What You Need to Know About Work Order Management

Offices aren’t exempt from needing work done every once in a while. Maybe you’ve needed the printer repaired, made a standard maintenance call such as an air filter replacement, or appliances in the breakroom stopped working suddenly.

These are just a few examples of times when a work order —  the connecting communication between you as the customer, the work that needs to be completed, and the vendor — comes in handy. We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about work order management and how a work order management system can help your business thrive.

What is a work order?

A work order (sometimes referred to as a WO) is a document that describes in detail the work between a customer and a contractor. It’s the bridge between a customer’s needs and the work they want to have done to get them from where they are to where they want to be. Contractor work orders are the backbone of service and maintenance industries.

Generally speaking, a work order includes a description of the job, with cost estimates that include labor, materials, and other applicable fees. Special instructions or other agreed-upon terms may also be included depending on the type of work, along with customer information for invoicing purposes. These documents are useful in scheduling and assigning work and for managing resources and deploying them to execute the work.

You may be most familiar with work orders for maintenance requests — think about when you’ve needed a maintenance service, such as work completed by a mechanic on your car. But work orders come in handy for other industries, especially for facility management, maintenance technician requests, computer services, and ultimately any other work completed by general contractors.

Who receives work orders?

Once a work order gets created, whether by hand or through an automated system, it gets assigned to a technician or contractor who will be executing the work. The person or team responsible for completing the job receives a work order, accepts it, and then schedules or assigns the job out as needed.

Using maintenance requests as an example, a technician generally receives work orders from a maintenance supervisor or manager. This is how work gets assigned to the right people. Once assigned, the technician can prioritize the work order against their current list of requests.

In some cases, the work order might not be sent outside of the organization if the request was created internally and is going to be fulfilled by someone with the organization. Think of the IT team as an example. Perhaps an employee needs assistance with their work equipment that the IT department can provide. In this case, your organization should define who should be responsible for receiving work orders and assigning them out.

Are there different types of work orders?

Not all work orders are the same or serve the same purpose, and there are a few different ways to think about work orders based on the job that needs completing.

Let’s break down some of the types of work orders you might encounter based on the need. But keep in mind, work orders can be flexible based on the industry and type of work.

Free work order template

Work orders don’t need to be overly complex. In fact, keeping your work order simple and straightforward is the best way to go.

So, what should you include in your work order? Here are the nuts and bolts sections that an effective work order needs.

Work order best practices

Work order management can be inefficient and ineffective if the right processes and systems aren’t in place. From how to organize work orders to prioritizing requests accordingly and everything in between — establishing work order best practices ensures you’re setting your team up for ongoing success.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when building out your work order processes in your business.

It’s important to identify staff members who can approve work orders and for all team members to have a clear understanding of who the approving authorities are. Especially for contractor work being completed by an outside vendor, having approving authorities in place can help prevent bottlenecks in work not being completed on time.

Work order prioritization helps ensure that any critical issues are taken care of prior to any other work, preventing them from getting lost in a backlog. If your organization handles a lot of internal work orders, prioritizing these requests will also allow you to guide your team’s workload and allow you to better manage your internal resources .

If you’re pushing work orders through your organization and your team is fulfilling requests, be mindful when assigning the work orders out. Learn and know your team’s strengths and weaknesses so that you can use their capabilities to your advantage, making the entire work order process more seamless.

Once you close your work order, it should be stored with other files in an organized system. Maybe you store your work orders by request type, vendor name, or by month of completion. No matter what method you choose, ensure that all work orders are closed out and stored accordingly.

Managing work orders the old-fashioned way on paper and spreadsheets leaves room for human error and inefficiencies. Centralizing the entire process using work order software or a work order management system helps ensure that your team is highly productive, efficient, and accurate.

What to look for in a work order management system

Gone are the days of traditional work orders. Written requests on paper are subject to getting lost or misfiled. Spreadsheets can be helpful, but they still require a great deal of manual entry and aren’t always ideal for moving quickly.

What’s a work order management system, and how can it help? Put simply, it’s software that can help you organize your work orders and streamline processes for your teams.

Known for enhancing operational practices, work order management systems are finding their place within organizations. Research suggests that the work order management systems market is expected to reach $836 million in 2026 as the demand for these systems continues to increase.

These systems vary in capability, which means you can choose one that works best for you and your organization. Not sure where to start? Here are a few things to think about when selecting a work order management system.

How to organize your work orders with UDN Task Manager

For teams that are looking for a work order management software that is flexible and easy-to-use, UDN Task Manager is a great option for streamlining and organizing processes.

UDN Task Manager makes it easy to set up request forms that both internal and external teams can use to submit project or work requests. Those forms are easily customizable so that you can get all of the information you need.

The best part? UDN Task Manager can automatically create a templatized project from that request form, meaning that you and your team can spend less time understanding the work request or order — and more time working.