What is the difference between a paper work order and a digital work order?

Work orders are some of the most commonly used documents in maintenance. Virtually all maintenance tasks done in a plant will have an associated work order. In this article, we take a closer look at these everyday forms and records. We’ll also see how modern maintenance software has improved this process. Searching through stacks of a paper trail is now moving toward seamless digital work orders, where you can easily find what you're looking for in a simple search query.

What is a work order?

A work order is a document that details a task that needs to be performed. In maintenance, work orders can be taken as authorization to perform requested activities. This differentiates work orders from work requests.

A typical maintenance process involving work orders and work requests resembles the diagram above.

A work request, as the name suggests, is a document that requests maintenance tasks, pending review and approval by a maintenance manager or additional staff member.

A work order contains all the necessary information about the required maintenance activity. This includes the purpose of the job, resources needed, and the instructions and procedures involved. These relevant details appear on the work order, then passed on to the accountable groups.

What are the parts of a work order?

Work orders appear in various lengths and sizes, depending on the company. All work orders generally have three main sections in common – header, body, and summary. You can expect the level of detail for each section to vary by company, according to their preference. Whereas the details of a paper work order can get smudged or wet from materials, a digital work order is a more trustworthy source of information. Digital work orders can be accessed from anywhere if it's available on cloud technology. In comparison, paper work orders exist only on the single written document, which means it could easily be lost or misplaced.

1. Header

The header contains everything you need to know before starting an activity. This tells you where the equipment is located, the reason for the task, and the description of what needs to be done. The header provides the information required for the maintenance personnel to perform the job.

2. Body

The body of the work order is the main space that holds the feedback from the maintenance mechanic or technician. Details about the performed activity go into this section. This includes the problem that was found, any solution performed, and other assessments and evaluation checks. Additionally, include other relevant information that was not originally part of the initial request.

3. Summary

Lastly, the summary concludes the work order. It provides high-level details about the entire job. The total hours to complete the task, charges and rates incurred, and other material costs or labor costs are found in this section. It also provides a brief write-up of the outcome of the activity, as well as any additional recommendations.

What are the important fields to include in a work order template?

The main purpose of a work order is to communicate the required action. The fields contained within the header section play a vital role of conveying information to the assigned technicians. Here are some typical fields to include in a work order template:

1. Work order number (WO number)

The WO number is a number, or alphanumeric code, that uniquely identifies a work order. Companies may use a certain numbering convention in generating the WO number to easily classify work orders at first glance. For example, any WO number starting with the number “1” might indicate a higher priority over those that start with “2” or “3”.

2. Description of the task

The description of the task or activity provides details on the work that needs to be done. With more information in this field, the maintenance technician can better anticipate the resources required for the work. This section also allows for a better understanding of the complexity of the work.

3. Requester information

The work order should clearly state the name and contact details of the person who requested the work. This allows for a specific point of contact in case any clarifications are required for the task.

4. Start and completion dates

The start and completion dates should be reviewed and approved along with the rest of the details of the work order. These dates align the expectations of the technician, the requester, and the planners and schedulers. Start and target completion dates help relevant working groups to understand time constraints and in turn, work more efficiently.

5. Accountable unit

To ensure completion, tasks must be assigned to the proper team. The name of the person or team responsible for completing the task should be identified in the work order. This allows the requester, or any other relevant personnel, to get in touch with the accountable unit.

6. Asset location information

A typical plant would have various pieces of equipment and facilities within their premises. It is crucial for the work order to specify the exact location, equipment, and component that requires servicing. This field would be a lot easier to identify and populate with the use of an integrated asset tag system.

7. Prerequisites to complete the task

Most maintenance tasks involve parts that need to be changed out. They also typically require sets of tools to take apart and re-assemble equipment components. Any of these prerequisites should appear on the work order and be available beforehand. This allows maintenance teams to be well-equipped in completing the tasks.

What are work order categories?

Work orders cover a broad range of jobs that needs to be performed within the plant. Activities that go in a work order include repairs, adjustments, emergency work, preventive maintenance tasks, and more. To get a better sense of the nature of the task at hand, work orders are assigned to categories. Furthermore, work order categories help make report-generation and analysis easier.

Companies have the freedom to choose the number of categories they want to define. Some examples of work order categories include the following:

Inspection

Maintenance tasks that require routine inspections can be assigned their own work order category. This includes any task that requires visual inspections, inspections with special instruments, or even periodic walkthroughs. An example that falls under this work order type is leak detection inspection. This category is also helpful in ensuring that safety standards and regulations are met.

Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance tasks are scheduled activities that maintenance teams can prepare for and anticipate. These are usage-based or calendar-based activities that are usually recurring tasks. For example, changing out vehicle fluids and filters would fall under this category.

