assignment work order

• TemplateLab
• Project management

Work Order Templates

40 printable work order templates (excel, word, pdf).

Organizations usually depend upon other organizations, whether it’s one of their internal departments or external customers if they need to complete certain jobs. If your organization wants to have a job done, you need to use work order forms. This document is also called a job ticket, job order, service ticket, or work ticket. You would use it to describe the task for completion or a product you want manufactured or purchased.

Table of Contents

• 1 Work Order Templates
• 2 What is a work order template?
• 3 Work Order Forms
• 4 When do you need this document?
• 5 Information to include
• 6 Excel Work Order Templates
• 7 Work order examples
• 8 Work Order Formats
• 9 How to make a work order template?
• 10 Formatting a work order template

What is a work order template?

A work order format is a document that specifies what work someone needs to do along with all necessary details. These include materials needed, pricing, taxes, contract details, and payment terms. The work order may receive this order from an outside contractor or customer or from within their organization as a request for work for a different department. Generally, work order forms provide all of the information of a project and it also outlines the process of how the worker will complete the project.

This document may also include information about the scope of the project, who authorized it, the person assigned to the project, what’s expected. Work orders are important if you want to stay organized, especially if it involves service requests or maintenance management.

All industries use these orders when a request from a customer comes in and you should respond to these efficiently and quickly. To facilitate the process involved in work orders, you can use a template to help you collect all of the information relevant to the task and organize it.

Work Order Forms

When do you need this document?

You can use various work order examples when contracting an external worker or to process service jobs or repairs within the company. It is essential to create a work order when assigning the task. You can compare this to a container where you place all of the information that’s necessary to accomplish the job. Filling out the work order means that you’re making an assignment and giving detailed instructions about the nature of the job when you want the job to get completed.

When accomplished and signed, this document will serve as a binding contract. The contractor, customer, or organization who receives the work order will use the document as a guide when they will start the work. You need to send this document before any work starts, but those who receive it can use it throughout the task’s completion.

For your convenience, you can streamline the management of work orders by using some type of project management software. For instance, a software that allows you to set the costs of labor and keep track of the times your contractors spend on their tasks using secure timesheets. This will also make the payment process easier.

You can even use Kanban boards to provide transparency to the workflow or workload charts to make it easier for you to balance and prioritize tasks. Throughout the project, contractors can refer to the document to make sure that they will fulfill their agreement.

Work orders are traditionally created by someone within the organization. They come from the person responsible for overseeing the completion of the task stated in the document. It is usually the project manager who will create this document. Then the person who receives the document (like the contractor) will come up with the details of the costs including things like materials, labor, and more.

Both you (as the project manager) and the contractor must first come to an agreement before you affix your signatures on the document. As for customers, they aren’t usually involved in the process but they will receive a copy of the final document to affix their signature too.

Information to include

If you want to create a well-written work order, it should include the important sections that provide the required details for the workers to can effectively understand the task at hand and complete it. You can also use a work order template to create more efficient work orders. These documents differ from other documents.

They should be completely free from errors. Remember that if there is an error in just one aspect of the job, it will affect everything else. Therefore, make sure to include and check the following information. For this, let’s use a maintenance work order as an example:

• Asset: The piece of equipment that needs work.
• Description: Describe the issue and what you have observed at the time leading up to the issue.
• Scope of work : Describe the work or skills required to complete the job.
• Tools and parts needed: List any parts to replace or tools to use to fix the issue.
• Notes on health and safety: Describe the safety equipment and procedures needed. Also, note any near-misses or accidents that may have happened in the past while working on a similar issue.
• Date requested: State when you created the document.
• Name, department, and contact details of requester: Provide your details.
• Expected completion date: State the date you expect the job to get completed.
• Actual completion date: State when the job got completed and the job order closed.
• Expected number of working hours: State how many hours it should take to complete the job.
• Actual working hours: State the actual number of hours it took to complete the job.
• Task checklist: Include a step-by-step guide to accomplish the job (if needed).
• Priority: State whether it is a high, medium, or low-priority job.
• Assigned to: State who will do the work, if the job requires more than one person, or if you need an outside contractor.
• Associated documents: State if there are any resources that could prove helpful for the completion of the job more efficiently. This may include manuals, SOPs, diagrams, asset history, videos, images, purchase orders, or anything else.
• Notes: Include any other observations that might help in the completion of the job or review the work order after the job gets completed. Some examples of notes may include how often the issue occurs, any troubleshooting methods, or the solution that worked.

