Purpose Statement

The purpose of this article is to guide users through the process of creating a new Work Order Board in First Due. Work Order Boards allow departments to manage and track asset maintenance activities, including repairs, preventative maintenance, labor costs, and associated expenses, all within a centralized workflow.

Background Information

Work Order Boards are used to organize and manage maintenance-related tasks for department assets. Each board defines how work orders are submitted, assigned, tracked through phases, and ultimately completed and archived.

Common use cases include:

• Fleet and apparatus maintenance tracking

• Station facility repair management

• Preventative maintenance scheduling

• Centralized oversight of repair requests

Prerequisites:

• Access to the Assets module

• Appropriate administrative permissions to configure work order boards

Required Permissions

To create and manage Work Order Boards, users must have:

• Assets – Admin or Setup permissions

• Access to Work Orders configuration within the Assets module

Users without these permissions will be unable to add or modify work order boards.

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Navigate to Assets Setup

1. From the main navigation menu, click Assets, then select Setup.
   
   

Step 2: Access Work Orders and Select Add Board

1. Click Work Orders to open the Work Order Boards configuration screen.
   

2. Click Add Board.
   

Step 3: Configure Work Order Board Settings

1. Complete the following fields:
   

   • Board Name: Enter the name of the work order board.

   • Status: Select Active to make the board available for use. If inactive, the board will not be available in the First Due system.

   • Send Notification to Assigned User or Team: When enabled, a notification is sent to the assigned user or team when a work order is submitted. (Teams are managed in the Admin module > Fire Prevention Teams.)

   • Send Notification to Submitted By User: When enabled, a confirmation notification is sent to the user who submitted the work order.

   • Assigned To: Select the user or team responsible for overseeing work orders submitted to this board.

   • Allow to Edit Users or Team: When enabled, submitting users can change who the work order is assigned to. When disabled, assignments default to the board’s assigned user or team.

   • Phase Name: Define the phases a work order will move through. The first phase is the default starting point. The final phase represents Completed, regardless of its name. Click the + icon to add additional phases.

   • Archive Work Order After: Specify the number of days a completed work order remains visible before being automatically archived.
     
     
   • Restrict Board To: Specify which asset group this work order board is usable for: Equipment, Kits, Locations, Apparatus.

Step 5: Add Work Order Types

1. Click the + icon to add work order types to the board.
   

Step 6: Configure Work Order Types

1. For each work order type, configure the following:
   

   • Add Work Order Type: Click the + icon to add additional work order types.

   • Work Order Type Name: Enter the name of the work order type.

   • Priority Level: Select High, Medium, or Low priority.

   • Enable / Disable: Disabled work order types are removed from the selection list but can be re-enabled at any time.

   • Duplicate: Creates a copy of an existing work order type to speed up configuration.

   • Delete: Permanently removes the work order type.

Step 7: Save the Work Order Board

1. Click the Save icon to finalize the work order board configuration.
   
   

Best Practices

• Use clear, descriptive names for boards and work order types

• Limit the number of phases to keep workflows simple

• Assign boards to teams rather than individuals when possible to avoid gaps in coverage

• Review archive settings to ensure historical data remains available as needed

• Disable unused work order types instead of deleting them

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why can’t I see the new work order board?
Ensure the board status is set to Active and that you have access to the Assets module.

Why aren’t notifications being sent?
Verify notification options are enabled and that assigned users or teams have valid notification settings.

Can submitting users change assignments?
Only if Allow to Edit Users or Team is enabled on the board.

Can archived work orders be recovered?
Archived work orders remain in the system for reporting purposes but are no longer active.