Completing a Work Order

Work orders capture what was actually done in response to a request — the effort, materials, checks, and findings recorded by the person doing the work. For an overview of work order types and which request types they sit under, see Requests and Work Orders.

The panels and fields visible on each work order type are configurable — your Administrator can hide panels that are not relevant to your workshop. What you see may differ from what is described here. See Work Order Configuration.

The Basic Workflow

Open the work order, review the assignment, and set the status to In Progress.
Work through the fields for your work order type — record findings, complete checks, and fill in the relevant details.
Add any materials used.
Record your work effort.
Stop the time recorder and set the status to Complete.

Step 1 — Start the Work Order

When you open a work order, review the assignment and update the scheduling details before starting work.

Field	Description
Account Codes	Account codes for cost allocation. Inherited from the parent request but can be adjusted on the work order. See Account Codes.
Work Order Type	Whether the work is Scheduled or Unscheduled.
Workshop	The workshop the work order is assigned to. Defaults to the workshop on the parent request.
Assigned	The technician or external supplier assigned to the work order. Assigning a work order makes it appear in the technician's Assigned To Me and My Work Orders views on the Workshop Dashboard. See External Contractors.
Reason Assigned to External Supplier	A checklist explaining why the work is being assigned externally — for example, Labour unavailable, Specialist skills unavailable, or Warranty. Shown when an external assignee is selected.
Repair Type	A category describing the nature of the work — for example, Electrical, Mechanical, or Body Repair. Options are configured by your organisation. See Repair Types.
Estimated Inspection Minutes	An estimate of how long the inspection or diagnosis will take, in minutes.
Estimated Labour Time	An estimate of the total labour time required, in minutes.
Exp. Start	The expected start date and time. Used in the Work Scheduler.
Exp. Completion	The expected completion date and time.
Status	Set to In Progress when you begin work.
Time Recorder	Start the time recorder when you begin work to automatically track labour time. See Time Recording.

Step 2 — Record the Work

The fields in this step depend on the work order type. Find your work order type below.

Repair Work Orders

Repair work orders record repairs, modifications, and general work on an asset.

Metres and components

Field	Description
Primary Metre Reading	The metre reading at the time of the work. Builds a history of the asset's usage against its maintenance events.
Secondary Metre Reading	The secondary metre reading, if the asset has a secondary metre configured.
Components	The asset components being worked on. Tick Show All Components to expand the list to all components on the asset. See Components.
Component in Warranty	Checkbox indicating whether the component is under warranty.
Asset in Warranty	Checkbox indicating whether the asset is under warranty.

Work details

Field	Description
Maintenance Notes	Internal notes about the repair — use this for supervisor or scheduling context.
Work Completed	A description of the work that was completed. The primary field for recording what was done.
Repair Reason	A configurable dropdown categorising why the repair was needed — for example, Wear and Tear, Operator Damage, or Manufacturing Defect.
Repair Cause	A configurable dropdown identifying the root cause of the fault.
Technician's Report	The technician's account of findings, work performed, and relevant observations. Use this for technical detail that may be useful for future reference.
Additional Work	Any additional work identified during the repair that was not part of the original scope.
Repair Checks	A checklist of standard inspection items. Each can be marked pass, fail, or not applicable. Items are configured by your organisation.
Images	Photos of the fault, the repair in progress, or the completed work.

PM Service Work Orders

PM Service work orders record preventive maintenance services. They include the same metres and components fields as Repair work orders (see above).

Field	Description
Components to Service	The specific components included in this service, drawn from the service definition. Each component can be checked off as it is serviced.
Service Checks	A checklist of tasks required for this service, defined in the service schedule. Each item can be marked complete, not applicable, or failed. See Service Schedules.
Service Check Notes	Notes associated with the service checklist, for recording observations against specific check items.
Technician's Report	The technician's account of the service — observations, items requiring follow-up, and confirmation of work done.
Additional Work	Work identified during the service that was not part of the service definition.
Images	Photos from the service.

Diagnose Work Orders

Diagnose work orders record fault diagnosis findings, typically before a separate Repair work order is raised. They include the same metres and components fields as Repair work orders (see above).

Field	Description
Technician Report	The technician's description of the fault found and the recommended course of action.
Additional Work	Any additional issues identified during diagnosis.
Images	Photos taken during the diagnosis.

Supervisor Review Work Orders

Supervisor Review work orders formally sign off completed work before a request is closed. Each check must be marked pass or fail.

Check	What it covers
Work Requirements Met	The work scope from the request has been completed.
Customer Requirements Met	Any customer-specified requirements have been addressed.
Work Orders Completion	All work orders under the request have been completed.
Checklists	All checklists on work orders have been completed.
Questionnaires	Any defect or monitoring questionnaires have been addressed.
Comments	Notes and comments on the request and work orders are adequate.
Parts	Parts used have been recorded correctly.
Invoices	Any invoices or cost documentation are in order.
Photos	Photos of the work have been attached as required.
Inspections	Any required inspections have been carried out.

Field	Description
Technician Report	The supervisor's overall comments and findings on the review.
Images	Any photos the supervisor adds during review.

Risk Assessment Work Orders

Risk Assessment work orders carry out a structured risk assessment on an asset. See Risk Assessments.

