Work order management is at the heart of field service operations in the portal. A work order represents a job or service request that needs to be carried out, whether it is a scheduled maintenance visit, an emergency repair, or an installation task. The portal provides a centralized space where every detail of a work order can be viewed, updated, and tracked from the moment it is created until the work is fully completed.

This guide walks through the key sections and tabs available within a work order, explaining what each area is used for and how it fits into the overall service workflow. Whether a work order is being prepared for the first time, actively being worked on by a technician in the field, or under final review, the portal makes it easy to stay informed and in control.

Accessing a work order in the portal is straightforward. From the main navigation menu, select Services and Click on Work orders. This will open work order search page. Use the search filters (such as status, priority, assigned technician, or date range.) at the top of the page to search for the work order. Click on the reference number or the three-dot menu icon on any work order in the grid and select view or edit work order to opens its detail view, where all the information and management tabs become available.

During Work order creating as well, (read more about How to create a work order), you may continue to the work order details. This depends on the chosen status during the creation process as not all statuses go to the WO details.

Once inside a work order, the detail screen is organized into several tabs along the left side of the page. Each tab focuses on a different aspect of the work order.

Before exploring each tab, it helps to understand that every work order moves through a series of lifecycle phases. These phases determine what information is visible, what can be edited, and which actions are available at any given time.

The main lifecycle phases are:

As a work order progresses through these phases, certain fields become read-only to preserve the integrity of the data.

The Overview tab is the first and most comprehensive section of a work order. It serves as the central hub where all the essential details about the job are displayed. This tab is divided into several panels, each focusing on a specific category of information.

Throughout the Overview tab, many fields display a small pen (pencil) icon next to them when hover on. Clicking this icon allows the field to be edited directly on the screen. Which fields are editable depends on the current lifecycle phase of the work order?

Learn more: How do work orders behave in each life cycle?

The General Information panel sits at the top of the Overview tab and provides the foundational details of the work order. It displays the current status of the work order as a color-coded button, making it easy to identify at a glance whether the job is open, planned, in progress, or completed.

Moving the work order further down the process, is always done by using the status button. All the statuses that have been enabled in your environment will be listed to choose from.

Note that some status options are not possible anymore after a while. For example you cannot put the work order back in status 'Open' when the work order is already "in progress". You can read more about work order statuses here

This panel also includes the customer reference field and work order name, which is typically generated automatically based on the type of job and the installation involved, though it can be edited when needed.

The work order priority indicates how urgently the job needs attention, and the work order type categorizes the nature of the service being performed.

Changing the WO Type also affects several other elements, including the selected Work Instructions, as well as possibly the autogenerated WO name if it is still used.

The WO type's can be modified on the portal settings => work order => WO type

For grouped work orders that cover multiple installations or equipment, the service type field defines whether the service will be short, a detailed service or a combination of both.

The Planning Information panel contains all the scheduling details for the work order. During the early stages of a work order, when it is still open or plannable, this section is fully editable and allows planners to configure the timing of the intervention.

Key fields in this panel include the agreed time (the time agreed upon with the customer), the estimated duration (the expected time the work will take based on the type of job), the earliest intervention date (the soonest the work can begin), the suggested intervention date and time (the recommended schedule, often driven by service level agreements), and the latest intervention date (the deadline by which the work should be completed). A suggested technician (preferred users) can also be assigned here to recommend who should carry out the job.

Once a work order moves into the planning, execution, or completion phase, the planning section expands to show a more detailed view of how time and resources are being used. This extended panel provides a summary comparison of agreed time, estimated time, planned time, actual time worked(timesheets), and invoiced time, all displayed side by side for easy comparison. If the planned or actual time exceeds the estimate, the values are highlighted in red as a visual alert.

A "Used parts" count is also shown, representing the total quantity of parts consumed during the job.

This panel also displays a technician planning grid, which lists all technicians assigned to the work order along with their planned dates, actual start date, planned duration, timesheet, and current planning status. For work orders with multiple technicians, a lead technician can be designated directly from this grid. Additional grids for timesheet entries, hours to invoice, and used parts are accessible by clicking on the corresponding summary values, giving a complete picture of all the resources consumed during the job.

When a work order is linked to a service contract that includes response time commitments, the Service Levels panel becomes visible. This panel displays the applicable service level agreements, including target response times and deadlines. It helps service managers monitor whether the work is on track to meet the contractual obligations and provides a clear view of any approaching or breached deadlines.

The Work Order Briefing panel is where detailed descriptions and notes about the job are recorded. It includes a field for important pre-work information — anything the technician should know before starting the job, such as access instructions, safety considerations, or special customer requests.

A description field to captures the scope of work to be performed, while an internal remarks field is available for remarks that are visible only to internal staff and not shared with the customer. Once a technician begins working on the job, their remarks are also displayed in this section, providing real-time feedback from the field about the progress or any issues encountered.

The Contact panel shows the primary contact person associated with the work order. This is typically the person at the customer site who should be reached for coordination, access, or updates. Contact details such as phone number, mobile number, and email address are displayed using icons for quick reference. Additional contacts can also be linked to the work order if more than one person needs to be involved.

