The work order is at the heart of every maintenance team. On paper, it travels poorly: it gets lost, it's half filled in, and nobody really knows where the repair stands.
The life cycle of a digital work order
- Creation: an employee reports a problem from their phone, with a photo.
- Assignment: the person in charge picks the technician and the priority.
- Work: the technician sees the order and records the parts used and time spent.
- Approval: the supervisor checks and closes the order.
- History: everything is kept by piece of equipment.
The information to capture
Equipment involved, problem description, before and after photos, parts replaced, labour time, probable cause. This data becomes valuable for planning preventive maintenance.
From repairs to prevention
Once you have six months of history, trends emerge: a machine that breaks down every two months, a part that wears out faster than expected. You can then plan instead of reacting.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Too many mandatory fields: technicians will work around the system.
- No offline mode in basements or areas without coverage.
- A tool that's too complex, designed for a multinational.
A well-designed digital work order fits on a single phone screen.
