--- title: "Work order: what it is and what it should include | attendo" description: "What a maintenance work order is, what it should include, what to record when it is closed and the three costly mistakes: no asset, vague tasks, no materials." url: "https://attendo.me/en/glossary/work-order" lang: "en" --- # Work order: what it is and what it should include Also known as: WO A work order (WO) is the document that describes a maintenance job: what needs to be done, on which equipment, by whom and when. ## What it should include, at a minimum - **The asset**, always. A work order without equipment does not show up in its history, and that job is lost for traceability. - **Specific, checkable tasks**, one per line. “Check machine” is not a task. - **The owner**: a person or a team. - **Dates**, planned and due, and a real **priority**. - **Planned materials**, if they are known. - **The inspection checklist**, when it applies. ## And when it is closed Completed tasks, time spent, materials actually used, useful notes and evidence. The recommendations written down at closing are the natural starting point for the next [preventive](https://attendo.me/en/glossary/preventive-maintenance) job. What the technician writes on site is the [service report](https://attendo.me/en/glossary/service-report): the work order says what needs doing, and the report says what was done. ## The usual mistake Three of them are costly: 1. **A work order with no asset**: the equipment loses its traceability. 2. **A vague description**: the technician wastes time and the history is useless. 3. **Forgetting the materials**: real costs come out too low and the contract’s profitability is not real. ## In attendo The work order inherits the customer, the contract and the [asset](https://attendo.me/en/modules/assets). [Task templates](https://attendo.me/en/modules/tasks) fill in the usual steps, and the technician closes it in the [app](https://attendo.me/en/modules/mobile-app) with the checklist, photos and a signature. - [attendo CMMS](https://attendo.me/en/cmms) ## Where it is used in attendo ### Modules - [Assets and inventory](https://attendo.me/en/modules/assets): Each asset with its own record, QR code, history and readings - [attendo Tasks](https://attendo.me/en/modules/tasks): Tasks inside the document or standalone, with a date and an owner - [attendo Checklist](https://attendo.me/en/modules/checklists): Inspections with photo, signature and location, closed on site - [Mobile app and Field Radar](https://attendo.me/en/modules/mobile-app): The service report on your phone, offline, and a map of who can go - [Tags and document management](https://attendo.me/en/modules/document-management): Tags, attachments and files tied to their customer, asset and case ### Industries that use these modules - [Testing, inspection and laboratories](https://attendo.me/en/industries/testing-inspection) - [Facility maintenance and services](https://attendo.me/en/industries/facility-maintenance) - [HVAC and refrigeration](https://attendo.me/en/industries/hvac) - [IT services and MSPs](https://attendo.me/en/industries/it-services) - [And any other business](https://attendo.me/en/industries) ## Related terms Maintenance ### Asset An asset is any piece of equipment, machine or installation whose maintenance you keep track of: its record, its location, its history and its costs. Maintenance ### Maintenance task list Job plan · PM routine A maintenance task list is the set of operations carried out on a type of equipment, with their frequency. It is the template that preventive work orders come from. Field work ### Service report Job sheet · field service report A service report is the document that records what the technician did on a job: tasks, time, materials, notes and evidence. ### On the blog #### Assets on a map: from the customer’s GIS to maintaining every item Streetlights, street furniture, trees or a network of installations spread across a city. Your customer already has that inventory in a GIS. Re-entering it by hand throws away their work and loses where each item actually is. 5 min read [See all 53 glossary terms](https://attendo.me/en/glossary) ## Shall we look at it with your data? We will show you how what you just read works in attendo, with your own assets, tickets and customers. If it is not a fit, we will tell you. - With your operation, not a generic demo - A real person from our team replies - No cold calls afterwards Would you rather talk first? - Phone [+34 910 053 530](tel:+34910053530) - Email [sales@attendo.me](mailto:sales@attendo.me) - Monday to Thursday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Friday 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM (Spain time)