---
title: Introduction to Maintenance and Work Orders
description: "AssetIQ maintenance and work orders help organisations plan, assign, track and complete maintenance activities for their assets. A work order provides a structured record of the maintenance activity, responsible person, relevant dates, progress and outcome. ## What is maintenance management?…"
url: "https://help.assetiq.sg/docs/introduction-to-maintenance/"
updated: "2026-09-01"
category: Maintenance
---

# Introduction to Maintenance and Work Orders

AssetIQ maintenance and work orders help organisations plan, assign, track and complete maintenance activities for their assets.

A work order provides a structured record of the maintenance activity, responsible person, relevant dates, progress and outcome.

## What is maintenance management?

Maintenance management is the process of planning and recording the work required to keep assets safe, reliable and available.

AssetIQ helps organisations maintain a central record of maintenance activities associated with each asset.

Depending on your organisation’s configuration, maintenance activities may include:

- Preventive maintenance
- Corrective maintenance
- Routine servicing
- Inspections requiring maintenance work
- Repairs
- Component replacement
- Other organisation-specific maintenance activities

![AssetIQ maintenance and work orders list showing maintenance activities](https://help.assetiq.sg/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-16-1024x445.png)

## What is a work order?

A work order is a controlled record of work to be performed on an asset.

It can help your organisation record:

- The asset requiring maintenance
- The type or purpose of the work
- The work description
- Priority
- Planned dates
- Responsible person or team
- Work-order status
- Completion information
- Notes and supporting attachments

The exact fields available depend on your AssetIQ configuration and assigned permissions.

## When should you create a work order?

Create a work order when maintenance or repair work needs to be formally planned, assigned and tracked.

Examples include:

- An asset is due for scheduled servicing.
- A repair is required.
- A maintenance issue has been identified.
- A component needs to be inspected or replaced.
- Follow-up work is required after another operational activity.
- Maintenance needs to be assigned to a responsible user.

Do not create duplicate work orders for the same activity. Search for existing open work orders before creating a new one.

## Before creating a work order

Make sure that:

- The asset exists in AssetIQ.
- You have permission to create work orders.
- The required maintenance master data is available.
- The responsible person or team exists in AssetIQ.
- You understand the work that needs to be performed.
- The planned dates and priority have been confirmed where required.

> **Tip:** Review the asset record and existing work orders before creating a new work order.

## Typical work-order lifecycle

A work order generally progresses through the following stages:

1. The maintenance requirement is identified.
2. A work order is created against the correct asset.
3. The work is planned and assigned.
4. An authorised user starts or updates the work.
5. Notes, findings and supporting information are recorded.
6. The maintenance activity is completed.
7. The completed work order is reviewed.
8. The asset’s maintenance information is updated where applicable.

The exact status names and permitted transitions depend on the approved AssetIQ workflow.

## Work-order roles and permissions

The work-order information and actions available to you depend on your role.

For example:

- An authorised user may create a work order.
- A maintenance coordinator may plan and assign the work.
- An assigned user may update progress and record the completed activity.
- A manager may review work-order information and maintenance history.
- A restricted user may be able to view only selected work orders or assets.

If a required action is unavailable, ask your AssetIQ administrator to review your role and access scope.

## Work orders and asset records

Each work order should be connected to the asset requiring maintenance.

This helps users:

- Review open maintenance work.
- Understand an asset’s maintenance history.
- Track recurring activities.
- Review maintenance dates.
- Investigate repeated problems.
- Support operational and reporting requirements.

Always confirm that you selected the correct asset before saving a work order.

## Next maintenance date

AssetIQ may calculate or update the next maintenance date after a qualifying maintenance activity is completed.

The resulting date depends on the approved maintenance rule and configured interval.

After completing a qualifying work order:

1. Open the related asset record.
2. Review the next maintenance date.
3. Confirm that it reflects the approved maintenance interval.
4. Report an unexpected date to the responsible administrator.

Do not manually assume a next maintenance date without checking the configured rule.

## Maintenance records and attachments

Where supported, users may add relevant information to a work order, such as:

- Maintenance notes
- Findings
- Completion comments
- Photographs
- Service reports
- Supplier documents
- Other approved attachments

Do not upload confidential or unrelated information. Follow your organisation’s requirements for file types, sizes and data handling.

## Work-order best practices

For accurate maintenance records:

- Select the correct asset.
- Use a clear and specific work description.
- Avoid duplicate work orders.
- Assign the appropriate person or team.
- Use the correct priority.
- Keep the status current.
- Record meaningful completion information.
- Attach supporting evidence where appropriate.
- Confirm the next maintenance date after completion.
- Do not close unfinished work.

## A maintenance action is unavailable

If you cannot create, update or complete a work order:

1. Confirm that you selected the correct asset and work order.
2. Check whether your assigned role permits the action.
3. Confirm that the work order is in a status that allows the action.
4. Check that you have access to the relevant organisation, entity or location.
5. Refresh the page and try again.
6. Ask your AssetIQ administrator to review your access if the problem continues.

## Next steps

- [Create a Work Order](https://help.assetiq.sg/docs/create-work-order/) — Create and assign maintenance work for an asset.
- [Update and Complete a Work Order](https://help.assetiq.sg/docs/update-complete-work-order/) — Record progress and complete the maintenance activity.
- [Understand Work-Order Statuses](https://help.assetiq.sg/docs/work-order-statuses/) — Learn how a work order moves through its lifecycle.
- [Review the Next Maintenance Date](https://help.assetiq.sg/docs/next-maintenance-date/) — Confirm when the asset is next due for maintenance.
- [Find and Filter Assets](https://help.assetiq.sg/docs/find-filter-assets/) — Locate the asset requiring maintenance.