Excel Work Order Templates

Work order examples

It’s important to provide the person or company you’re doing business with all of the necessary information and details regarding the job you’re requesting. Using a template will provide details about the work order, the type of work needed, dues, taxes, and payment details in an organized way. Most industries use these documents to monitor tasks and how to complete them. Here are some examples of templates you can use:

• For maintenance work

This template is specifically created for maintenance orders. It includes sections that describe the details of the work, material and labor costs, and total expenditures. It also has space for location, starting date, contract information, and a signature of approval.

• For service work

With this template, you can include information like the services you will provide, any required parts, amounts owed, additional charges, and taxes. It also includes fields for the service date and tracking number to make your record-keeping more accurate.

• For automotive work

You can use this template that includes the information about the vehicle and details about the parts and the labor costs.

• For stopping work

You can use this template to suspend a project or job. You should state your reasons for the suspension and the timeframe. You can also include details about the project and what part of it you’d like to cancel or suspend.

• For IT work

With this template, you can create a request for IT services. You can list down the required IT tasks and include the date of your request, details about the job, and your contact information.

• For graphic design work

You can use this template to request design services. Use a layout that’s easy to understand while containing a high level of detail.

• For landscaping work

This template includes sections for more tasks, along with space for more in-depth descriptions. You can also include sections for lists of labor and materials for calculating the costs.

Work Order Formats

How to make a work order template?

Work orders drive your maintenance operations. You use them to power your team so they can work from one part of the project to the next. Therefore, it’s important to master the work order template to make sure that your operations will always run smoothly. Consider these steps when writing this document. Again, let’s use a maintenance task as an example:

• Identify the job

You can classify maintenance projects into two groups: unplanned and planned maintenance. The first one includes those tasks that you cannot foresee like unexpected breakdowns. The second one includes jobs that you know already ahead of time like routine inspections.

• Create the maintenance request

Put together the details of the job, then submit the document to your maintenance team so they can take further action. For instance, you have a machine that just broke down. You must first create a work request first, then submit it to your maintenance team. If this is a planned job, you would create the work order and send it in a timely manner.

• Schedule the work order

There are some jobs that require more attention than others. For instance, you don’t need to fix a busted bulb immediately but you need to deal with a broken conveyor belt right away, especially if it affects other jobs in your organization. This is why you should learn how to prioritize and schedule all work orders that get created.

After prioritizing the job, it’s time to create a schedule for it. You can schedule the work order based on a deadline, dedicated time blocks, or planned maintenance triggers. Setting a deadline for each job will keep everyone informed and accountable so you won’t miss anything.

• Assign the work

The next step is to put your work order into action. You would assign the work order to the worker who will complete the job. The job can be as simple as a 10-minute equipment check or as complex as a repair job that could take a few days or weeks to complete.

• Close and document the work order

As soon as the assigned person has completed all of the terms of the work order, you can now close it. If you’re the project manager, you need to affix your signature on the document for compliance. Once closed, you will file the work order. It’s essential to maintain a properly organized log for work orders to use for building histories of assets, reviewing solutions done in the past, preparing audits, and more.

• Analyze or reword the work order

Work orders that have already closed filed will still contain valuable information. You can refer to them when you need to provide insights into your company’s systems and processes so you can improve your operations. A log of work orders will also help those who you will work with as they can easily and quickly identify any alternate solutions or missed steps, should the same issue arise again.

Formatting a work order template

You should format your work orders in such a way that you can use them easily. They should also contain all of the required and critical information for the completion of a job. In most forms, the name and contact details of the person making the work order request would be at the top. Then you can include the other details. Then, you should include an accounting of materials and labor plus space for recording actual hours and usage.

Correct formatting is essential for tracking costs and overall processes. You can create work orders either manually using a spreadsheet document or automatically using a work order generator. Here are more details about these formatting options:

• Use a spreadsheet

Creating an Excel work order template only takes a short time. You can customize spreadsheets to suit your requirements. Using Excel is an excellent solution for smaller companies.

• Work order generator

There are sites that offer free work order generators online. These generators will ask you some questions before creating the document for you.

More Templates

Two Weeks Notice Letters

Work Breakdown Structure

Process Map Templates

Maintenance Report Forms

Peer Evaluation Forms

Maintenance Request Forms

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February 1, 2022

| 12 min read

What is a work order? Six steps for the perfect work order

• By: Marc Cousineau
• Reviewed by: Eric Wallace, C.E.T.
• Fact-checked by: Mike Cooper
• Asset management , Blog

Back to blog

Work orders are the engine of your maintenance operation. They power your team and move work from point A to point B. But there are millions of engines in the world, from rusted duds to high-powered studs. This article is about mastering the maintenance work order so your operation can run as smooth as a luxury sports car.