Breakdown

Breakdown tasks are unscheduled repairs that need to be performed urgently. This type of task potentially impacts production and would need to be completed with a high priority. Ideally, this category would have the least amount of work orders against it. Any spike in breakdown work may require further analysis.

Corrective maintenance

Some plant equipment might not have failed yet, but are already showing signs and symptoms that need to be addressed. These assets require some form of corrective maintenance. This category includes tasks that were identified by accident or unintentionally.

Condition-based monitoring

Condition-based monitoring activities are key tasks that support a condition-based maintenance strategy. This category includes the measurement of pressure, temperature, or vibration levels of certain equipment. Other condition-based monitoring techniques include oil sample collection and infrared inspection.

These categories are only some examples commonly used in the plant. In reality, there could be more categories that may be in use. For example, there can be equipment-specific or criticality-specific categories that companies might choose to add.

CMMS software allows freedom in multiple categorizations to be set up. This is only one of the many capabilities of CMMS for the overall management of digital work orders.

What are digital work orders?

There once was a time when all work orders had to be painstakingly written down on paper. A written document had to pass through a paper trail of processes to communicate tasks across various groups.

With the advent of technology, this paper trail has gone digital. Individual parts of the work order process have started to evolve and adapt to the availability of the tools. These days, there are three common ways of how to create work orders digitally:

1. Using a spreadsheet

Using a spreadsheet allows for faster and more customizable ways to generate work orders. This might be one of the most conveniently available options for small businesses and start-up companies.

The downside is that a lot of data tracking and updating are still predominantly manual. For example, gathering the information to identify a specific asset that needs maintenance work would still require legwork and investigation. Expect to do a fair bit of work in gathering the required task procedures, and any other prerequisites in using this method.

2. Work order generators

An alternative to using spreadsheets is to use free work order generators available online. These are a good option for businesses that are not sure where to start. Work order generators have a set of standard questions and fields. This tries to help determine the basic information that needs to go on a work order.

3. Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)

CMMS programs hold massive information about the assets and equipment of an entire plant. By using the capability of the CMMS to generate work orders, a lot of the header information can be pulled up more easily. CMMS can also be set up to generate work orders automatically when a set of criteria is met. For example, work orders for preventive maintenance tasks can be set to generate automatically given a certain schedule.

What are some benefits of using a CMMS to create work orders?

Compared to using other tools, we’ve just seen how an existing CMMS is miles ahead in generating work orders. Here are a few other points that CMMS software can help with – particularly in tracking and analyzing work orders:

Ensure the accuracy of work order information

By coursing tasks through the CMMS, relevant information can be validated upon data entry. The accuracy of prerequisites for any task, for example, can be pulled up from existing equipment BOMs and saved task lists. This way, the components you need to complete a job can be reviewed at the time the work order is created.

Assess your readiness to perform a job

After confirming the parts required to complete a task, you would then want to know your readiness to begin. For this, your CMMS can tap into your inventory data and check whether you have the parts available on-shelf. Your system can even go further and trigger purchase requests for any other missing parts.

Real-time updates to the work order status

One of the key functionalities of modern CMMS software is its mobile capability. Workers can send and receive status updates from virtually any point within the plant. Instead of phone calls interrupting work for status updates, a digital work order platform takes away the redundant calls. Thanks to CMMS software installed on mobile devices, real-time notifications are literally at your fingertips.

Ease of building reports and gathering statistics

The CMMS acts as a repository of all site activity. Having all the information in one comprehensive database allows for easier data reporting. By setting up these reports to suit your needs, teams can easily track the progress of maintenance KPIs.

Schedule and document recurring work

All the time walking back and forth to collect a paper work order can be replaced with time and financial savings in productivity with a digital CMMS. We’ve already briefly touched on how a CMMS can generate work orders automatically. However, we might have only covered the tip of the iceberg. Remember that CMMS systems can also link to monitoring devices that are installed on key pieces of equipment. With the right sensors in place, for example, recurring maintenance activities can go beyond just calendar-based schedules. You can set up usage-based criteria, or even condition-based criteria, that will generate work orders as needed.

Conclusion

Work orders are an integral part of the maintenance system. While easily overlooked, these documents are vital communication tools to get maintenance tasks done. They work by informing technicians of the required work, as well as receiving feedback regarding the completion status.

To make the work order process seamless, CMMS systems are utilized to cover a lot of the manual aspects of work order management. The CMMS acts as a means to communicate the requirements in tasks, as well as the updates from completed work. It then becomes a comprehensive source of information that connects vital assets with the people looking after them.