.

7.5 Certificate Compliance — AI Checking

The Engineering — Certificate phase includes an AI-powered compliance checker.

How it works:

Upload your certificate PDF (material certificate, test report, etc.)
The system analyses the document using AI
Within seconds, it returns a compliance status:
- Compliant — the certificate meets requirements
- Non-Compliant — there are violations; a report shows what failed
- Warning — possible issues that need your review
- Failed — the document could not be analysed

Reading the findings:

Click on a checked certificate to see the full findings report. This shows exactly what the AI found, including any specific values that did not meet requirements.

If a certificate is rejected, the system gives you the option to send a rejection note to the supplier directly.

7.6 NCRs — Non-Conformance Reports

An NCR (Non-Conformance Report) is raised when a test or inspection finds something that does not meet the required standard.

Creating an NCR:

You can create an NCR from any failed ITP item:

On the ITP results table, click the failed item
Click Raise NCR
Fill in:
- Description — what went wrong
- Severity — High, Medium, or Low
- Disposition — what should happen to the non-conforming item (Accept, Scrap, Rework, Return)
- Root Cause — why it happened
- Responsible Party — who is responsible for fixing it
- Target Resolution Date — when it should be resolved
- Corrective Action — what steps are being taken to fix it
Upload any supporting photos or evidence
Click Submit

NCRs are auto-numbered (NCR-001, NCR-002, etc.).

Tracking an NCR:

NCRs go through the following statuses: Open → In Progress → Resolved → Closed.

Update the status as work progresses. When resolved, add a Resolution Note describing what was done.

Closing an NCR:

A verifier (typically the client or quality manager) must sign off to close an NCR. They add a verification note confirming the fix was satisfactory.

7.7 Inspection Events — Scheduling On-Site Inspections

Inspection Events let you schedule, coordinate, and track formal on-site inspections directly within Traceflow.

Creating an Inspection Event:

On the ITP Execution phase tab, click Schedule Inspection
Fill in:
- Title (e.g. Factory Acceptance Test — Pump Unit 3)
- Proposed Date
- Location
- Notes for participants
- ITP Items — link the specific test items that will be conducted
- Participants — invite vendor, client, and contractor attendees by email
Click Create

The status starts as Proposed. Once all parties confirm, update it to Confirmed.

Calendar Invite:

Click Download Calendar Invite to generate an .ics file that can be opened in any calendar app (Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar). Participants receive this file via email automatically.

Part 8 — AI Risk Reports

The AI Risk Report analyses your contract data — PO progress, milestone deviations, ITP results, supplier performance — and generates a risk score to help you identify problems before they become critical.

[Screenshot: AI Risk gauge on contract card and full report view]

8.1 What the Score Means

The risk score is a number from 1 to 10:

1–3 — Low risk. The contract is progressing well.
4–6 — Medium risk. Some areas need attention.
7–10 — High risk. Significant issues are likely to affect delivery.

The score is broken down into four components:

Schedule — Is the contract on pace to meet its deadline?
Quality — Are ITP tests passing? Are there open NCRs?
Supplier — Are purchased components arriving on time?
Phase Compliance — Are phase reviews being submitted and approved on schedule?

8.2 How to Generate a Report

Open a contract and go to the Dashboard view
Click Generate AI Report
Wait a few seconds — the report streams in as it is generated
The new score appears on the contract card on the home page

Reports are not generated automatically. You trigger them manually, usually after a significant update to the contract data.

8.3 Reading the Report

The report includes:

The overall risk score and a short plain-English summary of the main risks
A breakdown of each of the four components (schedule, quality, supplier, phase compliance) with their individual scores
Specific findings — what exactly the AI flagged as a risk and why

8.4 Historical Reports

Every report is saved. You can see a history of previous reports to track how the risk profile has changed over time. A rising score over consecutive reports is a warning sign.

Part 9 — Documents

Go to Documents (sidebar). This is the central hub for every file associated with the active contract.