A template for creating the perfect work order every single time (without spending hours at your desk)

Table of contents

What is a work order, types of work orders, what is the work order lifecycle, how to write a good work order in six steps, what should be in a work order, 5 best practices for managing a work order, 5 benefits of using work order management software, learn how to build work orders easier with software, the bottom line.

A work order is a document that provides all the information about a maintenance task and outlines a process for completing that task. Work orders can include details on who authorized the job, the scope, who it’s assigned to, and what is expected.

Work orders are the engine of your maintenance operation. They power your team and move work from point A to point B.

Work orders are crucial to an organization’s maintenance operation. They help everyone from maintenance managers to technicians organize, assign, prioritize, track, and complete key tasks. When done well, work orders allow you to capture information, share it, and use it to get the work done as efficiently as possible.

Work order vs work request

While a work order and work request sound similar, they have a few key differences. A work request is used by non-maintenance staff to make the maintenance team aware of a task. For example, a machine operator might submit a work request when equipment breaks down. The work request is reviewed by a maintenance manager, who adds extra information, schedules the task, and assigns it to a technician. The work request is now a work order.

There are five main types of work orders used in CMMS software , including general work orders, preventive maintenance work orders, inspection work orders, emergency work orders, and corrective maintenance work orders. Below are details of each type of work order and when to use them.

General work order

A general work order includes maintenance tasks that do not fall under the category of preventive maintenance, inspection, emergency, or corrective maintenance work orders. General work orders may include tasks like setting up new equipment, taking down equipment no longer in use, or painting.

Preventive maintenance work order

Preventive maintenance (or preventative maintenance) work orders are scheduled routine maintenance that is done on assets to prevent costly equipment failure and unplanned machine downtime. Preventive maintenance falls between reactive maintenance (or run-to-failure) and predictive maintenance. Preventive maintenance work orders include resource requirements, instructions, checklists, and notes for each task. They are also put on a schedule to ensure the maintenance task is performed at a specific time interval.

Inspection work order

An inspection work order indicates when a maintenance technician needs to audit or inspect the condition of an asset. This is usually based on a predetermined period of time, similar to preventive maintenance work orders. During an inspection, a maintenance technician may identify a problem and then create a new work order to correct that problem.

Emergency work order

An emergency work order is created when an unplanned asset breakdown occurs and needs to be repaired right away. An emergency work order records and tracks reactive maintenance that is performed. The maintenance technician can add details in the work order about why the asset resulted in the unexpected breakdown, what maintenance work was done on it, and information on how to prevent the breakdown from happening again.

Corrective maintenance work orders

A corrective maintenance work order is created when a maintenance technician discovers issues while conducting preventive maintenance, inspection, general, or emergency work order tasks. Corrective maintenance is performed to identify, isolate, and solve the issue so that the equipment, machine, or system can be restored to its correct condition. Unlike an emergency work order, a corrective maintenance work order is planned and scheduled because the failure was identified in time. A corrective maintenance work order may consist of repairing, restoring, or replacing equipment or equipment parts.

How to create the perfect work order in six steps

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Every maintenance work order has a lifecycle with three main phases – creation, completion, and recording. These phases can be broken down into six steps, including task identification, requesting a work order, scheduling the work order, assigning and completing the work order, documenting and closing the work order, and analyzing the work order to help improve the process for next time. Understanding each step and having a solid work order process ensures tasks don’t get stuck in one phase and turn into backlog.

Step #1: The task is identified

Maintenance tasks fall into two groups, planned maintenance and unplanned maintenance. Planned maintenance encompasses all the jobs you know of ahead of time, like routine inspections, and unplanned maintenance includes all the tasks you can’t foresee, like an unexpected breakdown.

Step #2: The maintenance request is created

The details of the job are put together and submitted to the maintenance team for further action. For example, when a machine breaks down, an operator creates a work request and submits it to maintenance. If a task is planned, a work order is created and triggered at the proper time.

Step #3: The work order is prioritized and scheduled

Some jobs are more time-sensitive than others. A burnt-out light bulb doesn’t need to be fixed immediately, but a broken conveyor belt might. That’s why you need to prioritize every work order that hits your desk.

After prioritizing, it’s time to schedule. Work orders can be scheduled based on a set deadline, planned maintenance triggers , or dedicated blocks of time. Setting a deadline keeps everyone accountable and informed so nothing falls through the cracks.

Step #4: The work is assigned and completed

It’s time to turn those words on a page into action. The work order is assigned to a technician, who completes the task. This can be a five-minute check of equipment, or it can be a complex repair job that takes several days.

