Work order statuses explained
A work order’s status should answer one simple question: What’s happening with this job right now? Keeping statuses current makes the dashboard, filters, Board view, overdue counts, and team workload more trustworthy.
The everyday work-order flow
Section titled “The everyday work-order flow”Not Started → In Progress → Awaiting Review → Completed
Use On Hold whenever work has started but cannot continue yet.
| Status | Use it when | Do not use it just because |
|---|---|---|
| Not Started | No one has begun the work | The job is assigned |
| In Progress | Someone is actively working the job | You plan to work on it today |
| On Hold | A blocker prevents the work from continuing | The job is simply lower priority |
| Awaiting Review | A technician submitted completed work for management review | The job is still being worked |
| Needs Correction | Management returned specific documentation or work-record items | You are waiting on parts or a vendor |
| Completed | The work and required review are finished | A technician has only submitted it for review |
Not Started
Section titled “Not Started”The work order exists, but no one has begun the work. Most general work orders start here.
In Progress
Section titled “In Progress”Someone is actively working on the job. Move a work order here when the work actually begins rather than leaving active work marked Not Started.
On Hold
Section titled “On Hold”The work has paused because something is preventing it from moving forward — for example, you’re waiting for a part, vendor, approval, access, or another dependency.
When you place a work order On Hold, MaintenanceOps asks for a reason. That explanation becomes part of the work-order history so other people can see why the job is waiting.
Completed
Section titled “Completed”For technician-led work, Completed means a manager or Super Admin approved the final closeout, or the technician completed specifically requested corrections using Complete & Final Close. A technician’s first closeout normally moves the work order to Awaiting Review, not directly to Completed.
Managers and administrators doing the work themselves can use Document and Final Close when they meet the same labor and documentation requirements.
Awaiting Review and Needs Correction
Section titled “Awaiting Review and Needs Correction”- Awaiting Review — completed technician work is waiting for its assigned reviewing Manager. If that Manager is unavailable, review routes to a Super Admin.
- Needs Correction — the reviewer selected one or more specific items that must be corrected. The technician updates the record, confirms each listed item, and selects Complete & Final Close. A second management approval is not required.
See Final closeout review for the complete workflow.
Requested and Declined
Section titled “Requested and Declined”Work submitted through a request workflow can begin before the normal maintenance lifecycle:
- Requested — submitted and waiting for a manager’s decision. It is not active maintenance work yet.
- Declined — a manager declined the request. The reason is recorded and communicated to the requestor.
When a request is approved, it moves into the normal work-order flow and can be assigned to a technician. See Requests and approvals.
Assignment does not equal progress
Section titled “Assignment does not equal progress”Assigning a work order to a technician does not automatically mean the job is In Progress. It can remain Not Started until the technician actually begins the work.
Life Safety work orders
Section titled “Life Safety work orders”Life Safety work can include additional approval statuses because compliance work may require documented inspection and sign-off steps. Those statuses appear only where that workflow requires them; general maintenance work orders use the everyday statuses above.
See Life Safety for the compliance workflow.
What to do next
Section titled “What to do next”Once status accurately reflects the job, build the record of what it took to complete it. Continue with Tracking time, parts, and purchases.