What Should I Include on a Work Order?

The information you should include on a work order, a document used to request work from another person or department inside a company, will typically vary depending on the type of work that you are requesting. In most cases, your contact information, the contact information of the person or department to which you are sending the work order, and an internal or external tracking number are necessary. You will also need to include a detailed description of the work requested, including the urgency of the matter, where the work is necessary, and what needs to be done. In some cases, you may need to provide information on the cost of the work, specifically to what account the work should be charged.

Before submitting a work order, you will have to provide information on where you can be contacted for details on the work and estimated completion times. This will typically include your name, phone number, email address, and the physical location of your office. You will also need to include the name of the department to which you are sending the work order and, in some cases, the name of the person to which the work order is directed.

Tracking numbers are used on each work request for filing purposes and for following the progress of the job. In computerized work order systems, this tracking number is often automatically generated, typically by the date and the number assigned to the department requesting the work. In some cases, you may need to input this information yourself based on company policy. If your department or office uses internal tracking numbers, you will typically have to include this in the work order as well for tracking and filing purposes.

The main part of a work order is a description of the type of work that is being requested. This may be a short paragraph, primarily when the work is an office project or concerns technology. For work that includes manual labor, typically fixing or upgrading an office or building, you may have to include a rough drawing indicating the location of the issue. This information is usually attached to the order rather than inside the actual document.

A suggested date of completion is often also included in this type of document, including information on the urgency of the matter. Depending on your company’s policies, the date you include here will either be a suggestion to the person to whom you are submitting the order, or a firm deadline. You will also need to include detailed information on the location of the work to be completed, as applicable, including the address of the building, floor, and room number. If the work is to be performed on a system or computer, you will need to include information on which system or computer needs work and where the item is located.

You may also need to include an account number in which the department you are sending the order to can charge the cost of the job. Whether or not this is necessary will depend on how your company handles accounting procedures. The job will likely be charged to your department or, if the work is for a project, to the account with the money for the project.