n8n PTO-Foreman Pipeline

Business Case

Problem Statement

Daily work planning in construction involves:

• Manual task distribution from PTO (engineering) to field crews
• Paper-based or phone-based task assignment
• No systematic tracking of task completion
• Delayed reporting and status updates

Solution

Automated n8n pipeline connecting Google Sheets task lists with Telegram bots for real-time task distribution and status collection.

Business Value

• Real-time distribution - Tasks delivered automatically at 8:00 AM
• Digital tracking - All assignments and statuses in one table
• Mobile-first - Foremen use familiar Telegram interface
• No app installation - Works with any phone with Telegram

Technical Implementation

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│  Google Sheets  │───>│  n8n        │───>│  Telegram Bot   │
│  (Task List)    │    │  Pipeline   │    │  (To Foreman)   │
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
        ▲                     │                    │
        │                     │                    ▼
        │              ┌──────┴──────┐      ┌───────────┐
        └──────────────│   Status    │<─────│  Foreman  │
                       │   Update    │      │  Response │
                       └─────────────┘      └───────────┘

n8n Pipeline Components

1. Morning Trigger (8:00 AM)

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "Schedule Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
      "parameters": {
        "rule": {
          "interval": [
            {"field": "hours", "hoursInterval": 24}
          ]
        },
        "triggerTimes": {"item": [{"hour": 8, "minute": 0}]}
      }
    }
  ]
}

2. Get Tasks from Google Sheets

{
  "name": "Get Today Tasks",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets",
  "parameters": {
    "operation": "read",
    "sheetId": "YOUR_SHEET_ID",
    "range": "Tasks!A:F",
    "options": {}
  }
}

3. Filter Tasks by Foreman

// Filter tasks for specific foreman based on chat_id
const chatId = $node["Telegram Trigger"].json["message"]["chat"]["id"];
const tasks = $input.all();

return tasks.filter(task =>
  task.json.foreman_chat_id === chatId.toString()
);

4. Format and Send via Telegram

// Format task message
const tasks = $input.all();
let message = "📋 *Задачи на сегодня:*\n\n";

tasks.forEach((task, index) => {
  message += `*${index + 1}. ${task.json.task_name}*\n`;
  message += `   📍 Участок: ${task.json.location}\n`;
  message += `   ⏰ Срок: ${task.json.deadline}\n`;
  message += `   📝 ${task.json.description}\n\n`;
});

message += "\n_Ответьте на это сообщение статусом:_\n";
message += "✅ выполнил\n❌ не выполнил + причина";

return [{json: {message}}];

5. Status Update Handler

// Parse foreman response and update status
const message = $node["Telegram Trigger"].json["message"]["text"];
const replyTo = $node["Telegram Trigger"].json["message"]["reply_to_message"];

let status = "в работе";
let comment = "";

if (message.toLowerCase().includes("выполнил")) {
  status = "выполнено";
} else if (message.toLowerCase().includes("не выполнил")) {
  status = "не выполнено";
  comment = message.replace(/не выполнил/i, "").trim();
}

return [{
  json: {
    task_id: replyTo.message_id,
    status: status,
    comment: comment,
    updated_at: new Date().toISOString()
  }
}];

Google Sheets Structure

Tasks Sheet:

Column	Description
task_id	Unique task identifier
task_name	Task title
description	Detailed description
location	Work location
deadline	Due date/time
foreman_chat_id	Telegram chat ID of assigned foreman
status	Current status
comment	Foreman comment

Foremen Sheet:

Column	Description
name	Foreman name
chat_id	Telegram chat ID
registered_at	Registration timestamp

Telegram Bot Setup

1. Create bot via @BotFather
2. Get bot token
3. Configure webhook in n8n
4. For local testing, use n8n tunnel:

npx n8n --tunnel

Usage Flow

For PTO Engineer:

1. Open Google Sheets task list
2. Add tasks with foreman assignments
3. System automatically sends at 8:00 AM

For Foreman:

1. Receive tasks via Telegram bot
2. Reply to task message with status
3. System updates Google Sheets automatically

For Manager:

1. View real-time status in Google Sheets
2. Generate reports from historical data
3. Analyze completion rates by foreman/location

Deployment Options

Local (Testing)

npx n8n --tunnel

Cloud VPS (Production)

• Hostinger n8n: ~$5/month
• Amvera Cloud: ~170 RUB/month
• timeweb: ~590 RUB/month

Extensions

• Add photo attachments for completed work
• Integrate with PostgreSQL for complex queries
• Add reminder notifications
• Generate daily/weekly reports
• Connect to project management systems

Resources

• Source: DDC Telegram Community discussions
• Template: Available in DDC GitHub repository