The Notepad is the digital replacement for the spiral notebook by the maintenance desk. It is a chronological feed of short notes that anyone on the team can post and anyone on the team can read.
When to use it (and when not to)
Use Notepad for:
- Quick observations ("third-floor ice machine is running louder than usual").
- Vendor visits ("HVAC contractor on site 2–4 PM Tuesday").
- Heads-up to the next shift ("guest in 412 complained about hot water — check tomorrow morning").
Use a work order instead for:
- Anything that requires action and tracking to completion.
- Anything tied to a specific asset or SOP.
- Anything safety-related.
The rule of thumb: if it needs a "done" state, it is a work order, not a note.
Posting
Click + Note at the top of the Notepad. You can:
- Type plain text (Markdown supported).
- Attach a photo.
- Tag a teammate with
@name— they get a notification. - Tag an area with
#kitchen,#roof, etc. — clickable filter chips appear above the feed.
Reading
Notes are sorted newest first. Use the search box to find older notes by keyword. Tags filter the feed instantly.
Each note shows the author's avatar, time posted, and a thread count if anyone replied.
Threads
Click any note to open a thread. Replies are inline and notify the original author. Threads are useful for a back-and-forth that does not justify a separate work order ("did anyone check that ice machine?" — "yes, drain was clogged, cleared it").
Retention
Notes are kept for 2 years by default, then archived. Archived notes remain searchable but do not show in the main feed.
Permissions
Everyone in the facility can read and post. Admins can delete notes (with the deletion logged in History). Authors can edit their own notes within 15 minutes of posting; after that, edits are append-only ("[edited]" appears next to the note).