What is a Manual Work Order Process?

Relying on a manual work order management process can cause a number of different problems for facilities teams. However, a common misunderstanding of what a manual work order process is, can lead to the assumption that the underlying problem lies elsewhere.

So, what does the term “manual process” actually mean?

When it comes to work order management, teams may only think that their process is “manual” if it involves physical documentation. This can lead facilities teams to assume that because they’re no longer using paper work orders, a “manual” process isn’t the problem.

A manual work order process is one that requires significant manual intervention at each stage, even if software solutions are utilised for some of the stages.

In this blog, we’ve provided a step-by-step breakdown of what a manual work order process looks like.

1)    Maintenance request submitted

In a manual work order process, a facility user might send an email, phone the team, or simply stop a team member in the hallway with a verbal request. Some facility users might utilise multiple channels, in an effort to escalate their request.  

When there are multiple channels available to submit a request, those requests can go anywhere and everywhere, and are highly susceptibleto being lost. Facility users might send their email to the wrong address, or to an inbox where it gets lost in the noise.

2)    Creation of the work order

If a request is successfully received, the next step is typically that the facilities team creates a work order.  Ideally, the work order should include all the details required for the work to be actioned.

Often, key details are omitted from a request, necessitating follow up communications or a physical inspection by the facilities team.  

The work order itself could be a paper document, an email, or simply a verbal request. However, it’s important that some kind of auditable record is created. This is a challenge when requests are being sent to individual team members, who may action the work without following a defined triage process.

3)    Work order assigned

When a work order is created by the facilities team, they will then have to assign that work to a team member or contractor with the appropriate skills, accreditations and availability.

This could be in the form of an email, or a physical document containing relevant details.  

For external contractors, reliance on paper work orders means not getting the full details for the job until they arrive on site. This can in turn lead to significant delays, if they have to go offsite for additional tools or supplies.

4)    Work actioned

Once a work order is created and assigned, it should then be actioned by the appropriate person. In a manual work order management process, the relevant information required to do the work is typically still being chased at this point.

Additional resources or budgetary approvals might be necessary at this stage, causing further delays to completion of the work.

5)    Completion and closing of the job

Once the work has finally been completed, the work order should be closed out. Details of the work should be recorded against the relevant asset(s) history, and the requester updated.

In a manual process, this requires someone to transcribe details of the work to wherever they are usually saved. For paper, this could be putting the updated work order in the correct filing cabinet, or typing the details into a spreadsheet.

Once the details are appropriately recorded, someone will need to speak to the requester, whether over the phone or via email.

6)    Meeting reporting requirements

Most teams will have some sort of reporting obligations totheir organisation, and in some cases, external stakeholders.

In a manual work order management process, reportingi nvolves amalgamating information from various sources. Asset and maintenance information might be saved in filing cabinets, or across various spreadsheets.

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