A maintenance work order is a formal authorization to perform a specific maintenance task. It serves as the central document for a job. It details what technicians need to do, which asset requires attention, who is responsible, and what parts or tools the job requires. For maintenance managers and technicians, work orders are the foundation of an organized, trackable, and efficient maintenance operation. They transform a reported issue into an actionable, documented task, whether it’s an emergency repair or a preventive maintenance inspection.
Whether you're a maintenance manager coordinating a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software implementation or a plant manager focused on reducing downtime, understanding different types of maintenance work orders is essential for operational excellence. We'll break down the various work order types, management processes, and how modern work order software streamlines your entire maintenance workflow.
Key takeaways
- Differentiating between work order types is crucial for prioritizing tasks and allocating resources effectively.
- A standardized work order process, from request to completion, ensures no tasks are missed by the maintenance team and provides valuable data for future maintenance planning.
- Using a CMMS to manage work orders centralizes communication, automates scheduling, and gives teams mobile access so they can complete work efficiently.
- Clearly defining the difference between a work request (the initial report of an issue) and a work order (the approved, assigned task) streamlines maintenance workflows.
What are the different types of maintenance work orders?
Maintenance work orders fall into several categories structured around the daily workflows of maintenance managers and technicians. Understanding each type helps prioritize resources and manage workflows more effectively.
Most organizations use these common maintenance work order types:
- Repair work orders: Address equipment failures and breakdowns
- Service work orders: Handle scheduled maintenance and cleaning tasks
- Preventive maintenance work orders: Prevent failures through planned interventions
- Predictive maintenance work orders: Use data to predict and prevent issues
- Daily work orders: Manage recurring tasks and inspections
Repairs work orders
Repair work orders address equipment failures and unexpected breakdowns. Maintenance teams also use them for corrective maintenance (CM) and reactive maintenance (RM) after a problem occurs. For manufacturing facilities, these unscheduled work orders are critical for getting production lines back online quickly.
Use this type of work orders when equipment is out of service and requires recommissioning or an asset is broken and needs fixing. They're often urgent tasks that technicians must complete quickly, efficiently, and safely so they don't negatively affect productivity.
Service work orders
Service work orders ensure teams undertake scheduled maintenance, cleaning, or repairs regularly. Teams also use them for replacing machine parts with a limited life, such as mining drill wear parts. Service work orders can also be used for periodic maintenance to help maintain equipment before it reaches the point of failure.
Preventive maintenance work orders
Preventive maintenance (PM) work orders cover scheduled tasks like cleaning, inspecting, or replacing parts based on time intervals or usage hours. For example, a food processing plant schedules bearing lubrication every 1,000 operating hours or quarterly filter replacements. Preventive maintenance can also be as simple as repainting an asset to ensure continued protection against the weather.
CMMS software lets maintenance managers schedule preventive maintenance with automated workflows, enabling companies like Southeast Power to launch comprehensive PM programs that now include over 6,000 work orders.
Companies that digitize and automate preventive maintenance processes show a significant increase in labor productivity and a 20% to 30% reduction in maintenance costs, according to a report by McKinsey.
Predictive maintenance work orders
Predictive maintenance is similar to preventative maintenance, but uses historical data logs or real-time reports to accurately estimate when to schedule a work order for a particular task. This approach uses condition monitoring and data analysis to identify potential failures before they occur.
An example of predictive maintenance is if fuel consumption data logs for an excavator indicate an increase in emission readings, then trigger a work order for maintenance to inspect the asset for signs of failure. Modern CMMS platforms integrate with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to automatically generate these data-driven work orders.
Daily work orders
Use daily work orders for recurring tasks that need to be completed each day. These daily tasks often include routine safety inspections, equipment checks, and meter readings that ensure continuous operational visibility.
They're perfect when you need to break up a large and complex job over multiple days. This requires dividing the various components or steps of the job. For example, carrying out maintenance on dozens of fire extinguishers across a large and sprawling site occurs over several days. They help plan out the overall task in a manageable way.