The equipment panel provides information about the specific piece of equipment being serviced. It displays the installation name, type, brand, model, and serial number. If the installation is covered by a warranty, a warranty icon appears next to the name as a visual indicator. The assigned service manager is also shown in this panel.

The Equipment panel includes a three-dot menu icon (⋯) in its header. Clicking this icon reveals three options:

When changing an installation, a confirmation message is displayed warning that this action may reinitialize the work instructions, change the work order name, and reset suggested technicians because other skills may be required. This ensures that changes are made intentionally and with full awareness of their impact.

The Location panel shows the physical address where the work needs to be performed. It includes the location name and full address details.

Like the Installation panel, the Location panel also has a three-dot menu icon (⋯) in its header with three options:

The edit or change location option is only available when the work order is in the Open, To Be Planned, or Planned status.

Once the work order moves into execution or completion, the three-dot menu icon only show the Location details option.

For mobile installations — equipment that moves between locations — a separate Mobile Installation info panel replaces the standard location panel, showing the relevant mobile address and account details instead. This panel also has a three-dot menu icon (⋯) with "Edit mobile installation", Mobile equipment details, and "Change mobile installation" options, following the same rules as the Location and Installation panels.

The Requested By panel identifies the company and contact person who originally requested the service. This is particularly useful when the party requesting the work is different from the location or equipment owner.

The requested by panel also has a three-dot menu icon (⋯) in its header with an option to change the requester. This option is only available when the work order is in the Open, To Be Planned, or Planned status. Once the work order moves into execution or completion, the three-dot menu icon is hidden to prevent changes to a job that is already being carried out.

The Bill To panel specifies which company will be invoiced for the work performed. It includes the billing company name and address. This panel is important for ensuring that the correct party is charged, especially in scenarios where the service is performed at one company's location but billed to another entity.

The Bill To panel has a three-dot menu icon (⋯) in its header with an option to change the Bill to company. This option is only available when the work order is in the Open, To Be Planned, or Planned status. Once the work order moves into execution or completion, the three-dot menu icon is hidden to prevent changes to a job that is already being carried out.

The Attachments panel allows documents, photos, and other files to be attached directly to the work order using the Plus Add attachment button in the panel. During the open and planning phases, new attachments can be added freely. Once the work order moves into execution or is completed, attachments can still be viewed and downloaded but new ones can typically no longer be added.

Any attachment added to a work order in the portal will appear for the technician in the Field Service App. Specifically, the technician can find these attachments in the work order detail tab in the "Documents linked to work order" field, ensuring they have access to all relevant files and documentation while on site.

For grouped work orders that involve servicing multiple equipments at the same location, the Sub Work Orders panel displays a list of all the individual child work orders. Each entry shows the equipment name, work order reference, equipment type, serial number, status, estimated time, service area, assigned technician, and completion date.

The Extra Info panel displays custom fields that have been created specifically for work orders. These are additional data fields that have been configured to capture information unique to the organization's workflow or reporting needs, beyond the standard fields provided in the other panels.

To create and manage such customized fields, you need to go to the portal settings (top right corner), select menu 'Work orders', than tab "Custom fields"

The Work Instructions tab is where the step-by-step actions required to complete the work order are defined and managed. Work instructions serve as a checklist that the technician must follow before the work order can be marked as complete. These instructions are sent to the technician through the Field Service App.

Work instructions are automatically linked to a work order based on the combination of the equipment type and the work order type. This means that when a work order is created for a specific type of equipment and a specific type of service, the system automatically pulls in the relevant set of instructions that the technician needs to follow.

If no work instruction has been configured for the particular equipment type and work order type combination, a message reading " No work instructions added to this work order. You can create a new work instruction template." will appear on the screen. In this case, an "Create new work instruction template" button is available to create a new set of instructions for that combination if the work order is in the Open, To Be Planned, or Planned status. Once the work order moves into execution (in progress) or completion, no new instruction can be created.

Each work instruction has a default estimated time, which contributes to the overall estimated duration of the work order. The total estimated time for all instructions is displayed at the top of the tab.

Note that changing the work instruction estimated time will update the WO estimated time. But you can still overrule this update.

How does the work instruction generation logic works? When you have a grouped work order, the work instructions will be generated for the lowest levels of the tree list only. If you create a single WO, the work instruction will be generated for the selected level. So, if you need to have work instructions on a location, you will only see them if you created a single work order on that location.

During the open and plannable phases, the Work Instructions tab allows service managers and planners to review, add, modify, or remove instructions. Instructions are organized into groups, and each group can contain multiple individual instructions. Groups and instructions can be reordered to define the sequence in which the technician should complete them.

The pen icon (✏️) appears on both groups and individual instructions when hover on during the early lifecycle phases. On a group, clicking the pen icon allows the group name to be renamed. On an individual instruction, clicking the pen icon opens the instruction editing panel on the side, where the instruction details — such as the name, type, and display options — can be modified. This provides a convenient way to make adjustments without leaving the work instructions screen.

