We already have a login page to authenicate users, so now the first action we want to implement is a way for users to create a new work order.  This is a very basic form with just a few fields, but you can always add your own fields to fit your needs.  You can enter [...]
Maximo Times

Did you know that Maximo has a built in timer functionality that will let laborers start a record and then later stop it and record that transaction in the LABTRANS table?  Well, it does and it’s a great feature to have, especially on a mobile device like EZMaxMobile.  It just makes total sense to start/stop [...]
Maximo Times

You can already create a new work order with REST but it’s useless if you can’t add labor hours to it right?  This tutorial will show you how to setup the MXWO object structure to be able to add LABTRANS records at the same time you create a work order.  You can now create a work [...]
Maximo Times

In a previous tutorial, querying data use the REST API framework is fairly straight forward and much easier to use than WSDL web services.  Now the question is, how do we update or create new records using this API?  This tutorial will show you how to create a new work order using Maximo’s REST API. [...]
Maximo Times

Here is an explanation from IBM about how Maximo handles work orders, work order hierarchies, and work order operations [via IBM Support] From the user’s perspective, very little has changed in the existing work order functionality between Maximo 4 vs 6.x and 7.x. Work Order functionality have however been enhanced in the following two ways: [...]
Maximo Times

Here is a trick to create a keyboard shortcut to work order tracking or any application you wish from any screen in Maximo.  Here is a quick rundown of some available keyboard shortcuts for Maximo, but these aren’t really helpful in terms of navigating from one application to another.  If you want to go from [...]
Maximo Times

One of the traps of a non entrepreneurial environment in facilities maintenance management is that key personnel are unable to recognize a bad situation getting worse because they are too close to the situation. In contrast, an entrepreneurial minded organization is constantly aware of the need for change in order to survive, improve and ultimately thrive in a competitive world. The secret is the desire to do the job better and the recognize opportunities for improvement. With this said, how can you tell if there is an opportunity for MRO improvements using a dynamic Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system?

The first step is to get a handle on your workflow. The core ingredient of any maintenance management workflow is the use of work orders to mark the beginning and end of maintenance tasks. Unfortunately, many maintenance managers not using an EAM/CMMS can quickly find themselves overwhelmed by work orders as assets age and require more care. Quite often it is the small preventive maintenance tasks that are delayed because staff was too busy reacting to repair issues. Here are some of the signs that you might need an EAM work order maintenance solution.

8 Ways to Tell if You Need an EAM to Organize Your Work Order Management System Work Order Management System

1. The facilities maintenance manager jumps nervously when the wind blows. This is a sure sign of anxiety issues caused by the fear of losing control or being overwhelmed. Get back control using an EAM to organize and automate the work requests, work orders and maintenance scheduling.


2. The guy who filled out the open work request retired 5 years ago. Most of the maintenance team thinks the grating sound the equipment makes is normal because they have never heard it sound differently.


3. No one can remember how to fix the problem. An EAM database will resolve this issue because it records all maintenance work orders and results.


4. Facility management discovers the asset no longer needs minor repair because it failed 3 months later and had to be replaced. Preventive maintenance could have prevented this major replacement expense.


5. Overtime is out of control as repairs and asset failures mount up requiring immediate attention. An organized work flow will reduce this cost.


6. Everyday is just a battle spent firefighting. Proactive measures such as inspections and preventive maintenance are unheard of because no one has the time.


7. Energy and water bills increase as a percentage of the overall maintenance operations costs. This is a result of poorly maintained assets requiring more energy to have the same amount of output or numerous leaking faucets and toilets.


8. The useful lifecycle of assets is not nearly what was expected causing more work orders as well as faster asset replacement. Poor maintenance practices only shorten the expect useful life of equipment. Conversely, well maintained equipment will almost always last longer.

An EAM/CMMS solution does more than just organize your workflow. The data that is input contains all asset information so that you can manage the asset through its entire lifecycle from the planning stages through retirement/replacement. An EAM puts at your fingertips the complete knowledge know of assets such as location, condition, maintenance history, repair costs, vendor info, who worked on it and what was the fix. In simple terms maintenance managers gain back control as well as their sanity while at the time saving the company priceless dollars.

Tell us how you identify an operation in distress. If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading:

• When an EAM and Common Sense Collide


• Grab The Low Hanging Fruit with a CMMS


• How Maintenance Management Visibility Affects Trends

A work order like an asset has a lifecycle of its own. The work order lifecycle can be viewed as the time it takes to accept a work request through the time it takes to complete the work order. How much time you spend any given stage is dependent upon the skills of the administrator, the type of system used (manual or EAM/CMMS) and of course the level of expertise the maintenance teams have acquired.

