Whether you are managing a repair service, professional cleaning business or small construction company, effective work order management is key to productive and organized operations.
We’ll share everything you need to know about work order management, including benefits and best practices, plus how doForms’ mobile form software can help streamline the process.
Table of Contents
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What Is Work Order Management?
Work order management involves creating, tracking and completing work orders within an organization.
For example, if you are running an HVAC repair company and receive a request for a broken air conditioning unit, work order management will include:
- Creating a work order to document the repair request
- Assigning the task to a technician
- Scheduling the repair appointment
- Tracking the repair progress
- Documenting repairs and parts used
- Closing the order once the unit is operational again
Benefits Of Effective Work Order Management
Effective work order management is crucial for businesses of all sizes and across industries. An organized management process:
- Minimizes downtime due to streamlined task assignment and execution
- Reduces delays and enhances productivity due to optimized resource allocation
- Lowers costs due to better organization and control
- Fosters collaboration and coordination between teams
- Increases customer satisfaction due to timely and efficient task completion
If you are managing a field service business, effective work order management can help you quickly dispatch technicians to customer locations, reducing response times and improving service efficiency.
If you are operating a healthcare facility, effective work order management can help you schedule and track maintenance tasks for medical equipment, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
If you are running a construction company, effective work order management can help you break down larger construction projects into manageable tasks, assign responsibilities and track the progress of each task.
Effective work order management will help you minimize downtime, reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction
Manual Work Order Management vs. Electronic Work Order Management
Work order management can be performed manually and electronically.
Manual Work Order Management
Manual work order management uses traditional methods like paper forms, Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. They are populated by hand or printed out and then circulated among team members.
Advantages:
- Simple to implement and use with no need for specialized software or technical knowledge
- Low cost with no initial investment required
Disadvantages:
- Time-consuming due to manual data entry and processing
- Prone to errors due to human factors such as miscommunication, inaccurate data entry and loss of paperwork
- Difficult to track in real time
Electronic Work Order Management
Electronic work order management uses cloud-based platforms and mobile apps to streamline the creation, tracking and management of work orders.
Mobile applications are particularly useful for businesses with field employees, as they can receive, update and complete work orders on their mobile devices.
Advantages:
- Efficient as automating processes reduces time spent on creating and managing work orders
- Accessible from any location and mobile device
- Provides real-time visibility into the status of work orders, allowing for better resource allocation and prioritization of tasks
Disadvantages:
- Requires upfront software costs
- Staff may need training on the new platform
- Dependence on technology in case of connectivity issues
Step-By-Step Work Order Management Process
To create and implement an organized work order management process, follow these steps.
1. Create A Work Order
Once you receive a work request, create a work order. Include all relevant information, such as:
- Task description
- Location
- Required resources
2. Prioritize & Categorize
Evaluate the task based on urgency, importance and potential impact on your business operations. Categorize accordingly to facilitate efficient scheduling.
Consider the following:
- How urgent is the task? If the task is an emergency, issue the order as soon as possible and designate it as high priority.
- How complicated is the task? If the task is complex, it might require tools and resources you don’t have on hand. If this is the case, make the necessary arrangements to obtain the tools or resources needed.
- How time-consuming is the task? To complete the task faster, assign additional employees or those with more extensive expertise.
- How much will the task cost? Consider the expenses for materials and labor associated with the task.
3. Assign & Schedule
Assign the work order to your team members based on skills and availability.
When assigning a task, consider:
- Worker availability: Determine whether you have enough employees to perform the task. If not, adjust their schedules based on task priority and urgency.
- Nature of the task: Determine whether the task requires specific knowledge or a team of several employees. If you have a limited number of qualified employees currently assigned to other tasks, you may need to reallocate resources.
- Client preferences: Consider client preferences on who will perform the task, such as a certified specialist or an employee with whom they have built rapport during previous assignments.
Set a schedule that ensures the task is completed in a timely manner.
4. Allocate Inventory
Once you’ve assigned the task, the next step is to provide your employees with the inventory and materials for the task, including:
- Tools
- Spare parts
- Safety equipment
- Communication devices
5. Delegate The Work Order
Communicate work order details to the assigned employees or teams. Provide clear instructions and timely updates on changes to ensure everyone is on the same page.
6. Monitor Progress
Monitor the progress of the work order to identify potential delays and intervene as needed to keep the task on schedule.