Step #5: The work order is closed and documented

Once all the terms of the work order are completed, it can be closed. Managers may need to sign off on the work order for compliance requirements. Once closed, the work order is filed away. A properly organized work order log is crucial for building asset histories, reviewing past solutions, preparing for audits, and more.

Step #6: The work order is analyzed and/or reworked

Closed work orders contain valuable information. They can provide insight into your processes and systems that can be used to fine-tune your operation. Having a work order log also allows technicians to quickly spot any missed steps or alternate solutions if an issue flares up again.

A good work order will have 16 different sections to provide the necessary details for maintenance workers to effectively understand and complete the task at hand. The 16 components are listed below. You can also use this work order template to help you create better work orders. Work orders are like anything else your facility produces – they must be made well and free of defects. If one part of the process is off, it can affect the entire line.

• Asset : What piece of equipment needs work?
• Description of issue : What’s the problem? What did you hear, see, smell, or feel at the time of failure or leading up to it?
• Scope of work : What work is required to get the job done? What skills are needed?
• Parts and tools required : Are there any parts that need to be replaced or special tools that need to be used?
• Health and safety notes : What safety procedures and equipment are needed? Have there been any accidents or near-misses while working on a similar issue or asset?
• Date requested : When was the work order created and submitted?
• Requester name/department/contact : Who created and submitted the work order?
• Expected completion date : When should this work order be completed?
• Actual completion date : When was the work order completed and closed?
• Expected hours of work : How many hours should it take to complete the work order?
• Actual hours of work : How many hours did it take to complete the work order?
• Task checklist : Is there a step-by-step guide to completing the required work?
• Priority : How important is this work order? High, medium, or low?
• Assigned to : Who will be doing the work? Is more than one person required? Is an outside contractor required?
• Associated documents : Are there resources that can help the work order be completed more efficiently, like SOPs, manuals, diagrams, videos, asset history, purchase orders, or images?
• Notes : Are there any other observations that might be helpful in completing the work order or reviewing the work order after it closes, such as the frequency of an issue, troubleshooting techniques, or the solution reached?

A template for building maintenance checklists that work every time

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Just like company assets, work orders also need standard operating procedures (SOPs) to give you a baseline for creating, reviewing, and optimizing maintenance tasks. Five best practices for improving the management of your work orders are to establish your maintenance goals, KPIs, and maintenance metrics, define roles and responsibilities, decide on work order frequency, build work order triggers, and conduct work order post-mortems.

#1: Decide on goals and measurements for your work orders

Before setting up your work orders, it’s necessary to know what information you want from them. You can follow a four-step framework for this. First, start by identifying your organization’s maintenance goals. Second, define your maintenance KPIs so you know what needs to be quantified. Third, identify your team’s metrics and what they should be measuring. Fourth, use this information to guide your maintenance strategy.

Download our free maintenance goal setting template

#2: Define work order roles and responsibilities

Create clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each part of the work order process. Outline who can create, assign, prioritize, complete, and review work orders. This will help you avoid duplicate or unauthorized work and miscommunication.

#3: Decide on work order frequency

The frequency of when you should perform maintenance work will vary depending on the equipment and the operation it is performing. You can follow the manufacturer guidelines to help determine scheduled frequency and inspection so that assets do not fail unexpectedly. Creating a preventive maintenance schedule will help protect against costly reactive maintenance.

Learn how to optimize your maintenance schedule

#4: Build work orders triggers

Determine the best way to trigger work orders automatically within your operational processes. This includes triggers that create the initial work request as well as follow-ups for failed PMs, compliance documentation, or extra work that needs to be done on the asset. The five common types of maintenance triggers include breakdown , time-based , event-based, usage-based, and condition-based . It’s important to understand when and how to use each one to achieve maximum efficiency and reliability at your facility.

#5: Conduct work order post-mortems

Big projects and big problems deserve hindsight. Create a plan to find what went right and what went wrong on these major jobs. Then apply your learnings to the work order process.

Download our free root cause analysis template

Overseeing all the maintenance tasks across your company is definitely a challenge. Regardless of best efforts in trying to keep up with manual tasks, there will always be things that fall through the cracks. Work order management software benefits maintenance technicians and facility managers by bringing overall efficiencies into operations. Five benefits of using work orders to manage maintenance tasks include having a centralized system where all the work order details can be found, no more need for paperwork, better budgeting and planning, easy access for maintenance workers, and regulatory compliance.

