Work order basics: How to create and manage

Learn how to create, update, and close work orders.

Work orders are the heart of Maintenance Connection. Every other aspect of the system is designed to allow organizations to define and complete work orders in the best and most efficient way possible, and then to gather and report information based on work completed.

Access the Work Orders module

Create a New Work Order in 2 ways

These processes are for creating a work order in the Main Application (MRO). To learn how to create a work order in MC Express, see [to be linked]MC Express Quick Reference - Work Orders[/to be linked].

Click New in Work Orders module

In the Work Orders module, click New in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

The New Work Order Details page opens, with required fields outlined in blue.
Enter a Reason for the work order.

This is typically a short description of the work to be performed or the issued to be fixed.
Enter or select a work order Type.

Options are pre-defined and vary by organization.
Adjust the Target Date (target completion date), Target Hours (the time the work order should take), Priority, and Repair Center if needed.
These fields automatically populate based on your system settings.
Add an asset for work to be performed on.

Though not required, work orders should usually be associated with an asset so that work completed and costs for the work can be reported against the asset.

The easiest way to add an asset is to click List under Asset/Location and double click on an asset in the asset list.
Specify any other details as needed.
Click Save in the upper right hand corner of the page.

The work order is created and appears in the Work Orders List pane.

Right click on asset

If you want to create a work order for a particular asset, you can do so from the Assets module.

In the Assets List pane, right click on the asset you want to create a work order for.

A menu opens for the asset.
Select New work order from the menu.

The New Work Order Details page opens, with required fields outlined in blue and the asset already attached to the work order.
Enter a Reason for the work order.

This is typically a short description of the work to be performed or the issued to be fixed.
Enter or select a work order Type.

Options are pre-defined and vary by organization.
Adjust the Target Date (target completion date), Target Hours (the time the work order should take), Priority, and Repair Center if needed.
These fields automatically populate based on your system settings. Other fields may also populate automatically based on the chosen asset.
Specify any other details as needed.
Click Save in the upper right hand corner of the page.

The work order is created and appears in the Work Orders List pane.

Update work order status

Work order status indicates where the work order currently stands in the maintenance cycle, and management functions for the work order fluctuate based on the current status. Keep in mind that organizations can use and define statuses to suit their own needs and processes.

To change the status of a work order, you can either:

Open the Status Action menu on the Details page and select the new status for the work order.
Select the status for the new work order from the buttons at the bottom of the page.

Options change based on the current status of the work order. For example, if a work order is not yet issued, you can click Issue to progress the work order to that status.
Save the work order.

Here are a few statuses a work order can have during its maintenance cycle:

Requested: Work orders default to Requested upon creation

From here, you typically either move a work order to Issued or Denied.
Denied: A requested work order that will not be carried out
Issued: A requested work order that will be carried out

When issued, a work order is considered to be in progress. Typically, you issue a work order before it regresses to On-Hold or Canceled. A work order must be issued before it can be Completed or Closed.
On-Hold: A work order waiting to be carried out

Organizations often use this status for an issued work order if, before progressing with it, they want to wait for parts to be ordered or for other work orders of a higher priority to be completed.
Canceled: An issued work order that you do not plan to complete now or in the future

You can still re-issue a canceled work order if it becomes necessary.
Deleted: Removes the work order from the system completely

You should be absolutely sure a work order will never need to be re-issued in the future before deleting it. Deleted work order cannot be retrieved.
Complete/Close: completes an issued work order

Selecting Complete/Close opens the Complete/Close dialog where you can give other statuses to the work order as needed. These include Responded, Completed, Finalized, and Closed, each of which may mean different things to different organizations.

We discuss the Complete/Close dialog in more detail below.

How to Update Costs on a Work Order: Adding Labor and Part Costs

When Labor time or Parts have been expended in association with the Work Order, these costs should be updated in the Costs tab of the Work Order.

Be sure you have navigated to the Actuals sub-tab to record costs that have actually been expended rather than estimated. Once a Work Order has been Issued, accessing the Costs tab will automatically navigate you to the Actuals sub-tab instead of the Estimates sub-tab.
Click on the corresponding Add... button to open either the Labor Lookup or the Parts Lookup. When the appropriate record (Labor resource or Part) has been selected, a window will appear in which you can specify the details of the costs (hours, cost per hour, number of Parts purchased, cost per Part, etc.).
Click the Save button when finished to update the Work Order.

How to Close a Work Order

When you are ready to close a Work Order, access the record in the Work Orders module, and click the Complete/Close button at the bottom of the screen.
This will open the Complete/Close dialog in which various details can be updated about the Work Order, including Labor and Inventory Costs, Failure Analysis, Meter Readings, Labor Reports, and more. Selecting the Closed button in the Status Dates section will close out the Work Order.
Once all the necessary information has been added, click the Apply button to close the dialog and return to the Work Order.

You can also access the Complete/Close dialog from other areas in MC. To close out Work Orders in bulk, click the List button at the top of the screen to see the Extended List view of Work Orders. From here you can select multiple Work Orders and then click the Complete/Close button to close out all of the selected Work Orders.

You can also set up a Work Order Report containing Complete/Close Smart Buttons with which to close out Work Orders as necessary.

For more information on configuring the Complete/Close dialog for your organization, take a look at the MC University course, Complete Close Menu Setup.

Work Order Icons

Work Order icons provide Administrators with a quick reference for understanding the current state of a Work Order. This section gives an overview of the icons that display in the Work Order List:

Priority and Zone: The first column of the Work Order List displays any special level of urgency/priority. If a Work Order has a critical priority, an exclamation mark displays. If a Work Order has low priority, a blue down arrow displays. In addition, if your company organizes Work Orders by Zone, color coding or icons for zones may display.
Status: In the second column, each icon shows a clipboard with a small image on the left signifying the current status of the Work Order. The color of the image indicates the source of the Work Order.
White images indicate a Corrective Work Order that was generated through the Service Requester or manually entered by an Administrator.

Orange images indicate the Work Order was automatically generated through a Preventive Maintenance Schedule.

Approval Status: For organizations that require Work Order approval, the third column displays a clipboard icon providing a visual indicator of approval state. Work Orders requiring/pending approval will show a blue question mark; Work Orders that have been approved will have a green check mark; and Work Orders that have been rejected will show a red x.If the Work Order does not require approval, the column will be blank. Whether or not a particular Work Order requires approval depends on the access rights of the individual initiating the request.
Assignment State: Assignment state is the last indicator displayed. Work Orders that have been assigned will have a clipboard icon with a person on the left. The column will be blank for Work Orders that have not been assigned:

For a comprehensive list of icons used throughout Maintenance Connection, check out the System Icon Definitions article.

We hope this article has given you a basic understanding of Work Orders in Maintenance Connection. To continue digging into the great features of the Work Order module, please refer to these additional Knowledge Base articles:

For an even deeper understanding of the Work Order module, please consider subscribing to our premium, on-demand training material offered through Accruent Academy. You can also contact our Customer Success Team to request one-on-one training on utilizing Work Orders to their fullest potential.