# The Mechanic Role Who Is a Mechanic in PortaPro?
In PortaPro, a Mechanic is a team member responsible for performing equipment repairs, vehicle maintenance, and workshop operations. Mechanics can be assigned to Workshop repair jobs, Fleet work orders, and stock movement records.
The Mechanic role replaced the legacy "Technician" label in the Workshop and Fleet modules. All user-visible text throughout the app now reads "Mechanic" consistently. The database column name `technician_name` is preserved for backward compatibility only the display label changed.
Adding a Mechanic
- Full Name (required)
- Email (optional for notification routing)
- Role their specialty designation (e.g., "Lead Mechanic", "Apprentice", "Shop Foreman")
- Status Active or Inactive
The mechanic now appears in all assignment dropdowns across the Workshop and Fleet modules.
Mechanic Statuses
| Status | Effect |
|---|---|
| Active | Appears in all assignment dropdowns |
| Inactive | Hidden from new assignments; historical records referencing them are preserved |
If a mechanic leaves your team, set them to Inactive rather than deleting them. Deleting would break historical work order and repair references.
Assigning a Mechanic
In the Workshop:
When logging a repair activity on a unit, select the assigned mechanic from the Mechanic dropdown. The mechanic's name is stored on the maintenance record and displayed in the Activity Timeline and the Workshop Kanban card.
In Fleet Work Orders:
When creating or editing a work order, the Assigned Mechanic field draws from the same mechanics list.
In Parts Issuance:
When issuing a fleet part to a workshop unit or work order, the currently assigned mechanic is passed through so the stock movement record captures who performed the issuance.
Mechanic Visibility
On the Maintenance Tracker (the main Workshop table view), a Mechanic column shows who is currently assigned to each in-shop unit. On the Kanban view, the mechanic's name appears at the bottom of each unit card.
In the Maintenance History section, you can filter all repair history by mechanic using the All Mechanics dropdown.
FAQ Mechanics
Q: Is "Mechanic" a login role or just a label?
It's a label and assignment entity. Mechanics do not necessarily have PortaPro login accounts they are staff records for assignment and tracking.
Q: Can I have multiple mechanics on one repair?
Currently one primary mechanic is assigned per unit. Individual repair activity logs each record the mechanic who performed that specific activity, so multi-mechanic jobs are captured at the activity level.