#1: You get one centralized system for all maintenance tasks

Work order management software allows you to create and track maintenance tasks all in one place. That means only one source to reference versus having to look through multiple systems to find the necessary information. With work order management software, maintenance teams can handle multiple tasks at a time, like assigning labor hours, estimating and monitoring labor and parts costs, and keeping track of safety procedures and downtime. With all work order information in one place, it becomes easier to schedule and prioritize orders according to need and urgency.

#2: You reduce your paperwork

Work order management software is able to record information automatically. As soon as you enter data into the work order, it gets saved by the system. This eliminates the need to manually enter data into paper records. In addition, maintenance technicians have 24/7 access to all the necessary work order information on their mobile devices or computers. Work order management software helps you save time by eliminating the need to sift through piles of files or clipboards in search of specific information. The system provides real-time tracking and record keeping throughout the work order process.

#3: You’re able to budget and plan more accurately

Work order management software provides a treasure trove of real-time data that enables you to accurately measure maintenance performance. Work orders keep track of every part of the process, including what work needed to be done, who did it, what did it cost, and how long did it take to complete. Having a work order management system is vital for keeping your records accurate and up-to-date. Using this information, you’re able to plan and budget better in order to reduce or eliminate stoppages and interruptions.

#4: You have easy access to information whenever you need it

Work order management software enables maintenance technicians to access work order information at their fingertips. Whether by mobile, laptop, or desktop computer, the information goes where they go. That means they have work order access no matter where they are conducting maintenance, such as in the factory or in the field.

#5: Easy to maintain regulatory compliance

Work order management software is required to comply with both national and international regulatory standards. All the work is already incorporated into the software, so this reduces the amount of time and paperwork it takes your maintenance team to prepare for an audit. Instead of getting stressed and spending hours in preparation, all you need to do is generate reports of previous work orders done through the system. In the long run, compliance becomes easy to trace and reduces exposure to noncompliance penalties.

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Work order software vs pen and paper

Work orders have been managed with pen and paper since the day they were invented. Written work orders are cost-effective and familiar. Paper is a tool everyone is comfortable using. It takes next to no training, the upfront costs are fairly low, and there’s a paper trail for when you need to check past work.

However, this system has some serious flaws. Paper files are easily misfiled, lost or damaged. They are cumbersome and take time to find, retrieve, and sort. Inaccurate information is more likely to make its way onto a work order as details are often recorded after an incident. Response time to work requests is also slower. These factors, combined, make work less efficient and could cost you a lot of money down the line.

Work order software vs whiteboards

Whiteboards are another old standby for maintenance departments. The cost of materials doesn’t stretch the budget too far and it’s certainly easy to have all work orders available to view and update in one, central place.

Like pen and paper, whiteboards have some severe limitations. Keeping records is a huge headache and it’s extremely difficult to extract information from any records you actually manage to get. This makes it almost impossible to create asset histories, prepare for audits, and build work order reports. The work order management process also gets bogged down as operators and technicians need to go to a central location to submit or view work requests.

Work order software vs excel spreadsheets

Excel spreadsheets are a step up from pen and paper and whiteboards. It makes records digital, so files are less likely to be damaged or lost. It’s also easier to search for information and create reports using this information.

But while spreadsheets raise the bar slightly, there are some factors that make it a shaky foundation for managing maintenance work orders. Some spreadsheets are locked into single computers, which makes it difficult to see up-to-date information on a work order. Even if they are cloud-based, spreadsheets don’t have the ability to automatically trigger work orders, which makes preventive maintenance extremely difficult to achieve. Inputting data and creating reports require long periods at a computer and know-how. There’s also a limited ability to track the progress of work orders, which leaves you a step behind.

Work order software vs CMMS software

Work order software is a stand-alone solution to creating and managing work orders. It ensures maintenance departments can assign work efficiently so it can be completed in a timely manner. Work order software also creates comprehensive work histories for each asset and offers real-time updates on completed work and scheduled work. Many vendors also offer a mobile solution through an app, making it easier to document work correctly in real-time and make informed decisions on the spot.

A computerized maintenance management system ( CMMS ) goes beyond basic work order management, and also includes a scheduled maintenance planner, asset profiles and management, and inventory management.

Finally, one of the biggest advantages of computerized maintenance management systems is their use of mobile and cloud technology . This kind of maintenance work order software allows everyone in maintenance to create, track, complete, and analyze tasks in real-time, from anywhere—whether that’s at the scene of a breakdown or a beach in Hawaii. Technicians can bring work orders, asset histories, documents, and images wherever they go. They are also notified of new work orders as soon as they are submitted or triggered. Reports mine the data in maintenance work orders for cost, efficiency, and other metrics. For those outside of maintenance, submitting a work request through a CMMS can give them a greater sense of ownership over that work. They can track the status of their requests and it eliminates duplicate work orders. This is a key way to grow TPM at your facility and reduces the need to get updates or clarification on the task.