Field	Description
Risk Assessment Checks	A structured checklist of risk items. Each can be marked pass, fail, or not applicable.
Risk Assessment Outcome	A configurable dropdown recording the overall outcome — for example, Safe to Operate, Conditional, or Unsafe.
Technician Report	The assessor's overall findings and comments.
Signoff	A signature field for the assessor to formally sign off the assessment.
Images	Photos taken during the assessment.

Asset Verification Work Orders

Asset Verification work orders record a physical inspection confirming an asset's presence, condition, and registration details. They sit under an Asset Verification Inspection Request — see Verification.

Field	Description
Verification Outcome	The outcome of the inspection — Verified or Unverified.
Reason Unverified	A free-text explanation of why the asset could not be verified. Shown when Unverified is selected.
Inspection Location	The physical location where the inspection was carried out.
Verification Notes	Notes recorded during the inspection.
Images	Photos taken during the verification.

Pre/Post Hire Inspection Work Orders

Pre/Post Hire Inspection work orders record the condition of an asset before or after hire. They include the same metres and components fields as Repair work orders (see above). See Hired Assets.

Field	Description
Maintenance Notes	Notes about the inspection or any issues found.
Questionnaires	Structured inspection questionnaires configured for this work order type.
Images	Photos of the asset's condition.

Accident Data Collection Work Orders

Accident Data Collection work orders capture the details of an incident involving an asset.

Field	Description
Accident Date	The date and time of the accident.
Driver Details	Details of the driver involved, including name and contact information.
Accident Description	A free-text description of what happened.
Cause	The identified or suspected cause of the accident.
Accident Location	The location where the accident occurred.
Quote Required	Checkbox indicating whether a repair quote is needed following the accident.
Insurance Claim	Checkbox indicating whether an insurance claim is being made.
Quote Amount	The repair quote amount, if applicable.
Quote Contact Name / Phone / Email	Contact details of the party providing or receiving the quote.
Signoff List	Signature fields for relevant parties to sign off the accident record.

Training Task Work Orders

Training Task work orders record a training activity. See Training.

Field	Description
Training Type	A configurable dropdown categorising the type of training — for example, Induction, Licence Renewal, or Refresher Training.
Training Details	A free-text description of the training content, duration, and any relevant detail.
Training Location	The location where the training took place.

Internal Task Work Orders

Internal Task work orders record labour time and activity on non-asset-specific jobs under Internal requests.

Field	Description
Internal Reference	A reference number or identifier for the internal task, if applicable.
Work Order Task	A configurable dropdown selecting the type of internal task being carried out.
Assignee Report	The assignee's description of the activity completed.
Additional Work	Any additional activity identified during the task.
Images	Photos if relevant to the task.

Refuel Work Orders

Refuel work orders record a refuelling event against a specific asset. They are used under Fuel Requisition Requests.

Field	Description
Primary Metre Reading	The asset's metre reading at the time of refuelling.
Fuel Type	The type of fuel dispensed.
Litres Delivered	The quantity of fuel dispensed.
Fuel Cost	The cost of the fuel dispensed.
Technician Report	Notes about the refuelling event.
Additional Work	Any additional work identified during the refuelling.
Images	Photos if relevant.

Parts Management Work Orders

Parts Management work orders group and track material orders for store restocking. See Materials.

Field	Description
Linked Materials	A grid showing materials associated with assets or services that can be reordered. Filter by asset, service, or favourites.
Material Orders	A grid for managing and updating outstanding material orders. Filter by date, status, or supplier.
Transport Type	Whether the order will be delivered or collected — Delivery or Pickup.
Supplier	The supplier the order is placed with.
Purchase Order / CC Number	The purchase order or cost centre number for the order.
Invoice Number / Date	Invoice details once the order is received.

Step 3 — Record Materials

Materials can be recorded on Repair, PM Service, Diagnose, and Refuel work orders.

Field	Description
Name	The part or material name.
Qty	Quantity used.
Unit Value	The unit cost of the material.
Category	The material category — for example, Consumable, Part, or Lubricant.
Type	Whether the material was drawn from stock or needs to be ordered.
Attachment	A file attachment — for example, a delivery docket or invoice.

Step 4 — Record Work Effort

If you did not use the time recorder toggle, use the Work Effort panel to enter your labour time manually. You can also use this panel to add additional time entries to supplement what the toggle recorded — for example, if you worked across multiple sessions.

Field	Description
Time Recorder Started Date	The date and time work began for this entry.
Time Recorder Completed Date	The date and time work ended for this entry.
Time Recorder Role	The role under which the time is being recorded. Options are configured by your organisation.

Select Create Time Recorder to save the entry. Each saved entry appears in the time records list on the work order. Multiple entries can be added for the same work order.

See Time Recording for more detail on both methods.

Step 5 — Complete the Work Order

When all work is done:

Stop the time recorder if it is running.
Confirm all checklist items and questionnaires are complete.
Set the Status to Complete.
Return to the parent request. When all work orders are complete, set the request status to Work Complete and then Closed. See Completing a Request.

Putting a Work Order on Hold

If work cannot proceed — for example, because parts are on order or an external inspection is pending — set the Status to On Hold rather than leaving it in progress.

Field	Description
On Hold Started	The date and time the work order was placed on hold.
Reason on Hold	A free-text explanation of why the work order is on hold.

Updated: June 2026 · Formbird FLEET 4.2.8