Receive request
A vessel, tenant, or operator submits arrival, berth, permit, or service need.
Workflow path
How the harbor master version moves work forward.
The process language changes by audience, but the underlying pattern is consistent: intake, route, execute, update, and close out.
Triage and assign
Harbor team checks suitability, restrictions, documents, and availability.
Notify affected parties
The selected vessel, tenants, vendors, or staff receive the relevant status and instructions.
Watch execution
Movements, exceptions, closures, and service impacts stay visible during the operating window.
Close shift
Daily report captures movements, incidents, notices, permits, and unresolved watch items.
Why this shape
Built for a desk that runs in shifts.
Harbor work is continuous, but the people running it are not. A movement cleared at the end of one watch is executed on the next; an exception opened at midday may close after dark. The workflow’s fixed states exist so work survives the handover.
That is the difference between a workflow and a to-do list: every item carries who asked, what was decided, who was told, and what is still open — so the incoming shift inherits a live picture instead of a verbal summary at the door.
The five states, in desk language
- Receive — the request exists once, with its requirements attached.
- Triage — suitability, documents, restrictions, availability.
- Notify — the affected parties, and only them.
- Watch — execution stays visible until it is done.
- Close — the shift ends with a record, not a recollection.
Operational queues
Role-specific queues instead of generic product modules.
This keeps the site focused on what visitors need to accomplish: request service, assign work, resolve exceptions, and keep stakeholders informed.
- Clear movement control — Arrivals, departures, assignments, and exceptions are visible in one place.
- Fewer manual updates — Visitors and tenants get structured status rather than repeated desk calls.
- Better public-facing operations — Notices and restrictions can be routed by affected zone or audience.
- Cleaner shift handover — The harbor desk closes with a useful operating record.
Worked example
One arrival, narrated end to end.
A visiting motor yacht requests a multi-night stay. Here is the same five-state pattern carrying one real piece of work through a full cycle.
Receive
The vessel’s management agency submits the arrival: LOA, draft, power and water needs, the requested window, and the permit packet. The request exists once, in the queue, with everything attached.
Triage
The desk runs suitability: draft against the intended berth, LOA against the fairway, documents against requirements. The insurance certificate is missing — the item flips to incomplete and the agency sees exactly what is outstanding.
Assign and notify
Packet complete, the desk assigns a berth with a noted power constraint. The captain gets the assignment and window, adjacent tenants get a movement notice, and the affected vendor sees its service slot.
Watch
Mid-stay, scheduled dock maintenance collides with the vessel’s waste-service booking. The conflict surfaces as an exception, the service is re-slotted, and both the vendor and the crew see the change — no phone tree.
Close
On departure the movement closes: services delivered, the one exception and its resolution logged, and the record folded into the daily report the next watch opens with.
Queue preview
Example work in motion.
The same component set supports rollups for management, dock desks, tenants, and vendors.
Arrivals27
Active berths12
Permit queue8
Restrictions3
Incoming 02
M/Y MeridianLOA review before assignment
Research VesselPermit packet complete
Assign 02
Berth C-14Power constraint noted
Mooring 6Weather suitability check
Review 02
Commercial permitWaiting on insurance
Event supportNotice draft ready
Exceptions 02
Channel workRestriction sent to tenants
Blocked berthMaintenance dispatch
Questions
Frequently asked about workflows.
Does every request go through all five states?
The states are checkpoints, not paperwork. A routine departure can move receive-to-close in minutes; a commercial permit may sit in triage for days. Either way, the item’s position is always visible.
Who can move an item forward?
Desk roles with assignment rights move the queue. Requesters — agencies, captains, tenants, vendors — see scoped status and respond to what is asked of them, but the harbor office holds the decisions.
What happens at shift change?
Open items carry their full context — requester, decisions, notices sent, next action — so the incoming watch picks up work exactly where it stands.
Are declined or cancelled requests kept?
Yes. They close with a recorded reason and remain part of the operating history, which matters when the same vessel or operator returns.
Can requesters see where their item sits?
Yes — each party sees the status of its own requests, scoped to its role, without seeing the rest of the harbor’s board.
Get started
See your own arrivals move like this.
Walk the intake-to-close pattern against your harbor’s real workload, or request a walkthrough tailored to your operation. Access is reviewed and routed — guest workspaces are approved manually.