Work order statuses explained

Every work order has a status that tells you where it stands. As work progresses, you move it from one status to the next, and each change is recorded. This guide explains what each status means.

The main statuses

• Not started — the work order exists but no one has begun. This is where most work orders start.
• In progress — someone is actively working on it.
• On hold — work has paused, usually waiting on something: a part, a vendor, an approval, or access.
• Completed — the work is done.

These four cover the everyday lifecycle of a general work order. You move a work order along by selecting the new status on its detail view.

Changing a status

On a work order’s detail page, the available statuses appear as options you can select. Choose the one that reflects reality, and the change is stamped with who made it and when. That record is part of the work order’s history for good.

Life Safety work orders have more

Work orders tied to Life Safety compliance follow a stricter path with additional approval statuses — for example, waiting on a manager inspection or a final approval. Those extra statuses only appear on Life Safety work orders, because that work requires a documented chain of sign-offs. General work orders won’t show them. See the Life Safety guides for how that approval flow works.

Why statuses are worth keeping current

The status is what everyone else sees when they look at a work order or the Ops Board. Keeping it accurate means your dashboard counts are right, overdue tracking works, and your team can trust the board to reflect what’s actually happening. A work order left at “not started” while you’re actively working on it makes the whole picture less reliable — so update the status as the work moves.