What a work order contains
Who the customer is and where the work is, what needs doing, who is assigned and when, the parts and time used, and afterwards the notes and photos of what was found and done. It is both the instruction before the visit and the record after it.
Work order and job
A job is the customer's overall request, such as a system that is not cooling. A job can need more than one visit or technician, and each assignment under it is its own work order. That keeps each technician's plan, time and notes separate while the job stays one thing to the customer.
Typical lifecycle
- The work is created from the customer's request.
- It is scheduled and assigned to a technician.
- The technician carries it out, recording what was found and done.
- It is completed, which is the point where it can be invoiced.
Why it matters
A work order that is filled in as the work happens is what makes accurate invoices, service history and first-time fix rates possible. One that is reconstructed from memory at the end of the week loses all three.
Related
Definitions here are general and educational. Exact meanings can vary by trade, region, and software.