7. Document & Analyze
Document all relevant information associated with each work order, including:
- Details of work performed
- Timeline
- Employees involved
- Materials used
Analyze the performance of your team throughout the process to identify the areas they excel in, along with areas that could be improved.
From creating and assigning a work order to its monitoring and analyzing, each step of the work order management process requires special attention
Work Order Management Best Practices
To foster a streamlined work order management process that boosts productivity and optimizes your resources, consider implementing these best practices.
- Create standardized work orders: Use a standardized format that ensures consistency, enhances communication and facilitates compliance.
- Use prioritization protocols: Develop criteria for prioritizing work orders based on importance and urgency to ensure that high-priority tasks are addressed promptly.
- Set communication protocols: Establish clear communication procedures for work order details, updates and changes.
- Invest in training and skill development: Implement training programs to enhance employee skill and efficiency.
- Collect feedback: Solicit employee feedback to identify areas for improvement in your work order management system.
- Audit and review: Conduct regular audits of the work order management process to identify inefficiencies or areas where the process can be improved.
- Invest in digital software: Consider a mobile forms solution that facilitates remote access, tracking, communication and team collaboration.
- Use real-time tracking and monitoring: Supervising work orders in real time allows you to quickly intervene in case of delays and ensures tasks remain on schedule.
- Use automated assignment and scheduling: Consider automation tools to assign work orders based on team availability and skills.
- Consider mobile accessibility: Providing mobile accessibility to the work order management system ensures on-the-go access for field personnel, enabling them to receive, update, and complete work orders from any location.
- Integrate with other systems: Integrate your work order management system with inventory management or asset tracking systems to reduce manual data entry and enhance overall operational efficiency.
Improve Your Work Order Management Process With doForms
doForms is a leading mobile forms solution that empowers you to say goodbye to costly and inefficient paper processes, transforming work order management within your organization.
doForms delivers:
- Cost-savings: Using our mobile forms lets you manage your documents electronically and save thousands a year on paper.
- Versatility: With doForms, you can process work requests, create and assign work orders and monitor progress — all via one platform. Additionally, you can create, edit and share checklists and reports associated with each activity that needs to be completed, whether construction daily reports, professional house cleaning checklists or electrical inspection checklists.
- Accessibility: As a cloud-based solution, doForms lets you instantly access records, edit documents in real time from any location, and check work order statuses on the go. Plus, doForms’ mobile app enables work from anywhere, with or without an internet connection.
- Security: Securely stored in the cloud, your documents cannot be misplaced, damaged or lost with doForms.
Whether you’re in the office, on-site or enjoying a well-deserved break, doForms keeps your business at your fingertips.
Ready to give digital forms a shot? Try doForms for free!
FAQs About Work Order Management
Explore more questions and answers about work order management below.
What is a work order?
A work order is a document that outlines the basic components of a specific task, including:
- What the task is
- When the task should be completed
- Who is responsible for completing the task
Work orders are most commonly used in the repair and maintenance industry, where they are issued and assigned to technicians to perform specific tasks.
What are the main types of work orders?
Some of the most common types of work orders include:
- Emergency work orders, issued for jobs that require immediate attention.
- Preventive maintenance orders, issued for maintenance tasks that need to be completed according to a pre-determined schedule.
- Corrective maintenance orders, issued when a problem is discovered during a preventive maintenance job.
- Inspection orders, issued as part of broader preventive maintenance efforts to identify potential issues.
- General orders, issued for jobs that do not fall into other specific categories.
What should a work order include?
A work order should include the following information:
- A unique ID number
- Date of request & deadline
- Task description
- Time & cost estimate
- Low, medium or high priority categorization
- Customer profile
- Employee(s) assigned
- List of required tools and materials
What industries can benefit from effective work order management?
doForms allows you to streamline work order management across various industries, including healthcare, construction, manufacturing, facilities management and field services.
How can work order management help track costs?
Work order management processes enable you to track costs by recording the hours spent on each task, documenting the materials used, and comparing budgeted costs to actual costs.
With this organized documentation, you can easily assess costs and implement strategies to reduce or optimize for future work orders.
How can work order management practices contribute to preventive maintenance?
Work order management processes facilitate the scheduling and tracking of preventive maintenance tasks. This proactive approach allows you to identify and address potential issues before they escalate, reducing unexpected equipment failures.
Digitize your work orders with doForms.
Try doForms for free!
