Frequently asked questions about work orders |
The following are common questions about work orders. Scan this list before you call Technical Support—you might save yourself a phone call!
Common Questions
General Information
Opening, Changing, and Closing
What is the minimum information required to open a repair work order?
How do I change an open work order’s job status from PENDING?
How do I open equipment work orders for multi-unit projects?
Posting Labor, Parts, and Charges
Printing
General Questions
Which work order screen should I use?
Several screens enable authorized users to perform tasks related to work orders. The screen you should use depends on the type of work order and the task you want to perform.
Equipment Unit Work Orders
To open new or update existing work orders:
Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center
Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order - Short Form
Note: You can use either screen to update equipment unit work orders, regardless of which screen was used to open them. The limited scope of the Work Order - Short Form screen enables you to view and update work orders more quickly than the Work Order Center screen.
To display and record information about completed work orders, including the IDs of the employees who completed work order tasks and their completion/work accomplished codes: Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Completion
To close multiple equipment unit work orders simultaneously: Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Closing screen.
Linear Asset Work Orders: Data -> Shop Activity -> Linear Work Order
Parts Rebuild Work Orders: Data -> Parts Repairs -> Internal Rebuilds
Vendor Work Orders Issued from a Call Center (if the Call Center module is installed): Data -> Call Center -> Call Center
Work Orders on Multi-Unit Projects: Data -> Equipment Activity -> Multi-unit Projects -> Primary Information
What is a work class?
Use the Work class field on the Labor tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen as a source code for repair work. In this way you can:
Support hand-held device entry of work orders - You can define a default work class for work orders opened with hand-held devices. Staff members may use hand-held devices to open work orders from mobile shops. At the end of the day you can easily identify those work orders by their default work class and update them to include additional information. The optional Mobile Software must be installed in order to use hand-held devices. Refer to the related documentation for these products.
Prevent parts from being promoted or re-ordered when they originate from multi-unit projects - Example: A manufacturer notifies you that they shipped you the wrong sized shock absorbers. You have already installed the shock absorbers on the equipment units. You order 200 shock absorbers and use the Data -> Equipment Activity -> MultiUnit Projects -> Primary Information screen to open a multi-unit project that includes all the equipment units with the wrong sized shock absorbers. On the Basic Info tab you define the work class as 2 (non-scheduled) (the same as the work class designated on the shock absorber’s General tab). This prevents the software from upgrading the status to STOCKED and making EOQ judgments based on the multi-unit project order quantity.
A work class is required when opening a work order if there is a check in the Require work class on work orders field on the Work Orders - Options tab of the Data -> Setup -> Organization Structure -> Locations -> Primary Information screen.
What information is tracked on work orders?
For each work order, the following information is tracked:
Basic information such as the work order ID, job type, and equipment information
Dates and times of work-order related events
Scheduling and priority information
Comments
Service requests (deferred maintenance) associated with the work order
Descriptions of expected and performed tasks, labor, and costs
Delays and delay times
Charges for labor, parts, and commercial work
Labor assignments
Opening, Changing, and Closing
How do I open equipment work orders?
Several screens on the Data -> Shop Activity menu enable authorized users to display and record repair and preventive maintenance (PM) work order information. Use the Work Order Center screen and the Work Order - Short Form screen for equipment unit work orders; use the Linear Work Order screen for linear asset work orders.
You can use either of the work order screens to update equipment unit work orders, regardless of which screen was used to open them. The limited scope of the Work Order - Short Form screen enables you to view and update work orders more quickly than the Work Order Center screen. Linear asset work orders may only be opened and updated using the Linear Work Order screen.
More Information
For parts rebuild work orders, use the Data -> Parts Repairs -> Internal Rebuilds screen.
(If the Call Center module is installed) For vendor work orders issued from a call center, use the Data -> Call Center -> Call Center screen.
For work orders on multi-unit projects, use the Data -> Equipment Activity -> Multi-unit Projects -> Primary Information screen.
To display and record information about completed work orders, including the IDs of the employees who completed work order tasks and their completion/work accomplished codes, use the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Completion screen.
To close multiple equipment unit work orders in one process, use the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Closing screen.
What is the minimum information required to open a repair work order?
To open a repair work order, information is required in the following fields on the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen.
