---
title: Use the Command Center to Watch Jobs and Blocked Parts
description: Read the Command Center map, turn layers on and off, open a job from a pin, and use Parts Watch to see which technicians are blocked on parts.
---

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# Use the Command Center to Watch Jobs and Blocked Parts

## See your technicians, jobs and warehouses on one live map, and find every job that is stuck waiting on a part.

**For:** Dispatchers, parts managers and admins · **Permission:** Dispatch or read all service orders, or manage inventory · **Time:** ~5 minutes

### Quick summary

1. Open **Command Center** from **Service** in the menu. It opens on the **Map** tab.
2. Use the layer chips above the map to show or hide technicians, jobs, unassigned orders, blocked jobs, warehouses and appointments.
3. Click a pin to see the job, the technician, the appointment or the warehouse. Click **View service order** to open an order.
4. Open **Parts Watch** to see every technician who is waiting on a part, and what to do about it.

### Before you start

- You need permission to dispatch service orders or to read all service orders, or to manage inventory. Without any of these, **Command Center** doesn't appear in the menu.
- The **Parts Watch** tab shows for people who can dispatch or manage inventory.
- This article is about looking, not creating. To start a job, see [Create a Service Order](https://support.metafleet.ai/create-a-service-order?hsLang=en).

### Open the Command Center

In the menu, go to **Service › Command Center**. The page opens on the **Map** tab.

### Read the map

The map opens zoomed to fit everything it has to show. Each chip above it shows a count: **techs**, **jobs**, **unassigned**, **blocked on parts**, **warehouses** and **appointments**. The **appointments** chip only appears when you have appointments to show.

![Command Center map with layer chips for techs, jobs, unassigned, blocked on parts, warehouses and appointments, and pins](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/use-the-command-center-01-map-layers-v2.png?width=919&height=668&name=use-the-command-center-01-map-layers-v2.png)

The pins follow the chips:

- **Technicians** have a round-headed person pin. The shade shows how recent the location is, and a gray pin is an older location.
- **Jobs** are green with a wrench. Other job types use their own color and icon, such as a tow truck for towing.
- **Unassigned** orders have no technician yet. Their pins are hollow, in the job type's color.
- **Blocked on parts** jobs are red with an alert badge. A blocked job shows only in this layer, not in **jobs**.
- **Warehouses** are blue with a building icon.
- **Appointments** are a droplet-shaped pin. The chip counts every kind of appointment, not just PMs.

> **Technician pins show the last known location.** They show where the technician was last seen, not a guaranteed live position.

The map updates on its own. Click **Refresh** to pull the latest right now and fit the map to the visible pins.

### Show or hide a layer

You can do any of these:

- **Hide a layer.** Click the eye on a chip. The pins in that layer leave the map.
- **Preview a layer.** Click the chip itself. A list opens with every item in the layer: job numbers with their status, technicians, warehouses or appointments. **Unassigned** lists the longest waiting first. **Appointments** lists the oldest first, with the unit, the customer and the kind, and marks past ones **Overdue**.
- **Jump to one item.** Click it in the list. The map zooms to its pin and opens its popup. If the layer was hidden, it turns back on.
- **Show everything again.** Click **Show all layers**, which appears when a layer is hidden.

![Orders with no tech list, longest waiting first, showing unit, customer, job kind and days waiting](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/use-the-command-center-06-unassigned-list.png?width=196&height=198&name=use-the-command-center-06-unassigned-list.png)

An order with no address can't go on the map. The bottom of the **unassigned** list counts these orders and links to them in Service Orders.

![Blocked on parts layer preview listing service order numbers over the map, with a Hide this layer button](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/use-the-command-center-02-blocked-layer-preview-1x.png?width=783&height=471&name=use-the-command-center-02-blocked-layer-preview-1x.png)

### Open a job from a pin

Click a pin to open its popup. What you see depends on the pin:

- **Job:** the customer, the status, the service order number, the technician and the date it opened.
- **Unassigned order:** the same, plus the job kind and an **Assign a tech** button.
- **Blocked job:** the same, plus the **Blocking part**.
- **Technician:** their status and the job they are on now.
- **Warehouse:** the address, with a **View inventory** button.
- **Appointment:** the date and time, the technician and every truck on it, with a **View appointment** button.

Click **View service order** to open the order, or **View appointment** on an appointment.

