Work Order Guide: How to Submit, Track, and Manage Requests at Scale

Your freezer goes down at Store 12 on a Friday night.

Someone calls the manager. The manager texts facilities. Facilities says they never got the request.

By Monday, you've lost product. Nobody knows when the issue was first reported.

That's what broken work order management looks like.

This guide covers everything: what a work order is, how to write one, how to build a process that scales, and how the right work order software keeps it all running automatically.

What Is a Work Order?

A work order is a formal document that authorizes and tracks a specific maintenance or repair task.

It captures who requested the work, what needs to be done, where the issue is, who's responsible for fixing it, and when it needs to be completed.

Think of it as the official record between "something broke" and "it's fixed and verified."

Without a work order, you're relying on text messages, phone calls, and memory. That's how things fall through the cracks. Work orders close those gaps permanently.

Here's what a standard work order includes:

• Issue description and location
• Priority level
• Assigned technician or vendor
• Expected completion date
• Photo documentation
• Completion verification

It stays open until the work is verified complete, not just marked done by whoever did it.

What Is Not Included on a Work Order?

Just as important as knowing what goes in a work order is knowing what doesn't belong there.

Not a purchase order. A work order doesn't authorize payment or procurement. If parts need to be ordered, that's a separate process.

Not a general task. Work orders are specifically for maintenance and repair, not shift checklists, training assignments, or daily routines.

Not a financial document. Budget approvals, vendor contract terms, and pricing details live elsewhere. Keep work orders focused on the task itself.

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Included on a Work Order, Not Included on a Work Order

Issue description and location, Purchase authorization or payment terms

Priority level and deadline, Budget approvals or contract details

Assigned technician or vendor, Training assignments or shift tasks

Photo documentation, HR or personnel matters

Completion notes and verification photo, Vendor pricing or negotiation records

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What Are the Four Types of Work Orders?

Not all maintenance work looks the same. Here's how operations teams categorize it:

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Type, What It Is, Example

Reactive, Unplanned - needs immediate response, Freezer down - POS not working

Preventive, Scheduled based on time or usage, Quarterly HVAC - monthly hood cleaning

Corrective, Follows an inspection finding - not urgent, Worn door seal flagged during walkthrough

Inspection, Condition assessment - no fix yet, Annual equipment evaluation

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Knowing which type you're dealing with helps you prioritize correctly and put the right resources on the right problem.

How to Write, Fill Out, and Submit a Work Order Request

Most teams treat these as one step. They are three distinct things. Here is each one broken down.

How to Write a Work Order Request

A good work order request answers six questions before anyone has to ask them.

1. What is the issue? Be specific. "Broken door" tells a technician almost nothing. "Walk-in cooler door seal torn on left hinge, causing temperature variance" tells them exactly what they're walking into.

2. Where is it? Location name, address, and the specific area inside the facility. Kitchen. Drive-thru lane 1. Floor 2. Don't make the technician hunt.

3. How urgent is it? Assign a priority: critical, high, medium, or low. If safety or production is at risk right now, it's critical. If it can wait for the next maintenance window, it's low.

4. Who reported it? Name and contact details of whoever submitted the request. Technicians often have follow-up questions before they arrive.

5. What have you already tried? Did you reset the equipment? Is this a recurring issue? Any context saves time on both ends.

6. What does it look like? Attach a photo. Always. A photo of the damaged seal or error code is worth more than a paragraph of description.

How to Fill Out a Work Order

Once a request is approved, it becomes a formal work order. Every field has a purpose.

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Field, What to Include

Requestor Information, Your name - role - location and contact details

Asset or Equipment Details, Asset ID or model number if equipment-related

Issue Description and Photos, Clear description + photos attached

Priority and Target Date, Business impact-based priority with a deadline

Assigned Technician or Vendor, A specific name - not a team

Notes, Access codes - parking - relevant history

Completion Section, Root cause - resolution - parts used - completion photo

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One rule: the completion section requires a photo before the work order can close. No exceptions.

How to Put In a Work Order

Putting in a work order shouldn't be complicated.

Here's all you need to do:

1. Describe the issue clearly, what's wrong, where it is, how it's affecting operations
2. Set a priority level based on business impact
3. Take a photo before you submit
4. Fill in your name, location, and any relevant equipment details
5. Submit and confirm it was assigned

That's it. Under two minutes when the system is set up right.

What Is an Example of a Work Order?

Here's what a real work order request looks like in practice:

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Field, Details

Request Title, Walk-in cooler not maintaining temperature

Location, Store #47 - Dallas TX

Reported By, Shift Manager - Maria G.

Date Submitted, February 14 2026

Priority, Critical

Description, Walk-in cooler reading 48°F since 6 AM. Product at risk. Door seal appears torn on left hinge. Need immediate inspection and repair.

Photos Attached, Yes - door seal - temperature display

Assigned To, Refrigeration vendor

Target Completion, Same day

Status, In Progress

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Clear. Specific. Actionable. The technician shows up prepared. The manager has a record. Leadership has visibility. Nobody's calling anyone for a status update.

The Work Request Process: From Submission to Resolution

Most work order problems don't happen because of the request itself. They happen in the process that follows.