What is a Work Request

A work request is a paper document or a screen of an online CMMS that identifies maintenance work needed on a particular asset. The work request may be the result of an asset failure or the result of inspections as part of a preventive maintenance routine. Regardless of how the problem was identified, a work request must be reviewed for priority, parts availability/requisitions, time required and labor availability. Once the work request has been analyzed, it may result in a work order for action.

What is a Work Order

Once a work request is approved for further action, it is converted into a work order. A work order is more than a maintenance job assignment, it represents the document trail (either paper or computerized) that follows the maintenance of an item. A work order should contain at a minimum; a description of the task, details of the asset, a tracking number, date requested, due date, who it is assigned to, a priority, a place to record the time spent on, inspection notes, general notes/remarks section. As the task is completed, time spent, cost, materials, outcome and notes of special tools/considerations should be recorded. Results are returned to maintenance management either via paper or on CMMS handheld devices.

Role of an EAM/CMMS for Work Order Lifecycle

Visually the lifecycle of a work requests/lifecycle can be viewed as:

The opportunity maintenance managers have is two-fold. The first opportunity if to increase the efficiencies of the work order lifecycle itself. This includes but is not limited to the elimination of a paper based system, shifting the source of work orders from reactive identification to pro active thus decreasing labor and materials costs. These opportunities for improvement can best be ascertained by implementing EAM/CMMS software. For example:

• Elimination of paper based system: Manual systems are inherently slower as the paper trail must continually make it back and forth for further review or clarification. In addition, transcribing information is subject to greater errors or lost/misfiled forms. The elimination of a paper based system will all but eliminate forms costs as well as help make the move to a greener operation. EAM/CMMS systems make use of computers and mobile handheld devices to record all work requests, work orders and results.


• Shifting the reasons for maintenance: One of the main reasons work orders and work requests can overwhelm facility managers is because much of their work is a a result of reactionary need. Improvements in efficiency, scheduling flexibility can be achieved by shifting from a reactionary based system to a pro active maintenance management philosophy of scheduled inspections and preventive maintenance. A commitment to the CMMS scheduling of inspections and preventive maintenance will help identify minor issues before they become major repairs and labor intensive.

The second opportunity is use the results of all work to create a historical database of knowledge that can be used for asset lifecycle projections, identification of repair trends and knowledge transfer for training. EAM/CMMS handheld device applications when set up correctly will automatically record work order and work request information to produce a variety of management reports that will enable better asset lifecycle management.

Ultimately, this enables early asset issue identification and better capital budgeting. The EAM system can also provide repair fix detail to maintenance staff unsure of the last actions taken or provide instructions on how to fix a particular problem.

Clearly, the use of an EAM/CMMScan improve the work order lifecycle. Tell us how you have made improvements to your maintenance operations. If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading:

• Top 8 Reasons You Might Need EAM Work Order Management


• The Roles of an EAM in Asset Lifecycle TCO


• Battling The Skilled Maintenance Worker Crisis With An EAM

Maximo start center portlets are great for a quick overview of information that is important to you.  Start centers are the first thing you see when you log into Maximo.  You can use portlets to show a variety of information and if I’m a labor technician, the most important thing to me is to quickly [...]
Maximo Times

How to Employ Work Order Software in Your Business

Consulting and repair businesses make their money by consistently and effectively managing and correcting issues within databases, equipment or accessories within their clients’ companies. These consulting and repair businesses make it possible for the rest of the corporate world to effectively maintain their businesses and increase the lifespan for their equipment. The difficulty in managing hundreds of clients manually on a daily basis would be cumbersome to the point of impossible, tracking issues and appointments for consultants or finding repairmen to correct those issues. Therefore, most companies in these fields rely on a portion of CMMS Software called Work Order Software.

Getting Started

When a business functions as a support team for another company, there is a need to be aware of several details about their clients business at all times:

What are the details of the client’s business? Name, address, type, location, future plans.
What model, make and type of equipment is being managed?
When was the equipment purchased by the client? Was it purchased through the consulting or repair service or was it purchased by the client directly?
What is the current status of the equipment itself? Is it functioning properly? Are there any disturbances in the way that it is working?
What is the depreciation value (if applicable) of each piece of equipment being monitored?
What purpose does each piece of equipment serve to the client? In other words, what is the work volume that each piece of equipment endures during business hours?

Starting with these criteria, the monitoring companies can now build a client database based on the acquired information in order to begin managing the equipment in question. Employing the Work Order Software system with the uploaded information, they can now begin gauging each of their clients’ needs.

Streamlined and Automated

When your client has a problem with their equipment, they will contact your customer service department. The customer service rep on hand will take the information about the issue and key it in to the Work Order Software system in that client’s file.

The software system will then create a Work Order ticket for your team to manage. Based on the customer information, the ticket will be assigned to a particular tech to handle for the client. Once the problem is resolved, notes applying to the work performed and any recommendations made will be put into the Work Order file and then the ticket will be closed.

Your company will be able to track the details of each open and closed ticket for each client at all times.

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