Auto-Advance After Delivery Confirmation

Auto-advance is a feature in AccuArk's order status workflow that automatically moves an invoice to a designated next status immediately after delivery has been confirmed. Instead of requiring a staff member to manually change the status after recording a delivery, the system handles the transition automatically. This reduces manual steps, ensures timely status updates, and keeps your workflow moving without delays. This guide explains how auto-advance works, how to configure it, and what rules apply during the automatic transition.

How Auto-Advance Works

Every order status in AccuArk has an optional Auto-Advance Status field. This field points to another status in your workflow — the status that the invoice should automatically transition to when delivery is confirmed while the invoice is at the current status.

The logic is straightforward:

1. A user confirms delivery on an invoice (using the the Delivery Confirmation dialog dialog).
2. After the delivery confirmation record is saved, the system checks the invoice's current status.
3. If the current status has an Auto-Advance Status configured, the system automatically changes the invoice status to the target status.
4. If the current status does not have an Auto-Advance Status (the field is null), delivery is confirmed but no status change occurs.

The auto-advance happens immediately after delivery confirmation is saved, within the same operation. There is no delay or background processing — the status change is part of the confirmation workflow.

Configuration

To configure auto-advance for a status:

1. Navigate to Business > Order Status Settings.
2. Select the status from which you want auto-advance to trigger. This is the status the invoice will be in when delivery is confirmed.
3. In the Auto-Advance Status dropdown, select the target status that the invoice should move to after delivery confirmation.
4. Save the status configuration.

The Auto-Advance Status dropdown lists all available statuses in your workflow. Choose the status that logically follows the completion of delivery. For example:

• Shipped auto-advances to Delivered — When delivery is confirmed on a "Shipped" invoice, it automatically moves to "Delivered."
• In Progress auto-advances to Completed — When service completion is confirmed on an "In Progress" invoice, it moves to "Completed."
• Installation Scheduled auto-advances to Installed — When installation confirmation is recorded, the invoice moves to "Installed."

You can configure auto-advance on any status, but it only triggers when delivery is confirmed while the invoice is at that specific status. If the invoice is at a different status when delivery is confirmed, the auto-advance configuration on the other status has no effect.

Normal Status Rules Apply

The auto-advance uses AccuArk's status engine to perform the transition. This is the same method used for all manual and programmatic status changes, which means all normal status rules are enforced during the auto-advance:

Inventory Actions

If the target status has inventory actions configured (such as deducting stock or reserving inventory), those actions execute automatically as part of the auto-advance. The system processes them exactly as it would for a manual status change.

Status History

The auto-advance creates a status history entry just like any other status transition. The history record includes a note: "Auto-advanced after delivery confirmation." This makes it clear in the audit trail that the status change was triggered automatically rather than by manual action.

Deposit Gate

If the target status requires a minimum deposit, the deposit gate is checked during auto-advance. If the deposit requirement is not met, the auto-advance will be blocked and the invoice will remain at its current status. A message will inform the user that the auto-advance could not complete because the deposit requirement was not satisfied.

Approval Gate

If the target status requires customer approval (RequiresCustomerApproval is true), the approval gate is checked during auto-advance. If the customer has not approved the invoice, the auto-advance will be blocked. The delivery confirmation is still saved, but the status does not change.

This interaction is important to understand: delivery confirmation and status advancement are separate operations. Delivery is always confirmed when the user clicks Confirm. The auto-advance is an additional step that only executes if all status transition rules are satisfied.

User Notification

When an auto-advance occurs successfully, the system displays a message box to the user confirming the automatic status change. The message states: "Invoice status has been automatically updated." This notification ensures the user is aware that the status changed and did not remain at the previous value.

The invoice form also automatically updates the status dropdown to reflect the new status. The user does not need to close and reopen the invoice — the form refreshes in place to show the current status immediately after the auto-advance completes.

Status History Notes

Auto-advance entries in the status history are clearly identified. When AccuArk's status engine records the transition, it includes the note "Auto-advanced after delivery confirmation" in the status history log. This distinguishes automatic transitions from manual ones, which is important for auditing and troubleshooting.

If you review an invoice's status history and see this note, you know that the transition was triggered by a delivery confirmation event rather than by a user manually selecting a new status from the dropdown.

When Auto-Advance Is Not Configured

If the current status does not have an Auto-Advance Status set (the field is null or empty), the delivery confirmation is saved normally but no status change occurs. The invoice remains at its current status. This is perfectly valid — not every workflow requires automatic advancement after delivery.

For example, you might have a workflow where delivery confirmation is recorded for documentation purposes, but the status change to "Completed" requires a manager's review before it happens. In this case, you would leave Auto-Advance Status empty on the delivery status, and the manager would manually change the status after reviewing the delivery confirmation details.

Example Workflow

Here is a complete workflow that demonstrates auto-advance in context:

1. Quote — Invoice created with line items and pricing.
2. Approved — Customer has approved the invoice (approval gate passed).
3. In Production — Work begins on the order.
4. Shipped — Goods are shipped to the customer. This status has Auto-Advance Status set to "Delivered."
5. Delivered — The driver confirms delivery using the Delivery Confirmation dialog. Because the invoice was at "Shipped" and that status has auto-advance configured, the system automatically changes the status to "Delivered."
6. Closed — A staff member manually closes the invoice after verifying payment.

In this workflow, the transition from "Shipped" to "Delivered" happens automatically when the driver confirms delivery. The driver does not need to know about status management or manually update the dropdown — the act of confirming delivery triggers the status change.

Troubleshooting

If auto-advance did not occur after delivery confirmation:

1. Check the status configuration. Verify that the status the invoice was in at the time of delivery confirmation has an Auto-Advance Status set. If it is null, auto-advance will not trigger.
2. Check for gate blocks. If the target status requires a deposit or customer approval, verify that those conditions are met. The status history may contain a note about why the transition was blocked.
3. Verify the invoice's current status. Auto-advance only triggers based on the status at the time of delivery confirmation. If the invoice was at a different status than expected, the auto-advance configuration on the intended status would not apply.
4. Review status history. Check whether the auto-advance did occur but was subsequently overridden by another status change. The "Auto-advanced after delivery confirmation" note in the history confirms the auto-advance executed.

Best Practices

• Use auto-advance for predictable transitions. Configure auto-advance when the transition after delivery is always the same and does not require human judgment. If some deliveries need review before status changes, leave auto-advance unconfigured and use manual transitions.
• Test with the full workflow. Before relying on auto-advance in production, test the complete sequence: create an invoice, move it through the statuses, confirm delivery, and verify that the auto-advance triggers correctly and all gates are respected.
• Communicate to your team. Make sure delivery staff understand that confirming delivery will automatically change the status. This prevents confusion when they notice the status has changed without their direct action.

What to Read Next

• Confirming Delivery or Service Completion — Review the delivery confirmation dialog and process in detail.
• Requesting Customer Approval — Understand the approval process that may gate the auto-advance target status.
• The Customer Approval Gate — Learn how approval requirements interact with auto-advance transitions.