The Work Order module is designed to track work that interfaces with the Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets, Payroll, and Project Management modules.

Work Order Module Process Diagram

The objects in the diagram represent processes or features in the application. Click on an object for information about that process or feature.

Work Order Estimates

• The Work Orders module can be set up to require that an estimate is created and approved before a work order can be created. A work order estimate allows you to create an estimate of the work that will be required to complete the work order. You can enter estimates for labor, materials, equipment and services on the work order estimate.
• Once an estimate is approved and becomes a work order, the labor, material, equipment and service activity items that were attached to the estimate will be recorded on the work order so you can compare the estimate with the actual activity items attached to the work order.
  • This graphical comparison is accessible on the Work Order Maintenance window (WO> Work Orders> Work Orders> open a work order> Estimates tab).
• Work Order estimates are created on the Estimates Maintenance window (WO> Estimates> Estimates).
• Estimates are approved and turned into work orders through the Estimate Approval process (WO> Estimate Approval).
  • This process will determine the status of the work order when it is created.
• The Print Estimates window (WO> Estimates> Print Estimates) is used to print the estimate details.
  • You can also include the estimate information on the printed version of a work order (WO> Work Orders> Work Orders> Print icon  ).
  • The QBE reporting tool can also be used to create reports on work order estimates.
• The work order estimates arrow in the Work Order Module Process Diagram only flows from the estimate to the work order because once a work order has been created from an estimate, you cannot add more estimates to the work order or change it back into an estimate.

 Recurring Estimates

• Recurring estimates allow you to create a template for estimates that will occur again in the future.
  • If the WO module is set up to require estimates for work order creation, a recurring estimate can be used to create an estimate that, once approved, can be used to create a work order.
  • If the WO module is set up not to require estimates for work order creation, a recurring estimate can be used to create an estimate or a work order.
• Recurring estimates are created on the Recurring Estimates window (WO> Recurring Estimates> Recurring Estimates).
• Recurring estimates can be attached to Maintenance Jobs to create equipment maintenance work orders.
  • Equipment maintenance work orders are work orders that are automatically generated when an asset created in the Work Order module has reached a certain usage level. An example of this is creating a maintenance work order to change the oil of a car in the fleet every time the asset travels another 3000 miles.
• The recurring estimate arrow in the Work Order Module Process Diagram only flows from the recurring estimate to the estimate or work order because once an estimate or work order has been created from a recurring estimate, you cannot change the estimate or work order back into a recurring estimate. You will, however, be able to create another estimate or work order from the same recurring estimate.