While CMMS software is the way of the future, it comes with costlier upfront prices, requires exceptional training and culture to make the system successful, and often necessitates more advanced maintenance techniques. However, the long-term benefits of the system more than make up for any initial shortcomings. To learn more, read our blog detailing the top 20 benefits of a CMMS .

Work orders are a pillar of great maintenance. When managed properly, they give your team the stability and structure it needs to be efficient. A well-built maintenance work order and work order process makes it easier to establish a preventive maintenance program and react to unplanned maintenance. Roles are defined, workflows are smoother, tasks are tracked, and information is well-documented. Choosing the right tools and systems to manage work orders is the crucial final piece of the puzzle. When it all comes together, your operation can master the fundamentals of maintenance and look for new ways to grow and succeed.

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A Quick Guide to Work Orders: Example & Template Included

Work orders help organizations manage their maintenance work. They act as the paper trail that defines what needs to be done, by when and for what period of time within an organization. Work order management is critical in industries such as manufacturing, construction and others that rely on the use of heavy equipment and machinery.

What Is a Work Order?

A work order is a document that describes how maintenance work will be performed. A work order should include a description of the maintenance activities and information such as who requested and approved the work order, the maintenance technician responsible for executing the work and the associated due dates, costs and resources.

Work orders can be either executed by an internal maintenance team. If your organization doesn’t have one, you can hire a third-party maintenance contractor. Now that we’ve defined what a work order is, let’s compare work orders with other similar documents that are commonly used by organizations.

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Work Order Template

Use this free Work Order Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

Work Order vs. Work Request

Every work order starts with a work request. Your staff, customers or other non-maintenance personnel will submit a work request to make a change to an asset. Once work requests are reviewed and approved, work orders are created. Considerations that could come up when approving requests include existing maintenance plans, the current budget , the criticality or age of the asset and the severity of the issue being reported.

Work Order vs. Purchase Order

Work orders outline specific tasks or labor services that will be carried out. Purchase orders , on the other hand, outline the materials, items or products that are necessary from an outside vendor to complete a work order. A typical work order includes a purchase order with the new items or parts that’ll be used to complete the equipment repair.

Work Order vs. Service Order

The main difference between work orders and service orders is who they’re for. Typically, work orders are for in-house maintenance requests while service orders are for external parties such as a customer. Service orders outline the service that the client requests and outlines the deliverables that they require.

You may be wondering what should be on a work order to yield the most effective outcome. To get a better general idea of work orders and what they entail, let’s look at a work order sample. ProjectManager has a number of free project management templates , and pictured below is a full version of our work order template . We’ll outline the different elements of the work order and how to use them later on.

The Purpose of a Work Order and When to Use One

Work orders standardize workflow and create a simple and fast process for scheduling, assigning and tracking maintenance work while documenting resources and tracking performance .

Work orders are primarily used in the construction industry for service requests, but they can also be used for products, inspections and audits. Work orders may not always be referred to as such. For example, in manufacturing, a work order is often called a sales order when a build or engineering is to take place.

Regardless of what industry a work order is used in, it’s used to track and monitor the status of the job to ensure it’s finished on time and within budget. This is true when work orders are used in field service or within an industry that’s tasked with regular inspection. In that regard, they act almost like a project status report.

Why Is It Important to Use Work Orders?

Work orders are all about efficiency. They help your business operate in a more standardized way as they work to streamline maintenance planning workflows. Work orders highlight what jobs need to be done, when they should be completed and by whom. When you use a work order, you can achieve:

• Increased efficiency
• Customization and adaptability to keep up with company evolution
• Increased sales while reducing costs and inefficiencies

To simplify creating and managing work orders, you need the right tools. ProjectManager has planning tools such as Gantt charts, kanban boards and task lists to create online work orders and track their progress. Easily create tasks, assign work to team members, set due dates and control costs with online timesheets. Get started for free.

Work Order Example

You may be wondering what should be on a work order to yield the most effective outcome. To get a better general idea of work orders and what they entail, let’s look at a work order sample.

For example, let’s say you work at a manufacturing company where you need to start producing a new type of table. The project stemmed from a submitted work request that was approved, resulting in the official creation of a work order.

In this work order, you’ll first need to input the data. In this case, that means including the type of wood that will be used, the measurements of each component and the steps of how to put the table together. You can also include details such as the due date, priority level, category, assignee, additional workers, team, location and asset.

