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Logistics — Workflow

Overview

The Logistics workflow begins when a collaborator is assigned to a project or department and travel is required. A logistics coordinator plans the trip in the Logistics Calendar, confirms the event to generate a Logistics Plan, and then the logistics team books all resources (flights, hotels, vehicles) and issues Supplier Purchase Orders. The workflow spans two modules: the Calendar (event planning) and the Logistics Plans list (operational execution).

Note

This feature follows SARA's standard record lifecycle model. See: Workflows & Pipelines

Roles involved

  • Logistics coordinator — Creates and confirms calendar events; manages the overall trip schedule.
  • Logistics team — Manages the LP Administration screen: books flights, hotels, and vehicles; uploads confirmation documents; issues SPOs.
  • Procurement team — Issues Supplier Purchase Orders from the LP Administration screen using the "without SPO" tabs to identify pending bookings.
  • Collaborator — The traveler. Receives an email notification when their event is confirmed.

Status lifecycle

Calendar event statuses

  • Pending — Event created, not yet confirmed. Visible on the calendar; no Logistics Plan exists yet.
  • Confirmed — Event has been confirmed by the logistics coordinator. A Logistics Plan has been generated.
  • Cancelled — Event has been permanently cancelled.

Logistics Plan (LP) statuses

  • IQUO — LP created; bookings are being quoted. No POs have been issued yet.
  • INPG — In Progress. POs have been issued and the trip is being actively managed.
  • COMP — Complete. The trip has concluded.

Booking item statuses (transfers, stays, vehicles)

Individual booking items within an LP also have their own status:

  • Active — Booking is active and in scope.
  • Pending cancellation — A date change or cancellation was triggered after POs were issued; the item is awaiting resolution.
  • Confirmed/closed — Booking is fully confirmed and PO is paid.
  • Deleted — Item was removed.

Info

For system-wide status guidance, see: Status

Status diagram

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Pending : Event created
    Pending --> Confirmed : Coordinator confirms
    Pending --> Cancelled : Cancelled
    Confirmed --> Pending : Returned to pending
    Confirmed --> Cancelled : Cancelled
    Confirmed --> LP_IQUO : LP auto-created
    LP_IQUO --> LP_INPG : POs issued
    LP_INPG --> LP_COMP : Trip completed

Workflow

Workflow steps

  1. Logistics coordinator creates a travel event in the Logistics Calendar for a collaborator.
  2. Event is reviewed and confirmed — a Logistics Plan (LP) is generated automatically and email notifications are sent.
  3. Logistics team opens the LP Administration screen and books flights, stays, and vehicles; uploads confirmation documents.
  4. Procurement team issues Supplier Purchase Orders for each booking (via the LP Admin or via the "without SPO" tabs in /logistics).
  5. Trip is completed; LP status is updated to COMP.

Create the calendar event

The logistics coordinator creates an event by clicking on a cell in the Logistics Calendar (/logistics-calendar). The form requires:

  • Type — Project, Department, or Visa.
  • Start and end dates — The trip duration.
  • Project / Department / Plant / Node — The assignment context. Budget nodes are selectable if the project has configured budget lines.
  • Flight preference — Whether a flight is needed (round trip or one-way).
  • Stay preference — Whether accommodation is needed.
  • Vehicle preference — Whether a vehicle rental is needed.

The event appears on the calendar as a colored block in Pending status.

Confirm the event

When the trip is ready to proceed, the coordinator confirms the event via the right-click context menu on the calendar block.

On confirmation:

  • The event status changes to Confirmed.
  • A Logistics Plan (LP) is automatically created with status IQUO.
  • Email notifications are sent to the logistics team (the confirmer's address plus the logistics distribution list) and to the collaborator's project coordinator.

If the event already had a linked LP, the existing LP items that have POs are also updated to status 15 (confirmed).

If needed, the coordinator can return the event to pending — this reverts the event status but does not delete the LP if one was already created.

Book logistics resources

The logistics team opens the LP via Admin in the row action menu (or directly at /logistics-admin/:id). From here they add:

  • Trips — Flights or ground transfers. Each trip entry captures: origin city, destination city, transport type (flight, bus, etc.), trip type (round/one-way), supplier, dates, cost, currency, and taxes. A confirmation document can be uploaded. An SPO can be created directly from the booking form.
  • Stays — Hotel or company property stays. Each stay captures: supplier or property, check-in/check-out dates, number of occupants, cost, and taxes. Roommates from other LPs can be assigned. An SPO can be created directly.
  • Vehicles — Vehicle rentals. Each vehicle captures: vehicle type, pick-up/drop-off dates, supplier, cost, and taxes. Additional passengers from other LPs can be assigned. An SPO can be created directly.
  • Extra services — Miscellaneous costs (visas, gratuities, etc.). Each entry captures: cost type, supplier, cost, currency, and taxes.

Issue Supplier Purchase Orders (SPOs)

SPOs can be created inline from the booking forms in LP Admin, or identified through the three "without SPO" tabs in /logistics (Transfer without SPO, Stay without SPO, Vehicle without SPO). These tabs list all items across all LPs that have no linked SPO, allowing the procurement team to process them in bulk.

Warning

If a booking item already has a confirmed SPO and the event dates change, the system triggers a cancellation flow: the old booking item is marked for cancellation (status 21) and may generate an extra cost or refund record before the item can be re-booked.

Complete the plan

When the trip has concluded and all bookings are settled, the LP status is updated to COMP. This is a manual step performed by the logistics team.

Notifications

  • On event confirmation — Email is sent to the logistics team distribution list and to the collaborator's project coordinator, containing the LP number and trip details.

Note

For global notification behavior, see: Notifications & Alerts

Setup & dependencies

  • Collaborator city of residence — Used to pre-populate the trip origin in new events. Configured in Collaborators.
  • Budget nodes — Project and department budget lines must be configured before a node can be selected when creating a calendar event.
  • Supplier catalog — Suppliers must exist in the system before they can be selected when booking a trip, stay, or vehicle. See Suppliers Catalog.
  • Required documents — The system can flag collaborators with expiring travel documents (passports, visas) via red indicator blocks in the calendar. Document expiration dates are maintained in the collaborator profile.

Exceptions & operational notes

  • Returning an event to pending does not delete an existing LP — it only changes the calendar event's status back to pending. The LP remains accessible and editable.
  • Cancelling a confirmed LP triggers a cascade: each booking item with an issued PO is marked for cancellation. Depending on whether costs have been incurred, the system generates an extra-cost record or a refund record before the PO can be closed.
  • Modifying event dates after POs are issued on a booking item automatically marks the affected item for cancellation (status 21) and may require manual resolution before new bookings can be entered.
  • Recurring trips — The calendar's "Recycle event" action creates a new event pre-populated with the same data as an existing one, avoiding re-entry for regular trips.

Permissions

Permissions

Access and actions are permission-driven. See: Permissions