---
title: Work items
summary: Set up the list of work items and their categories, add many at once, and enter the rate analysis that gives each item its rate.
order: 3
menu: Company settings > Planning > Work Items
route: /workitems
who: People who have the View Work Items permission. Adding needs Add, editing needs Edit and deleting needs Delete. The Rate column and Rate Analysis need Edit.
---

A work item is one line of work that you measure and pay for in a bill of quantities (BOQ). Examples are `Excavation` in cum or `Plastering` in sqm. Work items belong to categories, such as `Shoring & Excavation`. You set up both once for the whole company. Each project BOQ then picks from this list.

The rate analysis of a work item lists the resources it needs, for example cement, sand and a mason. It adds them up to give the rate of the item.

## Before you start

- If a work item needs a resource in its rate analysis, create the resource first. See [Resources](../site-monitoring/resources.md).
- If the item has a tax, create the tax first under **Company settings > General > Taxes**.

## How to add a work item

1. Open **Company settings > Planning > Work Items**.
2. Click **Add Work Items** (mark 1 in the first picture). A form opens at the side.
3. Choose a category in **Category:** (mark 1 in the second picture). The **Code:** fills with the next free code of that category, for example `3.1.2`. You can change it.
4. If the category does not exist, click **Create Category** (mark 2). Choose a **Parent Category:**, type a **Category Code:** and a **Category Name:**. The item is saved in the new category.
5. Type the item **Code:** (mark 3) and **Name:** (mark 4). Both are required.
6. Type a **Description:** if you want one.
7. Choose the **Unit:** (mark 5), for example `cum` or `sqm`.
8. Type a **Tax Code:** if the item has one. This is the code used on invoices.
9. Click **show** next to **Account Settings** if you also need **Income Account:**, **Expense Account:** or **Asset Account:**. These links connect the item to your accounting software.
10. Click **Save** (mark 6).

![The Work Items list. Mark 1 is Add Work Items. Mark 2 is the Categories tab. Mark 3 is the search box.](../media/work-item-list.png)

![The work item form. Marks 1 to 5 are Category, Create Category, Code, Name and Unit. Mark 6 is Save.](../media/work-item-form.png)

Names cannot use special characters. The form shows **Special Characters not allowed**.

## How to edit, delete or analyse a work item

1. Click the three dots at the end of the row.
2. Click **Edit** to open the form again.
3. Click **Delete** to remove the item. Confirm the question.
4. Click **Rate Analysis** to open the rate analysis in a new tab.

Click the arrow at the start of a row to see the saved rate analysis lines under it. Type in the **Search** boxes under the column names to filter. Use **Choose Columns** at the bottom of the table to show or hide columns. Click **Export to CSV** to download the list.

## How to enter a rate analysis

1. Open the row menu of the work item and click **Rate Analysis**. The page title shows the item and its unit, for example `per cum`.
2. In the table, choose the **Category** of the resource, then choose the **Resource**. The **Unit**, **Rate** and **Tax** fill in from the resource.
3. Type the **Quantity** of the resource needed for 1 unit of the work item.
4. Type **Wastage (%)** if some material is lost. Superwise adds this share to the quantity.
5. Change the **Rate** if you need a different rate.
6. Repeat for each resource. Use the right-click menu to add or remove rows.
7. Click **Save**.

**Amount** is **Rate** × **Quantity** × (1 + wastage). **Amount w/ Tax** adds the tax. The **RATE** of the work item in the list is the total of the **Amount w/ Tax** values of all its lines.

> **Note:** Superwise saves only rows that have a **Category**, a **Resource** and a **Quantity**. Other rows are left out without a message.

## How to add and manage categories

1. Click the **Categories** tab (mark 2 in the first picture above).
2. Click **Add Category** (mark 1 in the picture below). In the box, choose a **Parent:** if the category sits inside another one. Type the **Code:** and the **Name:**. Add a **Description:** and **Tax Code:** if you want. Click **Save**.
3. Click the three dots at the end of a row to **Edit** or **Delete** a category, or to choose **View Work Items**. **View Work Items** returns to the **Work Items** tab filtered to that category.

The categories show as a tree. Click the arrow at the start of a row to open its child categories. Type a title in **Enter Title To Search** under **Filters** and press Enter to find a category.

![The Categories tab. The mark is the Add Category button.](../media/work-item-category-list.png)

![The Add Work Item Category box. Mark 1 is Parent, mark 2 is Code, mark 3 is Name. Mark 4 is Save.](../media/work-item-category-dialog.png)

## How to add many work items at once

Use this to load a whole list of categories and items from a spreadsheet.

1. On the **Categories** tab, click the arrow next to **Add Category** and click **Bulk Add**. You need the Add permission for work items.
2. A grid opens. Fill one row for each line, or paste rows from your spreadsheet.
3. Click **Save** (the mark in the picture below).

A row with no **Unit** becomes a category. A row with a **Unit** becomes a work item. Every row needs a **Code** and a **Name**. **Category Code** is the code of the category the row belongs to. Use a category code that is already in Superwise or in a row of the same sheet.

![The Bulk Add Work Items grid. The mark is the Save button.](../media/work-item-bulk-add.png)

If all rows are valid, Superwise saves them and shows the **Categories** tab.

## What the columns mean

| Name | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **CODE** | The code of the item, such as `1.2`. Codes sort items inside the BOQ. |
| **NAME** | The name of the item. |
| **DESCRIPTION** | The longer text. |
| **CATEGORY** | The category with its code. |
| **UNIT** | The unit of measure. |
| **RATE** | The rate for 1 unit, from the rate analysis. A dash means the rate is 0, for example when the item has no rate analysis. |

## Rules to know

- A work item name and a work item code cannot repeat. A category name and a category code cannot repeat.
- A category cannot be its own parent.
- You cannot delete a work item that is in use. These uses block it: a project BOQ, a BOQ revision, an estimate, a BOQ playground, a project rate analysis or a service request. The message starts with **Work item has**.
- You cannot delete a category that has work items, child categories, template task BOQs, project template task BOQs or a budget. The message starts with **Category has**.
- In bulk add, a code that already exists, an unknown unit or a missing category stops the whole save. Nothing is saved until all rows are right.
- A rate analysis cannot use the same resource twice.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Work Item Name is Mandatory.** or **Work Item Code is Mandatory.** | Fill both fields. |
| **Work Item Name cannot be repeated.** | Search the list. Use the existing item or change the name. |
| **Work Item Code cannot be repeated.** | Use the next free code. |
| **Category has Work Items linked to it** | Move or delete the items first. |
| **Rate Analysis has duplicate Resources** | Keep one line for each resource. |
| **Invalid Quantity.** or **Invalid Rate.** | Use numbers that are not negative. |
| **Invalid unit** followed by a name, in bulk add | Use a unit from the **Unit** list of the grid. |
| **No parent category for code** in bulk add | Add the category row, or correct **Category Code**. |

## Related pages

- [Resources](../site-monitoring/resources.md): the items used in a rate analysis.
- [Templates](templates.md): template tasks can link to work items.
- [Planning masters](index.md): the order to set up the planning lists.