The bin icon (🗑️) also appears during the early lifecycle phases. When an individual instruction is hover on, clicking the bin icon removes that instruction from the work order's instruction list. On a group, clicking the bin icon triggers a confirmation message that reads: "Do you want to archive [group name] " Confirming the action by clicking okay will archive the entire group along with every instruction it contains. Cancelling will leave everything unchanged. This two-step confirmation prevents accidental deletion of large sets of instructions.

Both the pen and bin icons are hidden once the work order moves into the execution or done phase, ensuring that completed or in-progress work instructions cannot be accidentally modified or removed.

For grouped work orders covering multiple equipment types, arrow icons (< and >) appear near the instruction list header. Clicking these arrows allows navigation between the different equipment type and work order type combinations, so the appropriate set of instructions can be viewed and managed for each piece of equipment.

Once the work order is in the execution or done phase, the Work Instructions tab switches to a read-only view showing the results entered by the technician. For standard instructions, the status (OK, Not OK, Replaced, or Not Applicable) is shown. For form instructions, a link to the completed form is provided. For picture instructions, the number of documents uploaded is shown alongside the required minimum. Any advice or remarks entered by the technician are also visible.

The Recommended Parts tab allows planners and service managers to prepare a list of parts that the technician will likely need when carrying out the job. This proactive approach helps ensure that the right materials are available before the technician arrives on site, reducing delays and return visits.

To add parts to the recommended list, click the "+ warehouse" icon that appears at the top of the parts grid. This opens a parts selection dialog where parts can be located and added.

Only parts with a quantity greater than zero are included in the recommended parts list. Each part entry shows the part number, part name, quantity, unit price (based on the customer's price list), and total price.

A trash icon appears on each part row in the recommended part tabs, allowing the part to be removed from the recommended list. A Pen icon is also shown on each part row to edit the part quantity.

Adding recommended parts does not actually subtract the parts from your stocks, and that the stock locations you have configured in Wello are not affected by this. The parts are only recommended, so not yet consumed in the WO completion.

For grouped work orders covering multiple installations, the recommended parts list is organized by installation, so it is clear which parts are intended for which piece of equipment.

An equipment type field with a drop-down option is available at the top of the page. These arrows allow switching between the different equipment types included in the grouped work order. This makes it possible to add and manage a separate set of recommended parts for each individual installation, ensuring that each piece of equipment gets exactly the parts it needs.

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The Forms tab displays all the forms that a technician has completed through the Field Service App during the execution of the work order.

The Forms tab only becomes visible once the work order reaches the execution or completion phase (specifically statuses such as in progress, Waiting Further Action, Ready for Review, or Completed). During the earlier lifecycle phases (Open, Plannable, and Planning), this tab is not shown because no forms have been filled in yet.

Each form that was completed on the work order is displayed inside its own collapsible panel. The panel header shows the form name, the name of the technician who completed it, and the date the form was finished. By default, panels are collapsed to keep the screen tidy. Clicking on the panel header toggles it open to reveal the full form content rendered as a preview.

A PDF icon is also available in each panel header. Clicking this icon opens the completed form in PDF format in a separate browser tab, making it easy to download, print, or share the form with customers or other stakeholders.

When No Forms Are Present

If no forms were used during the work order, the tab displays a centered icon and a message reading "No 'Forms' used on this work order." This confirms at a glance that no form data needs to be reviewed.

If the work order is in the "Ready for Review" status and the authorized user has editing permissions, completed forms can still be modified before the work order is finalized.

The Tasks tab displays a list of follow-up tasks that are linked to the work order. Tasks represent additional actions that need to be taken — either before, during, or after the main work is completed. These might include scheduling a follow-up visit, ordering additional parts, or performing a secondary inspection.

The task list is presented in a grid format. By default, tasks are sorted by their next activity date, making it easy to identify which tasks require attention soonest. A toggle at the top of the list allows switching between pending tasks (those still requiring action) and completed tasks.

Clicking on a task reference number opens the full task details in a separate view, while clicking anywhere else on a task row opens a quick overview panel for a summary. If the appropriate permissions are in place, a "+" button is available at the top of the grid to create a new task directly from the work order.

Tasks can be created and added to a work order at any time, as long as the work order has not been closed or cancelled.

The Logbook tab provides a record of the equipment logbook entries that technicians fill in through the Field Service App while working on the job. These entries serve as a running maintenance diary for the installation being serviced. When a technician notes observations, records measurements, logs maintenance actions, or writes down any other relevant remarks about the equipment in the logbook tab during a field visit, those entries are captured in the logbook and become visible here in the portal.

This logbook is tied to the equipment (installation) rather than to the work order itself, meaning it builds up a cumulative history of all maintenance events and observations recorded against that piece of equipment over time. Reviewing the logbook provides valuable context about the equipment's condition, recurring issues, and the history of past service interventions — all of which help service managers and planners make better-informed decisions about future maintenance and repairs.

Read more about how work orders behave depending on the life cycle there are in.

Or go to this article to learn more about the different life cycles.