Work orders

A work order is a formal, cost-coded engagement issued to a trade or contractor. Where a defect is "this needs fixing," a work order is "you are engaged to fix this, here's the scope, the line items, and the cost code."

When to use a work order

Use a work order when:

• →The work requires a separate purchase order or quote.
• →Multiple defects are being grouped into one engagement.
• →You need to track cost as well as completion.
• →The work needs to flow into your accounts system.

For one-off "fix this, no paperwork" issues, a defect alone is enough.

Line items and cost codes

A work order is built from line items. Each line item has:

• →A description (what's being done).
• →A quantity and unit price.
• →A cost code mapped to your accounts system.
• →An optional backcharge flag — separates warranty from client-billable.

The total updates live as you add items. Approvers see the full breakdown before they sign off.

Lifecycle

1. 01Draft — drafting the scope.
2. 02Submitted — sent for supervisor approval.
3. 03Approved — supervisor has approved and the work order is ready to issue.
4. 04In progress — work is underway.
5. 05Completed — the work is done and signed off.

A work order can also be cancelled from any of the first five states by a supervisor or construction manager — useful when scope is dropped or merged into another order. Cancellation is recorded with a reason so the audit trail stays clean.

Like defects, transitions are role-gated and timestamped. Work orders use their own approval-focused role set — authorised user, supervisor, and construction manager — separate from the seven main app roles. A regular site user with the authorised-user permission can raise and progress work orders without needing manager rights elsewhere.

Backcharge tracking

The backcharge flag is one of the most important fields. It tells the accounts team — and any auditor — whether this work is:

• →Warranty (absorbed by the contractor under their defects liability), or
• →Billable (charged back to the client or a third party).

A clean backcharge audit trail is what stops disputes turning into invoices that can't be substantiated.

CSV export to your cost system

Work orders export to CSV with cost codes, quantities, line totals, and backcharge flags intact. From there it's a straight import into any spreadsheet or accounts system that accepts CSV.

What to read next

• →Defects — the input feed for most work orders.
• →QR codes — print-on-site codes that pre-fill the location field.