Tracking progress is the second step in the work order. Be sure to list the start and finish times for each step and what party will be responsible for which aspects. Many people opt to use reports to share with stakeholders to keep them informed of work order progress.

The last step is to keep the information updated, and any changes need to be closely documented. For example, if you cannot source the initial type of wood that you were going to use or you need more time to perfect the table design than you originally anticipated, make sure to constantly note updates that can impact the project.

Once the work order has been completed and the table is finished, it can officially be closed so long as the project doesn’t need to be recurring.

Types of Work Orders

There are different types of work orders that are part of the maintenance schedule of an organization. Here are the most common types of maintenance work and the types of work orders that are created for maintenance teams.

• General work order: A general work order describes activities that can’t be classified as preventive, inspection, emergency or corrective maintenance work. An example of a general work order could be setting up new equipment in a production facility.
• Preventive maintenance work order: Preventive maintenance work orders are used to schedule routine maintenance work that needs to be done to keep equipment working at optimal conditions.
• Inspection work order: Inspection work orders, as the name suggests, are issued whenever an organization wants to inspect its assets. These are usually recurring maintenance tasks similar to preventive maintenance work orders, however, maintenance technicians are focused on identifying risks and problems.
• Emergency work order: Emergency work orders are issued whenever an asset breaks down, and this requires immediate action from the maintenance team. These are also known as reactive maintenance work orders and have a high priority level.
• Corrective maintenance work order: A corrective maintenance work is employed whenever a maintenance technician identifies a maintenance issue, problem or potential risk. Corrective maintenance differs from emergency maintenance because in this case, the problem or issue is diagnosed before it becomes an emergency that causes equipment to fail.

What Should a Work Order Include?

Now that we’ve learned the basics of work orders and work order management, let’s learn what a work order should include. Here are some steps you can follow to write a work order. Then, use our work order template to create your own work orders with ease.

Contact and Internal Information

Our free work order template can be customized to fit the perimeters of your business, but it’s fully loaded with the basics. At the top is where much of the pertinent information is captured, such as company name, address and contact.

There’s also a place to add the work order number, which is key to keeping track of the job and finding the work order quickly. Dates are included for when the work order is issued, when the work is expected to start, finish and when it’s completed.

A priority level can be set. The person who requested the work order is identified and a customer ID for internal use is given. For larger organizations, the department can be specified.

Job Description

The meat of the work order is the job and its related labor and materials. Here, the work is described, who is billed is identified, and, if necessary, where the work will be shipped is identified.

Following this is a detailed description of the work to be done and how many hours it will take to do each maintenance activity, as well as the rate of the worker tasked with the job. This is then totaled.

Required Materials

The next section in our work order sample lists the materials needed to complete the work order, how much of each, the cost and any applicable tax. This is added to the above total for a subtotal. Any additional charges are added to this subtotal to reach the total price of the work order.

Finally, there’s space to add additional information before the signature and dateline. Again, these are just 3 basic steps to create a work order, but with these steps and a few tweaks to our free work order template, you can create any type of work order.

The Work Order Process

To create a work order, organizations usually go through this basic 3-step work order process.

1. Create a Work Request

Work orders can’t be created without submitting a work request first. Work requests are created once a maintenance issue is identified. They can be submitted under a different number of cases such as a customer request, a safety inspection, a preventive maintenance audit or an internal request.

2. Evaluate the Work Request

Work requests are submitted to the maintenance manager, who evaluates them and turns them into a work order. To do so, he must first determine if it’s feasible to execute the requested maintenance work and then allocate resources such as materials, equipment and personnel in order to create a work order.

3. Create a Work Order

Once the maintenance manager has identified the necessary resources to execute a work request, he can turn that work request into a work order. As stated above, the work order includes all of the information about the maintenance activities to be performed such as the due dates, job description and requirements, among other details.

ProjectManager Helps With Work Order Management

ProjectManager is award-winning software that helps organize work and drive efficiency. Generating, tracking and paying for work orders is enhanced by our online tool that gives you real-time data to always know if you’re keeping on schedule.

Our kanban boards let you create digital work orders and manage them online. Simply use our kanban cards to enter the information about your work order, assign it to a team member, set due dates and track its progress across the kanban board . ProjectManager’s kanban boards also allow you to schedule recurring tasks, which are ideal to schedule preventive, inspection and corrective work orders.

Track Work Orders With Online Dashboards

Keep track of the progress of your work orders on online dashboards that automatically reflect status updates and calculate metrics such as time, percent complete, costs and more. For example, if you’re putting together a mechanic work order and your maintenance crew is in the field, they can still collaborate online with the rest of the team.

