Importance of a CMMS Work Order

What is a Work Order?

A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) Work Order may be a request for repair, restoration, or replacement of equipment or assets. A Work Order request for a job that needs to be done can be scheduled or directly assigned to a technician. These work orders can be generated through various channels:

Customer requests
Internal organizational needs
Scheduled maintenance programs
Follow-ups to inspections or audits

The Purpose of Work Orders

The purpose of a work order is to initiate a task, clarify what is to be done, specify completion dates, and give special instructions as needed. CMMS work order management software also helps organizations manage and maintain data on projects as well as on resources, expenses, and labor. Organizations have the flexibility to manage and influence current and upcoming work, analyze data to make improvements, affect expenses, control labor costs, and remain compliant.

What are the types of CMMS Work Orders and functions?

Standard Work Order

A standard work order is a non-critical maintenance task that isn’t considered preventive maintenance, inspection, emergency, safety, or corrective maintenance function. Some examples are:

Removing the old equipment,
Setting up new equipment
Non-critical maintenance work includes projects whose purpose is solely modernization or cosmetics.

Preventive Maintenance

This work order gives users the ability to schedule routine maintenance tasks performed on individual facilities or groups of assets. The preventive maintenance work order gives users the ability to control, plan, schedule, and identify the materials, parts, and labor to do the work within a specific timeframe. The advantages of preventive maintenance are to keep existing equipment in good working condition, prevent equipment downtime, increase the life expectancy of assets, decrease the number of major repairs, and control expenses.

A preventive maintenance work order is an essential tool for organizations looking to:

Ensuring equipment effectiveness
Extending asset lifespan
Scheduling routine maintenance tasks
Controlling expenses
Preventing equipment downtime

Prepare for Inspections

When creating a work order, you can define a set of inspection points requiring a maintenance technician to audit or inspect an asset-based on that predetermined set of parameters. An example would be: during preventive maintenance or during an inspection, a maintenance technician would be required to run through all the items in the set of parameters that are defined in the work order. Also, if the technician should identify a problem, then a new work order can be created to correct that problem.

Reactive\Emergency

A reactive or emergency work order is generated when equipment breakdowns or a facility failure occurs and creates an unsafe environment, or a critical asset needs to be repaired immediately. An emergency work order is used to record and track any work performed that was not planned beforehand. Reactive work orders give maintenance technicians the ability to:

Address immediate repair needs
Record and track unplanned work
Provide detailed information on breakdowns and solution

Corrective Maintenance

A corrective maintenance work order is generated to identify, isolate, and rectify faults so that equipment, machines, or systems can be restored to their optimal condition. A corrective maintenance work order is planned and scheduled because the fault was identified in a reasonable time and was not considered an emergency.

Benefits of a Work Order

Implementing a CMMS work order system offers numerous advantages:

Improved control: Better management of maintenance needs
Enhanced performance: Streamlined processes lead to improved efficiency
Cost reduction: Optimized resource allocation and preventive maintenance
Increased efficiency: Organized work requests ensure nothing is overlooked
Flexible scheduling: Work can be scheduled at convenient times
Labor cost control: Improved tracking and management of labor hours
Optimized supply chain: Advanced ordering of materials for better deals
Enhanced safety and compliance: A systematic approach to maintenance ensures adherence to safety standards

Why are Work Orders important?

CMMS work orders are vital for organizations across all industries due to their ability to:

Manage and control work: Efficiently handle current and upcoming maintenance tasks
Facilitate data analysis: Provide insights for process improvements and decision-making
Optimize resource allocation: Improve investment strategies and expense control
Ensure compliance: Meet safety and regulatory requirements
Boost productivity: Enable real-time updates and information sharing
Enhance accessibility: Allow work order creation from any device, anywhere, at any time
Improve document management: Securely maintain and share documents and manuals

Frequently Asked Questions – Work Orders

What are the 5 main functions of work orders?

Task Identification: Work orders clearly define and describe the maintenance task or repair that needs to be performed. Resource Allocation: Work orders help schedule and allocate necessary resources for the job. Task Dispatching: Once created, work orders are used to dispatch and communicate job details to the assigned maintenance technicians or teams. Work Execution and Documentation: Work orders serve as a central place to document the actual work completed, time spent, parts used, and any observations or issues encountered during the process. Verification and Closure: Work orders facilitate the verification of work quality, collection of relevant data), and formal closure of the maintenance activity.