What Are Maintenance Work Order Forms?

November 23, 2022

Maintenance work order forms outline the maintenance tasks to be performed by a technician. Standardized forms brief the technicians about problems so they can deal with asset-related issues quickly.

This post explains what you need to know about maintenance work order forms and how to use them.

Maintenance work order forms are documents used to inform maintenance technicians about an asset that requires attention. A maintenance work order form is also known as a maintenance job order, maintenance service request, and maintenance ticket.

The form includes details about the problem and other information a technician needs to start maintenance work. Work orders help elicit faster responses from technicians and minimize the mean time to repair. As a result, you’ll be able to reduce equipment downtime and improve productivity.

Most modern businesses use a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to create work orders. A CMMS streamlines the entire workflow. In addition, scheduling and prioritizing maintenance tasks are easier when you assign WOs using a CMMS.

What to Include in a Maintenance Work Order Form

The maintenance work order form should provide technicians with all the necessary details to perform corrective actions. Here are the questions a maintenance request form should answer:

Who Made the Request?

The technician should know who made the work order request. Was it the maintenance manager, floor manager, or another technician? The person working on the maintenance task might have questions or need additional information. Knowing who made the request and having access to their contact information helps them get in touch without wasting time tracking down the right person.

What Is the Problem?

The technician needs to know exactly what the problem is. You need a section describing the problem, when and how the problem occurred, and possible causal factors. The person making the request can add notes describing similar issues with the asset in the past and how the asset was fixed. Providing technician information about previous repairs can help reduce the troubleshooting time. 

Or, if you are using a CMMS, you can simply look up the asset to see its maintenance history.

With a CMMS like MaintainX, you can also add a picture of the problem requiring maintenance. You can also attach a pdf of the manufacturer guidelines to provide the technicians with more context about the type of maintenance or repair work, the tools they need, and if other team members will need to assist. 

Where Is the Asset?

You may have multiple assets that are the same model across the shop floor and even at other locations. Provide the technician with the exact location of the asset.

If you’ve placed barcodes on equipment, you can simply scan the barcode on your mobile device, and your CMMS automatically finds the equipment’s location. Think about how helpful this is for property management, with lighting and plumbing across buildings, floors, offices, etc.  However, for fleet maintenance, you may need GPS or similar asset-tracking devices for movable assets like vehicles.

Managing Maintenance Work Orders and Requests 

You need a system to effectively manage work order request forms and work orders. This is especially true if you have many assets and frequently assign maintenance and other work orders. To organize repair work orders:

Create a Work Order Form Template

MaintainX offers ready-to-use work order templates for various types of work orders for maintenance, service, and automotive. Pick one of the templates and issue your first order within minutes. Using a well-done work order template makes it easy for technicians to absorb information needed to complete maintenance tasks over time. Work orders are important also because they can identify safety issues, OSHA regulations, and priority levels.

However, many companies download free templates to create a printable maintenance work order template in MS Word or MS Excel. However, paper is hard to maintain and makes audits difficult. They also can get lost or unfiled, making them fairly useless for recordkeeping.

Instead, consider using a CMMS like MaintainX to issue work order requests in real time to streamline your workflow. MaintainX automatically centralizes work requests, so you won’t have to deal with bulky paperwork or manually sift through piles of paper during an audit.

Make Collaboration Easier

Technicians often need additional information or have questions. Providing them with the necessary information helps them complete the task faster. Traditional companies rely on phone and text messages, but you won’t need them when you use MaintainX.

MaintainX is the world’s first CMMS to offer a built-in chat option. So when technicians have a question, they can use their mobile phones to ask questions in the context of a specific task and to the right person. This way, the technician won’t waste time finding the right staff member and phone number.

Use a Digital Solution to Track Progress

Using a digital solution to track progress helps ensure you don’t commit mechanical errors. For example, you can issue work orders with the tap of a button using a CMMS. No manual work means little room for error.

When you issue a work order form, technicians are notified immediately. You can also include a checklist of maintenance tasks along with the work order. The technicians can mark completed tasks as they move through a procedure. You’ll have complete visibility over the work order’s progress.

With standard operating procedures (SOPs) to follow, technicians will complete tasks more efficiently and effectively. 

Why You Need a CMMS

A CMMS can collect data from your work order requests for KPI reporting. Using a CMMS also helps you streamline the maintenance workflow. For example, a CMMS makes implementing a easier. By automating your preventive maintenance, your teams know exactly which equipment needs maintenance and why.

When you use a CMMS, you won’t need someone to constantly monitor each preventive maintenance program step. All data is automatically logged in the CMMS. As a result, you’ll save money on asset repairs and minimize downtime. The ROI of those benefits alone justifies your investment in a CMMS.

If that sounds interesting, try MaintainX today.