Work Order LEMS Activity Items

• Work order activity items are used to record any activity on a work order. Each activity will have a LEMS (Labor, Equipment, Materials, or Service) designation in order to record what type of work the activity completed.
• Labor items record the hours that employees or positions spend working on a work order. The modules that you have set up to interface with the Work Order module will determine how the work order labor items function.
  • If you have the Work Order module set up to interface with the Payroll module, work order labor items can be created from a Payroll module time card entry or directly from the Work Order module in the Work Order Maintenance window. A labor item created from within the Work Order module will create a Payroll time card entry that can be approved and committed in the PR module. In order to bill the labor activity, you must process the labor items through the Activity process in the Work Order module.
  • If you do not have the Work Orders module set up to interface with the Payroll module, you will not be able to associate labor items with specific employees. You will only be able to associate them with general positions.
  • If the Work Order module is set up to use Flat Rate Labor, Labor activity items will not be available.
• Equipment items record the usage of assets on the work order. Work orders can also be used to create a fixed asset, adjust the cost of a fixed asset, or bill an AR customer for the use of an asset.
  • In order to create or modify the cost of a fixed asset, you must set up a work order category. The category attached to the work order determines if the work order will create a fixed asset or modify the cost of an existing asset.
    • If you attach a New Construction type category type to a work order, and then change the work order status to Complete, the work order will create a fixed asset in the Create Fixed Assets process in the Work Order module. From the Create Fixed Asset process, you can approve the new asset and send it to the Fixed Asset module for installation.
      • The value of the fixed asset created by the Work Order module will be the total of the activity items posted to the work order. Install the created asset using the Install Assets process in the Fixed Assets module and the asset will be created.
      • If the work order status has been erroneously changed to Complete, you can always change the work order status back to In progress in order to add more activity items to the work order.
    • If you attach an Improvement type category to a work order, when the work order status is changed Complete, it can be added to an Adjust Fixed Assets batch.
      • Once the Adjust Fixed Assets batch has been committed, a new Value Adjustments batch will be created (FA> Adjustments). The amount of the value adjustment will be the total amount of activity items that have been attached to the work order.
• Materials items record the inventory items that are being consumed by a work order. Work Order inventory items are created on the WO Item Maintenance window (WO> Maintenance> Item).
  • Materials activity items are designed to interface extensively with the Inventory Control module.
  • You can use the LEMS Report to track the usage of WO items. The LEMS Report is configured on the LEMS Report window (WO> Reports> LEMS Report).
• Service items record the vendor related service activity attached to the work order.
  • Service activity items can be added to work orders through the AP Invoices process. When those invoices are committed, a committed service activity item will added to the work order record for the total amount on the invoice line item.
    • If you have set up the Work Order module to apply an overhead percentage to services, then the amount that is posted to the work order from the invoice will be increased by the overhead percentage.
    • The overhead percentages of an individual work order are set up on the Work Order Maintenance window (WO> Work Orders> Work Orders> open a work order> Defaults tab> Overhead Percentages section> Services field).
  • If you attach a work order number to a requisition or purchase order, the requisition or purchase order information will not post to the work order module until that requisition or purchase order becomes an Accounts Payable invoice.
• Adjustment items record miscellaneous charges you would like to bill to the work order. These flexible items are designed to record activity that does not fall in to one of the other LEMS types.
  • While default accounts and distributions can be specified for Adjustment items at both the module level (WO> Utilities> Setup> Defaults and Distribution tabs) and at the Category level (WO> Maintenance> Category> Default, Overhead and Credit Distribution tabs), those defaults can be overridden when the adjustment item is actually attached to the work order.

Accounts Receivable Module Interface 

• The work order activity items that accumulate on a work order can be billed using the Accounts Receivable module at any time during the life of the work order. You can bill a single work order item or adjustment, or you can bill all activity and adjustments on a work order at once. A work order does not have to be closed before you can generate a bill, but the work order activities need to be committed and processed through a WO Activity batch (WO> Activity). In order to bill a work order adjustment, the adjustment must be processed through a WO Adjustments batch (WO> Adjustments).
  • The customer that is billed for the work order activity is attached to the work order on the Work Order Maintenance window (WO> Work Orders> Work Orders> open a work order> AR Account field). You can only bill one customer AR account for the activity on a work order.
  • When a work order activity item is added to a WO Billings batch, and that Billings batch is committed, the included activity items will be added to an open AR Invoices batch.
  • Attach an AR fee code to the work order activity in order to define which general ledger accounts will be used when the invoice is billed. The AR fee code will also determine which GL accounts will be used when the AR invoice is paid and cash received through the Cash Receipts module.
  • Each work order activity item that is being billed will create a separate line item on the AR Invoice.
  • Once the invoice have been created from the Work Order module, you can commit the AR Invoice from the AR module (AR> Invoice). Payment can be received just like any other AR invoice.

Project Management Module Interface

• Attach a Project Management module task to a work order in order post the activity items and adjustments of a work order to the task. In order for the activity items and adjustments of a work order to affect the Project Management module task, the adjustments must be processed through the WO Adjustments process (WO> Adjustments) and activity items must be processed through the WO Activity process (WO> Activity).
• This feature will only be enabled if the Work Order module is set up to interface with the Project Management module.
  • Check the Project Management Interface toggle (WO> Utilities> Setup Work Orders> Interfaces section) to interface the Work Order module with the Project Management module.