Control Costs With Cloud-Based Timesheets

Time logged on work can also be tracked with timesheets that streamline payroll as well. They’re secure and easy to use. Our unlimited file storage means you can use the tool as a centralized hub to manage all your work orders.

ProjectManager is an online tool that organizes work and workers for greater productivity. Manage your work orders and keep your team working wherever they are or whenever they’re working. Try ProjectManager today by taking this free 30-day trial.

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Work Orders: What They Are & What They Look Like [Template]

Published: April 01, 2022

Maintenance teams need structure to do their jobs effectively — guesswork always needs to be kept to a minimum. That's why they leverage documents known as work orders to delegate and track their tasks and responsibilities.

Here, we'll go over what work orders are, see what they might cover, review the difference between them and work requests, detail the work order management process, and get a helpful template for you to make work orders of your own.

What is a work order?

A work order is an internal document, detailing maintenance work that has been approved for execution. It usually covers elements like the worker the task has been assigned to, cost estimates, the date and time the task will be executed, and other relevant details that will inform how a task should be carried out.

There's no single, catch-all category that covers all work orders. Each one is unique — even if it's for recurring maintenance. Still, your average work order will generally fall within one of five buckets. Those include:

• Emergency — A work order dedicated to fixing an asset that has broken down unexpectedly
• Preventative Maintenance — A work order that covers routine maintenance of assets to prevent future stalls or breakdowns
• Inspection — A work order that lets a maintenance technician know that they need to inspect, monitor, or audit the condition of an asset
• General — A work order that doesn't fall under any of the emergency, preventative, inspection work order umbrellas
• Corrective Maintenance — A work order dedicated to correcting issues discovered when executing an emergency, preventative maintenance, inspection, or general work order

Work orders are often conflated with similar documents called work requests. Let's take a look at what distinguishes one from the other.

Work Order vs. Work Request

The key difference between these two types of documents stems from who issues each form. Work orders typically come from maintenance teams themselves to delegate responsibilities, whereas work requests come from non-maintenance staff to make maintenance teams aware of tasks that need to be fulfilled.

Once a work request is received, a maintenance manager assigns the specified action to someone on their team. For instance, a work request might come through making maintenance aware that a certain machine has broken down. From there, a maintenance manager would convert the request into a work order and delegate a staff member to fix the equipment.

Work Order Management

The term 'work order management' refers to the standardized methods behind how a maintenance infrastructure systematically and reliably completes work orders as they come in. Effective work order management maximizes efficiency and minimizes downtime.

The work order management process can often be boiled down to a simple progression — covering everything from work request approval to closure. Here's what that progression usually looks like.

1. Work Request Approval and Work Order Creation

In many cases, the work order management process starts after someone submits a work request. If the work request is deemed urgent and necessary by a maintenance manager, a work order is created.

2. Prioritization

Work orders generally aren't fulfilled as soon they come in. Certain tasks are more pressing than others — so naturally, the more urgent ones get priority. For instance, maintenance staff would probably prioritize an emergency work order over a preventative maintenance one.

3. Scheduling

Once work orders have been prioritized, they need to be scheduled based on their degree of urgency. Scheduling also rests on other factors — like availability of technicians, availability of supplies, and manufacturers' timelines for routine equipment repairs.

4. Assignment

Once a work order has been scheduled, it needs to be assigned to a member of the maintenance staff who's qualified to carry it out.

5. Distribution

As you can assume, a work order can't be fulfilled if the person tasked with carrying it out never receives it. So once one has been assigned, it needs to be distributed to a qualified technician — that can happen in person, via mobile, in an email, or through a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).

6. Execution

Work order execution is exactly what it sounds like. It's the stage in the process where the work order is executed — when a technician carries out the task specified on the document.

7. Documentation

Once a work order has been executed, the technician involved should document what was done, the time it took to do it, which tools were used, and any other relevant information that can shed light on how the task at hand was carried out.

Once the work order has been fulfilled and the technician tasked with it has documented how it went, the order is closed — and the technician is free to work on other projects.

Now that we have some background on work orders and how they're managed, let's take a look at a helpful template you can use to put work orders of your own together.

Work Order Template

Now that you have a template to create your own work orders, here's a look at what a work order might actually look like in practice.

Work Order Sample

Image Source: SafetyCulture

Work orders are central to virtually every maintenance team's operations. They provide the necessary structure to reliably delegate and execute the responsibilities that keep company assets sound and operations moving. If you have any place in requesting or carrying out maintenance at your business, you need to have a grip on how these documents work.

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