Here's what a clean work request process looks like:

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Step, What Happens

Request Submitted, Team member submits via mobile app/QR code or web form

Reviewed and Prioritized, Manager confirms priority and routes internally or to a vendor

Assigned and Acknowledged, Technician receives full details - description/photos/location/access notes

Work Completed, Technician documents everything - what was done - time spent - parts used

Photo Verification, Completion photo required. No photo - no close

Work Order Closed, Manager reviews and closes. Becomes part of asset service history

Escalation If Unresolved, Missed deadlines auto-escalate to leadership. Nothing goes invisible

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Every step needs a named owner. When ownership is ambiguous, work falls through the cracks.

Maintenance Work Order Process

The maintenance work order process is more detailed than a general work request. It involves vendors, parts procurement, and asset tracking.

Here's what a structured process looks like:

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Step, What Happens

Issue Identified, Team member submits work order with description and photo

Triage and Priority, Manager reviews - internal fix/warranty or vendor dispatch?

Vendor Dispatched, Vendor receives photos - location - access notes. No phone tag

Parts Ordered, Tracked alongside the work order for full cost visibility

Work Completed, Technician documents everything. Completion photo required

Manager Verification, Manager approves closure or requests additional action

Asset History Updated, Work order joins the equipment's permanent service record

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Every step documented. Every asset history updated. Nothing lost.

Learn more about operational efficiency through better maintenance management.

How Automated Work Order Creation Works

The best work order is one nobody has to think about creating.

Modern work order software handles that automatically. Four ways it works:

Inspection Failures

Team member marks a checklist item as failed. A corrective work order is created and assigned instantly. No manual write-up needed.

Sensor Alerts

Equipment connected to temperature sensors goes out of range at 3 AM. Work order created. On-call manager notified. No human intervention required.

QR Code Scans

Staff scan the code on any piece of equipment. They land on a pre-filled form with asset details already populated. Submitted in under 30 seconds.

Scheduled Maintenance

Preventive maintenance work orders auto-create on a recurring schedule. Monthly. Quarterly. Annually. On the calendar without anyone having to remember.

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Trigger Type, How It Works, Benefit

Inspection failure, Failed checklist auto-creates corrective work order, Zero manual follow-up

Sensor alert, Out-of-range reading generates emergency work order, Issues caught before they escalate

QR code scan, Pre-filled form - submitted in under 30 seconds, Fastest possible submission

Scheduled maintenance, Recurring PM work orders auto-created, Nothing gets missed

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Automation doesn't replace your team's judgment. It removes the admin so they can focus on the actual work.

Work Order Management Best Practices

The difference between a team that resolves issues fast and one still chasing work orders three weeks later? These practices.

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Best Practice, Why It Matters

Require photos at submission and completion, Context for technicians. Verification for managers

Define priority levels and stick to them, If everything is urgent - nothing is

Assign to a specific person - not a team, Shared ownership is no ownership

Set deadlines for every priority level, A work order without a deadline is just a wish

Keep asset service histories, See patterns before they become bigger problems

Review open work orders weekly, Nothing should sit unresolved for weeks

Track resolution time as a KPI, Reveals bottlenecks and shows exactly where to improve

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Simple rules. Consistent execution. That's what separates good teams from great ones.

How to Keep Track of Work Orders Across Multiple Locations

One location is manageable. Fifty is a spreadsheet nightmare.

At scale, you need a system that gives you real-time visibility without calling every location manager for a status update. Here's what effective multi-location work order tracking looks like:

Centralized dashboard. One view. All open work orders across every location. Filter by status, priority, location, or issue type. Know what's outstanding right now without making a single call.

Location-level scorecards. Which locations generate the most work orders? Which resolve issues fastest? Which have recurring equipment failures? Scorecards surface these patterns so you can act on them.

Overdue alerts. When a work order passes its deadline without resolution, the system flags it and notifies leadership automatically. No issues go invisible.

Trend reporting. The same issue type keeps appearing at locations in a specific region. The same equipment fails every three months. Trend reporting helps you act on patterns instead of just reacting to individual incidents.

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Tracking Method, Manual Approach, Software Approach

Status visibility, Call each manager, Real-time dashboard

Overdue identification, Manual spreadsheet review, Automated alerts to leadership

Resolution time, Calculate manually, Auto-generated reports

Asset service history, Paper files - email chains, Searchable digital records

Vendor accountability, Phone follow-ups, Portal with documentation requirements

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This is exactly how platforms like Xenia approach work order management for multi-location operations teams. Mobile-first submission, automatic routing, live dashboards, and PM scheduling all in one place, so your team spends less time managing the process and more time resolving issues.

Conclusion

Work orders aren't just paperwork.

They're the system that connects your frontline team to your maintenance operation. When the process works, issues get reported fast, resolved faster, and documented permanently. When it breaks down, you're chasing text messages and wondering why the same problems keep showing up.

The difference between reactive chaos and a proactive maintenance operation comes down to one thing: a consistent process with clear ownership and real-time visibility.

That's exactly what Xenia's work order management software is built for. One platform for your entire team, from the frontline worker who spots the issue, to the vendor who fixes it, to the district manager who needs visibility across every location.

Want to see how it works? Book a demo.