Also known as a job or service order, a work order is a document authorizing the work that needs to be done for a client or customer. Inside is a:
- A specific, technical description of the scheduled maintenance activities
- Updated contact details of both requesting & assigned parties
- Start & completion schedules
- Location specifics
- Cost breakdowns
- Labor structures & hours worked
- Material or product name & specifications
- Billing details
- Space for authorized personnel to sign for approval
Storing all this information in one place helps you manage invoices to external vendors or suppliers, track the implementation of work orders, and reduce work backlog.
Pair up with this Purchase Order template to streamline purchases, control spending, and restock inventory on time.
The Work Order Process
Depending on which industry & what company size, you might need more than one type of work order to run your maintenance operations. That said, the overall process is pretty similar across industries.
Here’s how it goes:
- Identify the maintenance issue or equipment breakdown in question as accurately & timeously as possible.
- Initiate a formal work order request and submit it to the maintenance company for review and approval.
- If approved, your work order request is now your work order.
- Ensure implementation of work order by the assigned person (or Task Owner).
- Once all tasks are complete, a work order is signed by authorized people & formally closed.
- A post-completion analysis is often run to identify any tasks that were missed or not performed properly.
Is a Work Order the same as a Work Order Request?
Well, no. Even though they might look similar on paper, they’re not the same thing.
The main difference comes down to why they’re created and who’s creating them. A work order request is usually made by the client or project manager. It lists out the tasks that need to be done and is sent to the relevant team or service provider before any actual work begins.
A work order, on the other hand, is prepared by the service provider or team lead after the request is approved. It acts as the green light to start the job. It includes more detailed instructions, the scope of work, who’s assigned, and what materials or labor are needed.
What We Offer
When work orders are written in different formats or scattered across emails, spreadsheets, or paper, important details often get missed. Deadlines slip. Tasks get duplicated. It becomes harder to track progress or know who’s doing what.
Using a single template keeps everything in one structure. It makes sure each work order has all the right details—job description, assigned staff, materials, timelines, and approvals. It also helps teams stay on the same page, whether they’re in the office or working remotely.
We’ve built a free Excel-based work order sheet that you can download and start using right away. It comes pre-set with fields and formulas to save you time and reduce errors.
Key Template Features
Deciding on the use of one reusable template for all your work order requests & forms has one key organizational advantage. It means that the information and authorizing processes are the same every time for everyone. Sync this template with other similarly designed Construction Schedules to ensure that formatting and components are consistent across the organization.
Here’s a rundown of the most useful features of our template:
All required information fields!
From detailed descriptions of maintenance activities to the type of requested equipment & authorized signatures – a maintenance work order must have all the information you need to get things right. For miscellaneous comments or remarks, you can use the Additional Comments section in each form.
Default labour vs. material requirements
Our tool is programmed to account for types of expenses or costs: Labour & Material. We further break down each into hours worked & pay per hour (Labor). To give you a kickstart, our template contains individual columns to detail quantity, task owner, price per unit, rate per hour, number of hours, and tax-specific rates & amounts. Generic across industries.
Instant cost calculator
Based on the values you add manually (see above), our template quickly generates the totals for Labour and Material, as well as a grand total of both. All cells showing derived financial values are password-protected, so you won’t accidentally mess up the formulae we have programmed into it.
Automatic tax deductor
To help you factor in the impact of taxes, we have programmed tax deductions in our sheet. All you need to do is specify the applicable tax rate on labor and the tax rate on the purchase of materials or equipment. Go to the IRS or a relevant government website for the most updated list of tax rates in your area. These rates vary by year & state, so make sure you do your homework first!
WO priority assigner
To help you strategize as a team, we offer a pre-built dropdown containing three fixed priority levels: High, Medium, and Low. This way, you can devote more time & energy to the most project-critical or urgent tasks first, and the less critical ones later.
User-friendly!
For your ease, our templates are 100% customizable, so you can adjust our default headings or standard text in line with your needs & preferences. For maximum user-friendliness, our templates are available in multiple formats, including Microsoft Excel for easy offline editing, OpenSheets for compatibility with various word processors, and via Google Sheets for cloud-based sharing, editing, and collaboration.
Note: We have deliberately designed our template to be as generic and straightforward as possible, so you can use it regardless of which field or industry you work in!
The Bottom Line Is…
Without a digitally secure & automated way of issuing and sharing work orders, you will struggle to stay on top of little things. For example, there might be confusion about when certain equipment is due for delivery? Who is responsible for which maintenance activities? How much money do you need to fund a certain maintenance task? There are countless doubts like this that you can clarify using a systematic spreadsheet.
Download our free template now to spearhead fast scheduling, assigning, and tracking of maintenance work. You can use an editable and protected version of the file and share it with your team online. This way, all parties who are involved in the maintenance operation can stay abreast of the workflow!
Example Time
Let’s walk through how a construction company might use a work order and how the template fits into the process.
Imagine you’re a site manager, and your team has been assigned to pour the foundation for a new housing unit. The request has already been approved, so now you’re creating the actual work order.
You start by filling in the technical specs: type and grade of concrete, mix ratios, reinforcement details, and basic layout dimensions. You don’t need to list step-by-step instructions for pouring or curing, but you might note any special requirements or project-specific procedures.
Next, you fill in scheduling info—start date, deadline, and priority level. Then you assign the task owner (maybe a foreman or subcontractor) and list support crew members. You also add the job site location, equipment needed (e.g. concrete mixers, pumps), and any safety checks required.
Tracking comes next
Work orders are not one-and-done documents. You’ll track updates as work progresses—maybe log delivery delays, weather impacts, or changes in mix design. If rain pushes back the pour date, note that. If you switch to a different grade of steel reinforcement, add that too.
Use the Additional Comments section in the sheet to document these changes. It will help you later when preparing project reports to update stakeholders.
Once the job is done, tested, and signed off, you close the work order by recording the completion date. If no follow-up work is needed, mark it complete and archive it.
Our Template is Ideal for…
- Project Managers: To assign and oversee work.
- Technicians/Contractors: To execute tasks based on instructions.
- Finance/Accounting Teams: To track labor, materials, and costs.
- Clients/Customers: To review work completion and approval.
Summary
A work order tells you how maintenance work will be carried out. It includes a complete description of the maintenance work and information such as who requested and approved the work order, the technician responsible for executing the work, and the associated due dates, costs, and resources. A prebuilt, automated template helps you ensure clear communication between stakeholders, streamline task management, track labor and material costs, and document job completion status for accountability. By doing so, our Excel-based solution tackles the most common problems related to task organization, work assignment, tracking job progress, cost estimation, and quality control.