The work order process
Maintenance managers across manufacturing and industrial facilities rely on standardized work order processes to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. The most effective workflows follow five key stages:
- Task identification and request: Personnel identify an issue and submit a work request.
- Creation and approval: A manager reviews the maintenance request, approves it, and creates a detailed work order.
- Scheduling and assignment: Managers prioritize, schedule, and assign the work order to a qualified technician.
- Execution: The technician performs the work, documenting steps, time, and parts used.
- Completion and documentation: Managers review and close out the completed work, and the system stores the data for future analysis and reporting.
Where are work orders used?
Industrial companies that require ongoing asset maintenance use work orders to plan, schedule, and complete repair tasks. Each industry has specific requirements that shape how teams structure and manage work orders.
Industries that use work orders
- Manufacturing
- Facilities management and HVAC
- Hospitality
- Food and beverage
- Education and schools
- Clubs and associations
- Field service and inspection crews
- Municipal and local governments
When to create a work order
You need work orders whenever a piece of equipment or an asset needs attention. These include urgent repairs and equipment failures, scheduled maintenance, part replacements, or service calls. Companies like Breeze Thru Car Wash use digital work orders to maintain ISO 9001 certification across their 12 locations.
MaintainX helps create effective work orders. Follow this guide to creating a preventive maintenance work order, or see how easy it is to enter a work order using the MaintainX app.
Using a CMMS to manage work orders
A CMMS centralizes maintenance information and procedures on a single platform. For maintenance managers overseeing multiple facilities or complex operations, maintenance management software provides essential visibility and control.
Key computerized maintenance management system benefits for work order management
- Centralized communication: The system keeps all stakeholders informed of work order status
- Mobile access: Technicians update work orders directly from the field
- Automated scheduling: The software reduces manual PM scheduling and prevents missed tasks
- Performance tracking: Managers analyze completion times and resource usage patterns
This mobile-first approach eliminates the delays and errors that come with paper-based systems. Ahlstrom demonstrated this when they reduced mean time to repair (MTTR) from 580 to 60 hours monthly through centralized operations.
CMMS platforms like MaintainX provide smartphone-accessible tools that technicians actually want to use, reducing training friction and improving adoption. The mobile-first design means technicians access work orders, update status, and document completion directly from the field.
Many businesses find that managing maintenance with legacy systems or offline methods is unwieldy and hard to track. This leads to an uptick in the number of companies implementing cloud-based maintenance work order management applications.
Take control of your maintenance operations
Success comes down to having the right work order system that empowers frontline teams. Whether dealing with urgent equipment failures or planning preventive maintenance schedules, structured work order management directly impacts facility uptime and productivity.
MaintainX is built specifically for maintenance professionals who need more than basic work order software. The mobile-first platform helps reduce unplanned downtime, cut maintenance costs, and give technicians tools they actually want to use. With over 12,000 customers already transforming their maintenance operations, the platform delivers the visibility and control needed to keep the physical world running.
Ready to modernize your work order management? Sign up for free and see how easy it is to create, assign, and track maintenance work orders that drive real results.
Types of Maintenance Work Orders FAQs
Manufacturing facilities typically use preventive maintenance work orders for tasks like lubricating conveyor belt bearings every 500 operating hours, cleaning CNC machine filters monthly, and calibrating packaging equipment quarterly. Food processing plants often add sanitation work orders for deep cleaning production areas between product runs.
Maintenance managers use a priority matrix based on safety and production impact to effectively schedule different types of work orders. Emergency work orders that stop production get immediate attention, followed by safety-critical repairs, then scheduled preventive maintenance, with routine tasks handled as resources allow.
Every work order should include asset identification, clear task description, required parts and tools, safety procedures like lockout/tagout (LOTO), assigned technician, and target completion date. PM work orders should also include inspection checklists and measurement tolerances for consistent execution.
Frequency depends on manufacturer recommendations, operating conditions, and equipment criticality. High-use production equipment requires weekly inspections, while heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems typically need quarterly service. The key is using actual usage data from your maintenance management system to optimize schedules over time.
See MaintainX in action