![Pin popup for a blocked job showing the service order, the blocking part, the technician and a View service order button](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/use-the-command-center-03-map-pin-popup-1x-v2.png?width=156&height=205&name=use-the-command-center-03-map-pin-popup-1x-v2.png)

### Find blocked jobs on Parts Watch

Open the **Parts Watch** tab. It lists every technician who can't continue because a part is missing. The alerts rail also shows a line such as "7 techs blocked on parts" that takes you here.

The four cards at the top give the totals:

- **Techs blocked:** how many technicians are waiting, and on how many service orders.
- **Parts short:** parts you are short on across all jobs.
- **Sourceable in range:** parts you can pull from stock within your range.
- **Need a vendor PO:** parts with no nearby stock. Order these from a vendor.

Narrow the list:

1. **Search.** Type a technician, service order, vehicle or part.
2. **Pick a group.** Choose **All blocked**, **Sourceable** or **Vendor only**.
3. **Set the range.** In **Source within**, choose **30 min**, **1 hr · 60 mi**, **2 hr** or **Any distance**. This decides which stock counts as "nearby".

![Parts Watch totals for techs blocked, parts short, sourceable in range and need a vendor PO, with search and filters](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/use-the-command-center-04-parts-watch-summary.png?width=503&height=435&name=use-the-command-center-04-parts-watch-summary.png)

The page shows "Updated" with the time of the last load. Click **Refresh** after you change stock or a purchase order.

### Read a blocked technician's card

Each card is one technician on one service order. The header shows the technician, the service order number, the customer and how long they have been waiting. Click the service order number to open it.

Each part under it shows:

- **Short X of N:** how many you still need.
- **Nearest locations with stock:** where you can pull the part from, or "Not stocked anywhere — source from vendor".
- **On order · PO:** the part is already on a purchase order. Click it to open the order.
- **Not in catalog:** the technician typed the part. Add it to the catalog on the service order so you can order it.
- **Awaiting tech:** the part is secured. The technician doesn't have it yet.

![Parts Watch card for a technician waiting on a brake chamber, with Pull from stock and Order from vendor buttons](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/use-the-command-center-05-parts-watch-job.png?width=511&height=385&name=use-the-command-center-05-parts-watch-job.png)

Use the buttons on the card to act:

- **Pull from stock** and **Order from vendor** source the part. Steps are in [Source and Hand Off Parts to a Technician](https://support.metafleet.ai/source-and-hand-off-parts-to-a-technician?hsLang=en).
- **Reassign tech** opens a window where you pick another technician and confirm.
- **Message tech** starts a message to the technician.

Admins also see an **Email settings** button at the top. It opens the **Part-needed emails** settings.

### Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Command Center is missing from the menu | Your role can't dispatch, read all service orders or manage inventory | Ask an admin to change your role. |
| There is no Parts Watch tab | Your role can't dispatch or manage inventory | Ask an admin to change your role. |
| A pin is missing from the map | Its layer is hidden | Click **Show all layers**. |
| The map shows "We couldn't refresh the operations map right now" | The last refresh failed. The pins shown are from the last good load. | Click **Refresh**. If it keeps failing, contact your administrator. |
| Parts Watch says "All clear" | No technician is blocked on a part, or your search and group hide them | Clear the search and choose **All blocked**. |
| A part shows "No nearby stock" but you have it in a far warehouse | The stock is outside the **Source within** range | Choose **Any distance**. |

### FAQs

**Does the map move by itself?**  
Yes. It updates without a reload, and technician pins follow their last known location. Click **Refresh** to fit the map to the pins again.

**Why is a job not in the jobs count?**  
Blocked jobs count in **blocked on parts** only, and orders with no technician count in **unassigned** only.

**Where do I see these alerts without opening the page?**  
In the alerts rail. See [Respond to Alarms and Alerts in MetaFleet](https://support.metafleet.ai/alarms-alerts-guide?hsLang=en).

### Related articles

- [Source and Hand Off Parts to a Technician](https://support.metafleet.ai/source-and-hand-off-parts-to-a-technician?hsLang=en)
- [Respond to Alarms and Alerts in MetaFleet](https://support.metafleet.ai/alarms-alerts-guide?hsLang=en)
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- [Manage Purchase Orders](https://support.metafleet.ai/manage-purchase-orders?hsLang=en)

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