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Creating and Scheduling Work

See Requests and Work Orders for an overview of the record types involved.

Creating Requests

Requests capture what needs to be done on a job.

Where Requests Come From

Requests can be created from several places:

  • From an asset — the most common approach when the work relates to a specific piece of equipment
  • From the Request List — accessible via the Workshop Dashboard navigation menu
  • Automatically — Service Requests are generated by the system based on configured service schedules. See Service Requests.
  • From a Daily Driver fault — when an operator reports a fault on a Daily Driver Check Sheet. See Actioning Daily Driver Faults.

Creating a Request from an Asset

  1. Navigate to the asset.
  2. In the Create Requests, Daily Drivers and Work Orders panel, select the Select From List dropdown.
  3. Select the appropriate request type.
  4. Select Create Selected. The request opens with some fields pre-populated — Asset Detail, Reported By, and Creation Date.
  5. Complete the mandatory and applicable fields.
  6. Set the Expected Start, Expected Completion, and Workshop fields.
  7. Use the Scheduling panel to plan using the graphical calendar if needed — see Scheduling Requests below.
  8. Save the request.

Creating a Request from the Request List

  1. Open the Workshop Dashboard navigation menu and select Request List.
  2. In the Requests panel, select the name of the request type you want to create. The request opens with Reported By and Creation Date pre-populated.
  3. Complete the mandatory and applicable fields.
  4. Set the Expected Start, Expected Completion, and Workshop fields.
  5. Use the Scheduling panel if needed.
  6. Save the request.

Scheduling Requests

The Scheduling panel on a request provides a graphical calendar view to help plan when the asset will be in the workshop and for how long. Using it is optional, but setting Expected Start, Expected Completion, and Workshop is required for the request to move out of the Triage panel on the Workshop Dashboard.

Scheduling the request at the request level represents the overall window — when the asset arrives and when it is expected to be returned. Work order scheduling sits within this window and represents the specific times individual technicians will be working.

For a broader view of scheduling across the whole workshop, use the Work Scheduler.

Assigning a Request

The Assignee field on a request indicates the person responsible for overseeing the job — typically a supervisor. This is separate from the assignees on the individual work orders underneath.

Deferred Requests

The Deferred checkbox on a request handles situations where part of a job is done but more work still needs to happen — typically at a later date or by an external party.

Why Use Deferred

When a job is partially complete, leaving a request as In Progress implies the asset is unavailable and affects downtime calculations. Closing the request instead means losing the connection between the two parts of the job.

The Deferred checkbox lets you set the request to Work Complete (indicating the current portion is done) while signalling that more work is required before the request can be closed. It keeps all work under a single request without misrepresenting the asset's availability.

When to Use It

Deferred is most useful when work is split across two phases — for example, internal workshop repairs followed by an external specialist visit, or a job paused while waiting on a part.

The Deferred flag is visible in the Outstanding Items panel on the Workshop Dashboard under Requests Deferred, making it easy for supervisors to track jobs still in progress.

Workflow Example

A vehicle needs an internal repair now and an external specialist repair later:

  1. Create and schedule a single request to capture both parts of the job.
  2. Create a work order for the in-house repair.
  3. Set the request to In Progress and carry out the work, recording the details on the work order.
  4. Set the request to Work Complete and tick Deferred — this indicates the first part is done but more work is pending.
  5. When the external work is ready to begin, untick Deferred and set the request back to In Progress.
  6. Create a work order for the external part and carry out the work.
  7. Set the request to Work Complete once the external work is complete.
  8. Set the request to Closed once all details are finalised.

Deferred vs On Hold

The On Hold status on a work order serves a similar purpose at the work order level — pausing a specific piece of work pending parts or information. Deferred is used at the request level to pause the whole job.

Creating Work Orders

Work orders capture the actual work to be done on an asset. See Completing a Work Order for how to fill in a work order.

From a Request

Once a request is saved, open it and select New Work Order, then choose the appropriate type. Work orders created this way are linked to the request automatically.

Without a Prior Request

If Mandate Request is disabled in the Work Order Configuration, work orders can be created directly — without an existing request in place first. They can be created from the same places as requests:

  • From an asset — in the Create Requests, Daily Drivers and Work Orders panel, select the Select From List dropdown, choose the work order type, then select Create Selected.
  • From the Request List — open the Workshop Dashboard navigation menu and select Request List. In the Requests panel, select the work order type you want to create.

When you save a work order created this way, a parent request is created automatically in the background.

If the automatically created request has only one work order under it, the request's status updates automatically when the work order's status changes — keeping the parent in sync without any extra steps. Once a second work order is added to that request, automatic status updates stop; the request status must be managed manually from that point.

Published: May 2026 · Formbird FLEET 4.2.8