What's a Work Order Request & How Is It Different From a Maintenance Work Order?

Asset maintenance involves multiple teams working in parallel to support daily business operations in fast-paced, rigorous environments such as life sciences manufacturing. Understanding the relationship between work order requests and maintenance work orders helps end users and maintenance teams collaborate most effectively.

Communication and visibility across a manufacturing facility's maintenance team is essential to prevent asset downtimes and productivity disruptions. Work order requests and maintenance work orders are foundational to keeping those communication lines open, and for ensuring asset-level service histories are clear, accurate, useful, and concise.

In this blog post we'll explore what a work order request is, how it differs from maintenance work orders, and why they are crucial to any asset maintenance program. We'll also examine modern solutions that keep asset maintenance programs operating seamlessly with a special focus on the needs of life sciences manufacturers.

What Is a Work Order Request?

A work order request, sometimes called a work order maintenance request, is initiated when an asset needs maintenance or repairs that haven't been scheduled or planned yet. This step precedes the creation of a work order and is also commonly called a maintenance order request.

Work order requests are typically completed by technicians and maintenance personnel when they encounter an asset that isn't operating properly or when it's time to schedule regular maintenance.

How do work orders add value to an organization?

Facilities with streamlined work order procedures experience a 25% reduction in operational costs and a 20% increase in overall productivity.

Let's consider how a work order request might begin in a life sciences manufacturing setting.

Take the example of a production technician who starts their work day by running calibration checks on essential equipment. The technician observes that a critical measurement instrument fails its daily calibration check and determines it requires service. This is when a work order request comes into play; the technician completes a work order request for the instrument to be serviced.

What Is a Maintenance Work Order?

A maintenance work order, also called a work order, is the documentation that follows the work order request. After a work order request is submitted, a member of the maintenance team will review it and determine the appropriate course of action. Once they have established the best next steps, they'll create a work order for that work to be done.

Let's return to the measurement instrument in the previous example that was found to be out of calibration. The technician submitted a work order request that was reviewed by someone at the facility's in-house asset maintenance team.

After reviewing the work order request, the maintenance technician went to the production area where the instrument was located and ran some physical and diagnostic tests to determine the cause of the failed calibration check. Once they have determined the cause of the problem, they create a work order to have the problem resolved and schedule an onsite service with an external vendor.

What Is the Difference Between a Maintenance Work Order and a Work Order Request?

The difference between a maintenance work order and a work order request is that a work order request serves to formally notify the maintenance team of a potential issue or need for maintenance. It acts as an initial alert.

A maintenance work order, on the other hand, represents the authorization and detailed plan for the maintenance team to proceed with the necessary scheduled work for repairs or maintenance tasks.

Both types of documentation are an integral part of any asset maintenance management program and ensure maintenance teams and all stakeholders have the tools and information they need, when they need it.

Why Work Order Requests and Work Orders Make Maintenance Management Easier

Work order requests and work orders significantly simplify maintenance management, making it more efficient and effective. This system ensures that all maintenance needs are systematically recorded, evaluated, and addressed according to their priority and urgency.

When part of a robust maintenance management system, these work requests and work orders work in concert to create the following benefits:

Streamlined Communications

By formalizing requests and work orders, communication between departments or customers and service providers is made clear. This reduces misunderstandings, ensures technical specificity, and confirms that everyone involved is aware of maintenance needs and statuses.

Efficient Prioritization

With a structured process, maintenance tasks can be evaluated and prioritized based on their urgency, technician skills required, and impact on operations. This helps in allocating resources more effectively and avoiding downtime.

Accurate Documentation and Tracking

Every work order request and work order provides a documented history of maintenance activities. This is invaluable for tracking asset health, planning future maintenance, and maintaining compliance with regulations.

Improved Accountability

Assigning specific tasks to individuals or teams with a documented work order enhances accountability, ensuring that maintenance tasks are completed as planned.

Data for Decision-Making

Accumulated data from work orders and requests can be analyzed to identify trends, predict future maintenance needs, and optimize the maintenance schedule.

Modern Work Order Management: CMMS Technology Takes the Lead

Traditionally, work order requests and maintenance work orders were paper documents that were filled out by hand and physically submitted to the appropriate person or department. However, modern computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) solutions have eliminated the need for paper documents while making maintenance operations more efficient and less costly.

Additionally, 78% of companies that use a CMMS to manage their assets report seeing improvements in equipment life. Other advantages gained by implementing a CMMS software solution include:

• Enhanced Visibility and Communication: By digitally submitting work order requests, you can drastically improve response times and resource assignment, while in-platform status indicators and alerts drive awareness throughout the maintenance process for all impacted parties.
• Adoption of Predictive Maintenance Strategies: Data from CMMS solutions enable organizations to adopt predictive maintenance strategies more readily, and companies that have done so report saving an average of $10,000 each year.
• Improved Regulatory Compliance and Audit Readiness: A proven CMMS solution should include built-in features that assist in maintaining up-to-date records of maintenance activities, safety procedures, compliance certificates, and reports. This is especially helpful to life science manufacturers whose assets must adhere to stringent industry regulations and standards, such as good manufacturing practices (GMP), 21 CFR Part 11, and ISO 13485.
• Reduced Downtime and Increased Productivity: A CMMS solution helps minimize equipment downtime by facilitating timely maintenance and repairs. This helps ensure smooth running operations, which leads to increased productivity and efficiency across the organization.

MasterControl: Asset Maintenance Management Experts for Life Sciences Manufacturing

The health, availability, and performance of manufacturing assets are essential components of life science manufacturers' success. Not only does asset optimization help ensure the quality and validity of the products, but it is also directly tied to a facility's compliance regulations.

At MasterControl, we understand the unique asset maintenance requirements life sciences manufacturers face, and our team brings decades of experience serving the life sciences sector. That's why we've developed a CMMS specifically designed to meet life sciences manufacturers' unique needs, helping them streamline maintenance workflows while facilitating regulatory compliance.

Contact us today to learn what MasterControl CMMS software solutions can do for your organization.