Requests and approvals

Requests are how people outside the maintenance team report work without assigning it themselves. MaintenanceOps routes each request to the right manager, keeps the requestor informed, and turns approved requests into normal work orders.

Think of approval as triage

A manager is deciding three things: Is this legitimate work? Is the location/problem clear? Who should own it?

The request flow

Submitted → Requested → Approved & assigned → Worked → Completed

If the request should not proceed, it moves to Declined with a reason saved on the record.

Where requests come from

Source	Who uses it
+ New request	Signed-in requestors
Public request form	People who do not need to sign in

Both enter MaintenanceOps in Requested status and route based on the selected location. If no manager is assigned there, the request escalates to a Super Admin.

Approve and assign

1. Review the request details and location.
2. Check for obvious duplicates or missing information.
3. Choose the technician who should own the work.
4. Select Approve & assign.

Approval is not the same as starting work

An approved request can remain Not Started until the technician actually begins the job.

Decline a request

Use Decline when the work should not move forward. A reason is required and is communicated to the requestor.

Weak reason	Better reason
No	Duplicate of WO-1048 already assigned
Not facilities	Request is an IT support issue; sent to technology team
Need info	Please provide the room number and a photo of the damaged fixture

Do not let requests disappear

If work should not proceed, decline it with a useful reason rather than leaving it sitting in Requested indefinitely. That closes the loop for the person who reported it.

Add or change the requestor

Managers and administrators can set the Requestor when a problem was reported by phone, in person, or another channel. If the person is not already in MaintenanceOps, use + Add and enter their name and email.

Automatic updates

Requestors can receive updates when the request is received, approved, declined, and completed. Managers are notified of new requests, and technicians are notified when work is assigned.

See Notifications for alert preferences.

A good manager routine

1. Confirm the location and problem are clear.
2. Check for duplicates.
3. Approve and assign legitimate work promptly.
4. Decline work that should not proceed, with a specific reason.
5. Use comments when more information is needed.

Next step

Once approved, continue with Assigning and transferring work and Work order statuses explained.