Fields that are always required
Work order ID
Equipment ID
Basic Info tab
Job type
Equipment ID
Priority ID
Repair reason ID
Warranty work
Date and time out of service
Date and time in
Date and time due
Fields that are conditionally required by system setup
Basic Info tab
Account ID - Required if so specified in the Account ID field on the Edit Criteria - General tab of the Data -> Setup -> Options screen
More Info tab
Tax code ID - Required if so specified in the Require tax code ID field on the Currency/Sales Tax Setup tab of the Data -> Setup -> Options screen
Estimating tab
Estimated cost - Required if the value in the Work order approval level field on the Authorization tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen is greater than zero for the equipment unit
How do I change an open work order’s job status from PENDING?
To change the PENDING job status, proceed as follows.
Step 1. Access the Basic Info tab on the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen.
Step 2. Select the work order in the grid.
Step 3. Click the Edit button.
Step 4. Type the date and time out of service and the date and time in.
Step 5. Check the Date and time opened checkbox.
Step 6. Click Save.
A check displays in the Shop downtime begin field and the job status of the work order changes to OPEN.
How do I close equipment work orders?
Tip: This procedure explains how to close a repair work order for an equipment unit. Work orders for linear assets and multi-unit projects require different procedures. To learn how to close a linear work order, go to How to close a linear work order.
To close a work order, you must first change its status to WORK FINISHED. You then need to confirm that all labor and parts have been charged to the work order. Once both those tasks are completed, you can close the work order.
Note: The Work Orders - Options and Work Orders - More Info tabs on the Data -> Setup -> Organization Structure -> Locations -> Primary Information screen include settings that generate warning messages when users attempt to finish or close work orders under certain conditions.
Closing a work order requires action from both the technician and the maintenance supervisor. The technician's tasks must be completed first.
Technician tasks required to change a work order's status to WORK FINISHED:
Step 1. On the Basic Info tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen, access the work order to be closed.
Step 2. Click Edit.
Step 3. In the Date and time finished field, place a check in the check box.
The check boxes in the Shop downtime end and Date and time in service fields are automatically completed, and all three fields (Shop downtime end, Date and time in service, and Date and time finished) display the current date and time.
Step 4. Click Save.
The system updates the record.
Maintenance supervisor tasks required to change a work order's status to WORK FINISHED and then close the work order:
Step 1. On the Basic Info tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen, access the work order to be closed.
Step 2. Click the Prepare for update button.
Step 3. In the User Downtime End field, place a check in the check box.
The check box in the User Downtime End field is automatically completed, and the field displays the current date and time.
Step 4. On the More Info tab, complete the Contact name and Phone fields.
Step 5. If the Options tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Setup -> Options screen has a check in the Permit PM services on repair orders field and the work order is classified as a REPAIR even though it is actually a PM service, you must specify YES in the Update PM schedule field on the Tasks tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen in order for the internal system to update the PM schedules when you close the work order.
Step 6. Click the Process button.
The system updates the record.
Step 7. Once all labor and parts have been charged, place a check in the Date and time closed field.
The check box in the User downtime end field is automatically completed, and both fields (User downtime end and Date and time closed) display the current date and time.
If the work accomplished code has a check in the Deferred maintenance and Final status fields on the Data -> Shop Activity -> Setup -> Work Accomplished Codes screen and there is a check in the Transfer all work order comments and notes to generated service requests or work orders field on the Work Orders – Options tab of the Data -> Setup -> Organization Structure -> Locations -> Primary Information screen, the system generates a service request for the equipment unit (on the Data -> Equipment Activity -> Service Requests/Defects screen) and includes all comments from the Notes and Comments tabs. The comments are separated by carriage returns, and each note includes "ORIGINATED -- WORK ORDER ID: <loc>-<year>-<no>".
Tip: To close multiple work orders simultaneously, use the Work Order Closing screen.
How do I open and close linear work orders?
For more information about linear work orders, refer to the Linear Work Order screen, or the Frequently asked questions about linear work orders help page.
How do I open equipment work orders for multi-unit projects?
A multi-unit project consists of a description of work to be performed on a set of equipment units.
To define and open work orders for a multi-unit project:
Step 1. Open the Data -> Equipment Activity -> Multi-unit Projects -> Primary Information screen.
Step 2. On the Basic Info tab, define the work by specifying a work class, repair reason, and warranty status.
Note: If there is a check in the Allow warranty set to YES when warranty is not in effect field on the Work Orders - More Info tab of the Data -> Setup -> Organization Structure -> Locations -> Primary Information screen, generated work orders have warranty set to YES in the Warranty work field on the Basic Info and Tasks tabs of both the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen and the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order – Short Form screen.
