Work Order FAQ

The Complete/Close Work Order window allows you to enter progress on a work order, even if the work order is not ready to be closed out. You can use this window to modify the status of the work order, add labor report notes, convert estimates to actuals, and more. To make changes without closing out the work order, just make sure that the Closed option is not set in the Status area in the upper-right of the window. If the Closed option is selected, click it to remove the check and corresponding dates.

For more information on using the Complete/Close window, see Complete/Close Out Work Orders.

If you want to show that only some tasks are complete when you are in the process of completing or closing out a work order, do not use the Set All Tasks Complete check box on the Complete/Close window. Instead, access the Tasks tab for the work order and specify which tasks are complete. Once this is done, you can use the Complete/Close window to finish the process of completing or closing out the work order.

Like other designations available on the Complete/Close Work Order window, the option to convert estimates to actuals can be used without closing out the work order. To accomplish this, ensure that the Closed option is not selected in the status area in the upper-right of the window. For more information on using the Complete/Close window, see: Complete/Close Out Work Orders.

This option is only available if your organization has configured it to display on the Complete/Close dialog box.

To ensure that a work order has not already been created for a problem, Maintenance Connection has a feature to check for duplicate work orders. For the MRO Work Center, the Forms Manager contains a Duplicate Check column which is used to specify which fields should be checked for duplication.

For example, the system could be set up to perform a duplicate check based on Asset ID, Reason Code, and Procedure. If a new work order was being created that shared the same values for these attributes as another open work order, a warning would appear.

The Service Requester also offers a duplicate work order checking feature that is set up using the Service Requester Configuration Tool.

Each user of the PDA Application should have a PDA User ID listed on the Contact tab of the Labor Resource module. When a user is assigned as the Assigned PDA User for a work order when creating an assignment, his or her PDA ID is populated in the work order. The value is on Page 2 of the Details tab, but can be viewed by accessing this tab of the work order. You can also just enter the ID into that tab if desired.

MRO Mobile Users do not need to have work orders assigned to them in this manner. Only users of the PDA Application that operates offline need to follow this procedure.

If a work order has been locked for PDA / Mobile use, it cannot be edited. Work orders that are locked for PDA use have a PDA icon listed in the Assignment column of the Work Order List. If the work order is locked in error, the lock can be manually removed. For example, if a user has lost their PDA, the lock will not be cleared, as information stored in the PDA cannot be updated / synchronized.

1. Select the work order from the Work Order List.

2. Click the Details tab.

3. Click the Page 2 sub-tab at the bottom of the page.

   PDA Device Info appears.

4. Clear the Work Order Downloaded check box.

5. Click Save.

    

If you close out a work order without indicating actual usage, inventory levels will not be updated. To ensure that inventory levels are accurately updated you must either update actual quantities used on the Actuals page or use the convert option available on the Complete/Close Out window.

The default Work Order List shows only a limited number of fields. By accessing the Expanded Work Order List, additional columns the data can be sorted by appear. For example, to sort the results displayed by Work Order Target Date:

1. Access the Work Order List and set filter or search options to return desired results.

2. Click the List button. 

   The Expanded Work Order List appears with additional columns.

3. Click the Target Date column header to sort by Target Date. 

   The results sort in ascending order. To reverse the order so that the most recent target dates are displayed, click the Target Date column header again.

4. To close the Expanded Work Order List, click the Split-View icon on the toolbar.

To create multiple work order assignments for the same technician, see our article Global Assignment (Multiple Work Orders to Same Individual).

The default Work Order filters limit results to work orders with target dates in the last six months to ensure that there are not too many results returned with a given filter selection. To access a work order that is more than six months old, you can change this setting.

Change the filter setting:

1. Click the Set Criteria button in the filter toolbar.

   The Work Orders Criteria window opens.

2. Change the Target Date field value to All.

3. Click Apply.

   This clears clear the last-six-months limit. You can then use criteria defined on the Search tab to locate a work order that is greater than six months old.

The following limits are placed on fields in which large amounts of text can be entered:

• Labor Report: 6000 Characters.

• Reason field: 2000 Characters.

• Special Instructions: 2000 Characters.

If you are having difficulty finding a work order, there are a few possibilities to consider:

1. Make sure the filter or search criteria listed corresponds to the desired record.

2. If the work order is more than six months old, default criteria to limit results to work orders from the last six months will prevent it from showing. You can remove this limitation.

3. Make sure that custom criteria are not in effect, limiting the work orders that are displayed.

   For example, even though the filter field indicates All Open – Requests, it is possible that custom criteria might limit the list to a particular priority or other attribute.

