Introduction to Work Orders
This page introduces work orders — the individual maintenance tasks that track specific services to be performed on assets — and explains how they fit into the planned maintenance workflow.
What Is a Work Order?
A work order is a record that tracks a specific service to be performed on a specific asset. It contains:
- What — the service description and procedures (inherited from the Service Process)
- When — the due date (calculated from the Service Plan)
- Who — the assigned individual, supplier, or work centre
- Status — tracking the progress from creation through to completion
- History — clock readings, notes, and completion details recorded as the work is done
How Work Orders Are Created
Work orders can be created in two ways:
| Method | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Automatically generated | For recurring scheduled maintenance. The system uses the Service Process and Service Plan as templates to create work orders in bulk. |
| Manually created | For ad hoc or unplanned maintenance — repairs, one-off inspections, or emergency work. |
When work orders are generated automatically, the system uses the Service Process specified in the Service Plan as a template. All settings from the Service Process — description, procedures, default status, priority, and assignments — are carried forward to the generated work orders.
Work Order Lifecycle
A typical work order moves through these stages:
- Created — generated from a Service Plan or created manually
- Assigned — routed to an individual or work centre (automatically via Task Assignment Rules or manually)
- In Progress — the technician begins the service
- Complete — the work is finished, clock readings updated, notes recorded
- Closed — final review and closure
Viewing Work Orders
Work orders can be viewed from several places:
- Maintenance > Work Orders > Outstanding Generated Work Orders — all outstanding work orders across all assets
- Asset Editor > Maintenance or Service Desk section — work orders for a specific asset
- Service Plan Management screen — work orders generated from a specific plan
- Service Management Dashboard — an overview of workload by technician or work centre
Both generated and ad hoc work orders appear in the same lists, giving you a complete maintenance history for each asset in one place.
Related Articles
- Creating Work Orders Manually — How to create work orders by hand
- Task Assignment Rules — How tasks are assigned to work centres
- Introduction to Work Centres — Overview of work centres
- Generating Work Orders — How the system generates work orders automatically
- Planned Maintenance Introduction — Introduction to the planned maintenance module