9.1 What You See

Documents are grouped by Purchase Order. Each document shows:

File name
Type (Phase Review, Product Spec, Component Spec, Product Asset, Component Asset)
Phase (for phase review documents)
The product or component it belongs to
Approval status (Approved, Pending, Rejected, Conditionally Approved)
Upload date
Download button

9.2 Searching and Filtering

Use the filter bar to narrow down documents:

Search — by filename, product name, or component name
Type — filter by document type
Status — filter by approval status
PO — filter by a specific Purchase Order

9.3 Bulk ZIP Download

Click Download ZIP to download every document in the contract as a single ZIP file. Use this when a client or auditor requests a complete documentation package.

Part 10 — Reports

Go to Reports (sidebar). Reports give you and your client a clean, printable summary of the contract's current status.

10.1 What the Report Shows

| Section | Content | |---|---| | Phase Progress | Progress bar per phase, colour-coded for deadline risk | | Milestones | Baseline, deadline, actual date, and deviation for each milestone | | Custom Milestones | Your custom milestones with % complete | | PO Summary | Status, deadline, and progress % for each PO | | Highlights | Editable notes you write for each PO |

10.2 Editing Highlights

Highlights are short notes you write for each PO to keep the client informed. Examples:

"Engineering package submitted. Awaiting client approval. On track."
"Heat treatment delayed by 2 weeks. Recovery plan in place. New target: 15 May."

Click inside any highlight cell to edit it. Changes save automatically.

10.3 Printing / Exporting as PDF

Use the browser's Print function (Cmd+P on Mac, Ctrl+P on Windows) and select Save as PDF. The report is formatted specifically for clean print output — sidebars and navigation are hidden.

Part 11 — Adding Client & Contractor Users

11.1 Creating the Client Company

If the client company does not yet exist in the platform, a Vendor Admin or GlobalAdmin can create it:

Go to Settings → Users & Roles. The left panel shows companies. If the client isn't listed, ask the GlobalAdmin to create a Client company type.

Alternatively, go to Companies in the admin area and create it there.

11.2 Adding Client Users

Select the client company from the left panel in Settings → Users & Roles. Fill in the Add User form:

Email, password, first/last name
User type:
- Admin — sees all contracts for that client
- Staff — sees only assigned contracts

Click Add User.

For Client Staff, click Contract Access on their user row to assign specific contracts.

11.3 What the Client Can and Cannot Do

Clients can:

View all contracts they have access to
See product progress, statuses, and components
View and download documents
Review phase review submissions (approve or reject)
View reports
See the AI Risk gauge on contract cards

Clients cannot:

Edit products, components, or contract structure
Upload documents (except as part of a phase review response)
Change contract status or milestone dates
Generate AI Risk Reports

Part 12 — Day-to-Day Workflow

Here is a typical workflow for a Vendor Admin once a contract is running.

Daily

Check the notification bell — are there any client approvals, rejections, or messages waiting?
If a phase review was rejected, review the client's feedback and coordinate a resubmission
Update component statuses as your shop floor makes progress (In Progress → Completed)
Update purchased component statuses as parts arrive (Ordered → In Transit → Delivered)

Weekly

Update manufacturing process statuses for each product
Set milestone actual dates as milestones are achieved
Refresh report highlights with an accurate, up-to-date summary for the client
Check the Documents page for any submissions still showing as Pending — follow up if the client hasn't responded
Review the Contracts dashboard — check if any contract cards are showing red or at-risk status

At Each Phase Gate

Prepare the submission package (drawings, ITP, certificates, etc.)
Go to the relevant Phase Review tab on the product
Upload the documents, write a clear note, and send to the client
Monitor the notification bell for the client's response
If approved, move to the next phase
If rejected, review the feedback, revise, and resubmit

After On-Site Inspection

Schedule an Inspection Event via the ITP Execution tab
During inspection, fill in the actual test values in the ITP results table
For any failed items, raise an NCR
Upload the certificate compliance documents and let the system check them
Once all items are resolved, submit the ITP results to the client

Part 13 — Common Questions

Q: A client user says they can't see a contract. Go to Settings → Users & Roles → select their company → find the user → click Contract Access → make sure the contract is checked.