   Check for custom criteria that would further limit the results:

   1. Click the Set Criteria button in the filter toolbar.

      The Work Orders Criteria window opens.

   2. Remove any custom criteria by setting the field value to All.

   3. Click Apply.

4. If you are on the Search page and are not retrieving the expected results, clear the Use current criteria settings check box and then click the go button to refresh the results.

5. If you still are unable to locate the desired record, make sure that you have not filtered results to a particular repair center or shop on the home page.

   Check whether the results have been filtered:

   1. Click the Home button on the toolbar.

   2. Check the setting for the Repair Center and Shop at the top of the page.

      If these values are impacting your results, select different values or select All. As you change these values, the work order list automatically updates.
      

6. If you are still not able to locate particular records, check with your system administrator to ensure that your personal labor record is not filtered to particular locations. If particular locations are filtered, these will be listed on the Locations/Reports tab in the Labor Resource module.

The option to convert estimates and/or assignments available in the Complete/Close Out window resets the records displayed on the Actuals page. The conversion options create new actual cost records based on the information stored in the estimates or assignments, resulting in the deletion of any manually entered records. To ensure that no important data is lost:

• If you use the Actuals page to enter actual labor, parts, and other costs, you should not use the conversion options available on the Complete/Close Out Work Order window.

• If you plan to use the conversion option available on the Complete/Close Out window to create default actual labor records, do not add any manual labor records until this process is complete.

• For more information on using the options displayed on the Complete/Close Out window, see Complete/Close Indicators.

• For more information on entering actual costs on the Actuals page, see Actuals Sub-tab.

If the charge rate for a labor resource does not match the rate stored in his or her labor resource record, it is possible that a customer charge rate has been assigned. If a markup or charge rate is defined for a particular customer and that customer is listed on the work order, the rate for that customer will be used, regardless of the rate stored for the labor resource.

You cannot edit locked work orders. Some work orders will be locked if they have been downloaded for PDA / Mobile use. You can determine if this is the case by looking at the Assignment column in the Work Order results. If the record is locked for PDA / Mobile use, a PDA icon will be listed in the column.

To release this lock, follow the How do I release a work order that is locked for PDA / Mobile use? instructions.

There are three ways that assignments can be automatically made when a work order is created:

• If a procedure is defined for the work order, typically as part of a preventive maintenance schedule, the procedure can designate an employee or craft for auto-assignment. If a craft is listed, a placeholder assignment for the craft will be made, prompting you to designate an appropriate individual.

• Assets or asset classifications can be tied to a particular labor resource and automatically assigned whenever a work order is created on that particular asset. This is useful when a particular technician is preferred for an asset or type of asset.

• Automatic assignments can be defined in the Rules Manager. For example, a rule could be created that would automatically assign a top technician whenever an urgent work order was created.

My Preference settings always take precedence over settings made for the Repair Center. If you have made a custom setting for My Preferences, changes made to the corresponding preference for the Repair Center will not take effect. This ensures that your personal preferences remain in effect when someone changes the Repair Center setting. If you notice that a Repair Center change has not impacted the system as expected, check the My Preference setting to see if an alternate custom setting has been made.

When you are viewing the Assignment Calendar from a perspective other than a labor resource, assignments are displayed for multiple technicians. Therefore, you cannot click a date to initiate an assignment, since the system would not know for whom the assignment should be made. You can select another assignment displayed on the calendar for the desired individual, and use a shortcut to create a new assignment for the current work order.

The shortcut entails right-clicking the similar assignment, and selecting Create Assignment. Once you have specified assignment hours and other parameters and clicked Apply, a second assignment will be listed on the same date, but marked for the current work order. You can then click and drag the new assignment to the desired date. For more information, see Create Assignments from Organizational/View Only Perspective.

If you create a new assignment from a View Only perspective, modeling from an existing assignment, the new assignment would not display on the calendar if the current work order does not match the chosen perspective.

For example, if you chose the Department Perspective from the Display tabs As control, and selected the IT Department tab, an assignment for a work order associated with the IT Department might be displayed on the Assignment Calendar for labor resource John Doe.

You could right-click the John Doe assignment and select Create Assignment to create a new assignment. After entering your designations for the new assignment and clicking Apply, Maintenance Connection would create a similar assignment for the current work order, listing John Doe as the assignee. However, if the current work order is not in the IT Department, it will not show in this view.

To view the new assignment, you would have to change the perspective of the calendar. This could be done by selecting the department associated with the current work order, or just by selecting a Labor Resource Perspective and viewing the calendar from John Doe’s perspective.