Step 3. On the Tasks tab, define the project tasks.
Step 4. On the Comments tab, record comments regarding the project.
Step 5. Go to the Basic Info tab of the Data -> Equipment Activity -> Multi-unit Projects -> Equipment List screen and specify the set of equipment units to which the multi-unit project applies.
Step 6. Return to the Data -> Equipment Activity -> Multi-unit Projects -> Primary Information screen.
Step 7. On the Open Work Orders/Service Requests tab, specify that work orders be created for all equipment units, transferring the project data to each work order.
The work orders open with the job status REPAIR and have a status of PENDING.
When a multi-unit project work order is updated, if the date and time in is later than the original expected completion date, the date and time due is changed based on the priority ID.
Cannot close work order because Warranty status is unknownWhen I try to close a work order, the following message appears: . How can I close it?
Check to see if the Warranty work fields on the Labor, Parts, and Tasks tabs on the Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen specify No or Yes for the work order. If any of these are set to UNKNOWN, you cannot close the work order.
Posting Labor, Parts, and Charges
Which screens can I post charges from?
Refer to the Posting Charges Information help page for more information on what screens support posting charges.
How do I post labor to work orders?
You can post labor charges from the following screens:
Data -> Shop Activity
Employee Labor Capture (for work orders not in work delay)
Data -> Parts Repair
Internal Rebuilds (for parts rebuild labor only)
To post labor to individual PM service or inspection tasks on work orders, use the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Completion screen.
You can also post labor using hand-held devices.
To post labor directly without a work order, use the Data -> Shop Activity -> Direct Charges - No Work Order -> Labor screen.
How do I post parts to work orders?
You can post parts charges from the following screens:
Data -> Shop Activity
Linear Work Order (Parts tab)
Multi-unit Work Order -> Parts
Data -> Parts Activity
Receipts (for parts issued from inventory only)
Bar Code Issues (for use with the optional Bar Code module)
Direct Issues (for parts not associated with work orders)
Data -> Enterprise Purchasing -> Receipts (Basic Info tab)
Data -> Parts Repair -> Internal Rebuilds (for parts rebuilds only)
Data -> Purchasing -> Quick Orders
See also Actions performed during posting of a parts issue.
How do I post commercial (outside) charges to work orders?
You can post commercial charges from the following screens:
Data -> Call Center -> Vendor Invoices (available if the Call Center module is installed): For labor and parts reported to a call center
Data -> Shop Activity
Data -> Parts Repair
Internal Rebuilds (for parts rebuilds only)
To post commercial charges directly without a work order, use the following screen:
Data -> Shop Activity -> Direct Charges - No Work Order -> Commercial
How do I reverse labor transactions erroneously charged to work orders?
To reverse labor transactions erroneously charged to work orders:
Step 1. Display the work order on the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen.
Step 2. On the Labor tab, display the line item that you want to remove.
Step 3. Enter a new labor transaction with the values you want to reverse.
Step 4. Place a check in the Reversal field.
Step 5. To process the reversal, tap the Save button.
How do I remove erroneous parts charges from work orders?
To remove erroneous parts charges from work orders, follow the steps below.
Step 1. Display the work order on the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen.
Step 2. On the Parts tab, display the line item that you want to remove.
Step 3. Enter a new part issue transaction with the values you want to return.
Step 4. Place a check in the Return field.
Step 5. To process the return, click Save.
Printing
How do I print a hard copy of a work order?
If a work order is opened and there is information in the Printer name field on the Output Control tab, the system prints a hard copy of the work order for use in the shop. It also prints a hard copy of the work order when you process an update. The hard copy identifies the equipment unit (or linear asset) and includes descriptive information about the work order and additional information specific to the type of work order.
To learn what other items the system includes on the hard copy, click the applicable type of work order.
If the optional Bar Code Module is installed, the hard copy includes bar code patterns for the work order ID, any preventive maintenance (PM) or service, any leave work order codes, and any task codes.
You can print work orders using any of the following methods:
Provided formats: Go to the Work Orders - More Info tab of the Data -> Setup -> Organization Structure -> Locations -> Primary Information screen.
Customized format: Go to the Layout tab on the Queries/Reports -> Query/Report Generator screen to design a format that you print from that screen.
Web Modules Reporting or any other reporting tool sold separately (such as Microsoft Access) that can attach to the database: refer to the related documentation for these products.
What information is printed on the hard copy of a work order?
Refer to How do I print a hard copy of a work order?
See Also