Q: How do I reset a user's password? The user can go to the login page → Forgot password, and reset it via email. Or a Vendor Admin can go to Settings → Users & Roles → find the user → click Edit → set a new password.

Q: The progress percentage looks wrong. Progress is calculated from component statuses multiplied by phase weights. Check that:

Component statuses are up to date on each product page
Phase weights reflect the actual effort split for this contract

Q: How do I add a new product to an existing PO? Go to the contract dashboard → expand the PO → click + Add Product at the bottom of the product list.

Q: The AI Risk gauge is not showing on a contract card. The gauge only appears after you generate an AI Risk Report for that contract. Open the contract dashboard and click Generate AI Report.

Q: Can I undo a sent message in a phase review? For 10 seconds after sending, an Undo button appears. After that, you can delete the message within 15 minutes of sending.

Q: The client wants all documents in one file. Go to Documents (sidebar) → make sure the correct contract is selected in the header dropdown → click Download ZIP.

Q: How do I change my company logo? Go to Settings → Company Management → upload your logo image.

Q: What does the progress trend sparkline show? The sparkline shows how the contract's overall progress percentage has moved over the past 12 weeks. Each data point is the recorded progress at that time. A flat or declining line means progress has stalled and the contract may be at risk.

Q: What is the difference between a standard milestone and a custom milestone? Standard milestones are tied to specific phases (Engineering, Manufacturing, etc.) and have a baseline, deadline, and actual date. Custom milestones are ones you define yourself — they can represent anything (e.g. a client meeting, a specific delivery) and track a % complete value instead.

| Where to go | How to get there | |---|---| | All contracts (home) | Contracts in sidebar (home icon) | | A specific contract | Click View Dashboard on a contract card | | A specific product | Contract dashboard → expand PO → click product name | | Phase review for a product | Product page → click phase tab | | ITP results | Product page → ITP Execution tab | | NCRs for a product | Product page → ITP Execution tab → NCRs section | | Inspection Events | Product page → ITP Execution tab → Inspection Events section | | AI Risk Report | Contract dashboard → Generate AI Report | | All documents for a contract | Documents in sidebar (select contract in header) | | Report for a contract | Reports in sidebar (select contract in header) | | Add/manage users | Settings → Users & Roles | | Your profile | Settings → Profile | | Import new contract | Import in sidebar | | This guide | Help in sidebar |

Quick Reference — Status Meanings

Contract / PO Status

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Not Started | Contract awarded but work not begun | | In Progress | Active manufacturing underway | | Delayed | Behind schedule | | Completed | Delivered and closed |

Product Status

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Pending | Not yet started | | In Progress | Active work underway | | Component Mfg Completed | All parts manufactured | | Assembly Completed | Product assembled | | Testing | Under inspection or test | | Completed | Fully complete |

Component / Manufactured Part Status

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Pending | Not started | | In Progress | Being manufactured or assembled | | Component Mfg Completed | Part is made | | Assembly Completed | Assembled into product | | Testing | Under test | | Completed | Done |

Purchased Component Status

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Pending | Not yet ordered | | Ordered | Purchase order placed with supplier | | In Transit | Shipped, not yet arrived | | Delivered | On site | | Delayed | Behind schedule | | Cancelled | Order cancelled |

Phase Review Status

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Pending | Submitted, awaiting client review | | Approved | Client has accepted | | Approved with Comments | Accepted, but with client notes or markup | | Rejected | Client has rejected — revise and resubmit |

Certificate Compliance Status

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Pending | Uploaded, analysis not yet run | | Running | AI analysis in progress | | Compliant | Certificate meets all requirements | | Non-Compliant | One or more requirements not met — see findings | | Warning | Possible issues — review recommended | | Failed | Document could not be analysed |

NCR Status

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | Open | Raised, not yet resolved | | In Progress | Corrective action underway | | Resolved | Fix completed, awaiting verification | | Closed | Verified and signed off |

AI Risk Score

| Score | Risk Level | |---|---| | 1–3 | Low — contract is on track | | 4–6 | Medium — some areas need attention | | 7–10 | High — significant risks to delivery |

For technical issues with the platform, contact the GlobalAdmin or your system administrator.

Help & User Guide